Constitutional Education Programs
Mock Congressional Hearings Competition
Classes from throughout Florida at the middle and high school levels may register to participate in mock congressional hearings to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Center provides grade-level specific hearing questions for middle and high school classes. Teachers prepare their classes to respond to specific questions based on the rules of competition. Each class should be divided into six groups and assigned to one of the six corresponding content areas.
The congressional hearing model requires students to prepare a preliminary statement delivered during the simulation. Following the prepared statement, a question and answer segment follows with judges, attorneys, and professors as well as other community members.
The state hearings will be held on Friday, January 29, 2027, for both high school and middle school students.
National competitions for the We the People…the Citizen and the Constitution program will be held in 2027 for eligible teams that advance from the state competition.
The Justice Teaching Center hosts state hearings for middle and high school classes. Review the rules and hearing questions provided on this page. Winning schools from the state showcase are eligible to participate at the national level.
Training and professional development opportunities are available for teachers in Florida. Contact apitts@flsouthern.edu. Please let us know if you have any questions, are new to the program and need training, or have specific needs to participate.
Resources
The We the People...the Citizen and the Constitution program provide elementary, middle, and high school students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge of the U. S. Constitution and strengthen their communication, critical thinking, and reasoning skills. Some schools utilize the We the People textbooks or resources.
2026-2027 State Competition Procedures
The 2026-2027 Mock Congressional Hearings will be held in person at Florida Southern College. Separate virtual hearings will be held as needed.
Different hearing questions are provided for middle school and high school. Questions will be sent to all teams that register on our website.
At the high school level, we are using the questions developed by the Center for Civic Education, national administrators of the We the People program. We will specify the designated questions for the state level. Once you register, each teacher will receive the questions and hearing details.
Our Center hosts monthly Zoom trainings and meetings for interested schools. Contact Annette Pitts at apitts@flsouthern.edu for additional information.
Please make sure you complete the registration form. We will be hosting periodic meetings monthly for additional information.
Questions? Contact
