New Visions: Law & Government

Last updated

New Visions: Law & Government is an academic career-exploration program for high school seniors from the state of New York. The program is located at the New York State Education Department Building in Albany, New York. Offered through the Capital Region Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), New Visions: Law & Government integrates Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics with English, Law and Economics. The program offers college credit through the University at Albany, SUNY's University in the High School Program (UHS) and is the only high school program to offer college credit in Criminal Justice through UHS. [1] [2]

In the program, students are also placed in internships in places such as the New York Attorney General's office, various state courts, the New York State Legislature, and various public and private interest or advocacy organizations. [2] Students participate in mock trials, mock congressional hearings and visit with many judges and lawyers over the course of the year. The Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics component emphasizes critical thinking, analysis and writing. [3] The works read include: The Merchant of Venice , Crime and Punishment , Democracy in America , The Federalist Papers , The Brethren , All the President's Men , and One L , as well as many works of short fiction and newspaper and magazine articles. The program culminates with a week in Washington, D.C. where the class typically attends a session of the Supreme Court, meet with a Justice or his or her law clerks, meet with the students' Representatives, Senators, and Congressional staff, and attend a White House Press Briefing. [3] [4]

On February 7, 2015, the New Visions Law & Government class won the New York "We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution” State Finals and advanced to the National championship, marking the first time in the "We The People" program's 28-year history that an upstate team has won the State championship. [5] [6] [7] At the 2015 "We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution” National Finals, the New Visions Law & Government class won an award for the highest score in Unit 3 (of six units), “How has the Constitution been changed to further the ideals contained in the Declaration of Independence?" [8] [9] On February 27, 2016, the New Visions Law & Government class won the New York "We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution” State Finals and advanced to the National championship for a second consecutive year. [10] [11] "We the People: The Citizen and Constitution" is an intensive curriculum that provides students with a fundamental understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Competing students act as experts testifying on constitutional issues in a simulated congressional hearing, demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles and have opportunities to evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues. Constitutional scholars, lawyers and government leaders from throughout the state, acting as congressional committee members, judge the student performances. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of the United States</span> Supreme law of the United States of America

The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the national frame and constraints of government. The Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, whereby the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress ; the executive, consisting of the president and subordinate officers ; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Article IV, Article V, and Article VI embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states in relationship to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment. Article VII establishes the procedure subsequently used by the 13 states to ratify it. The Constitution of the United States is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution</span> 1868 amendment addressing citizenship rights, civil and political liberties

The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. Often considered one of the most consequential amendments, it addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War. The amendment was bitterly contested, particularly by the states of the defeated Confederacy, which were forced to ratify it in order to regain representation in Congress. The amendment, particularly its first section, is one of the most litigated parts of the Constitution, forming the basis for landmark Supreme Court decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education (1954) regarding racial segregation, Roe v. Wade (1973) regarding abortion, Bush v. Gore (2000) regarding the 2000 presidential election, and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) regarding same-sex marriage. The amendment limits the actions of all state and local officials, and also those acting on behalf of such officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State University of New York</span> Public university system in New York state

The State University of New York is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by chancellor John B. King, the SUNY system has 91,182 employees, including 32,496 faculty members, and some 7,660 degree and certificate programs overall and a $13.37 billion budget. Its flagship universities are Stony Brook University on Long Island and the University at Buffalo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binghamton University</span> Public university in New York State

The State University of New York at Binghamton is a public research university with campuses in Binghamton, Vestal, and Johnson City, New York. It is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. As of Fall 2020, 18,128 undergraduate and graduate students attended the university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Administrative divisions of New York (state)</span> Administrative divisions of New York State

The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. They are municipal corporations, chartered (created) by the New York State Legislature, as under the New York State Constitution the only body that can create governmental units is the state. All of them have their own governments, sometimes with no paid employees, that provide local services. Centers of population that are not incorporated and have no government or local services are designated hamlets. Whether a municipality is defined as a borough, city, town, or village is determined not by population or land area, but rather on the form of government selected by the residents and approved by the New York State Legislature. Each type of local government is granted specific home rule powers by the New York State Constitution. There are still occasional changes as a village becomes a city, or a village dissolves, each of which requires legislative action. New York also has various corporate entities that provide local services and have their own administrative structures (governments), such as school and fire districts. These are not found in all counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University at Albany, SUNY</span> State university in Albany, New York

The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State University of New York at Plattsburgh</span> Public university in Plattsburgh, New York

The State University of New York at Plattsburgh is a public university in Plattsburgh, New York. The university was founded in 1889 and officially opened in 1890. The university is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. SUNY Plattsburgh has 5,109 students, of whom 4,680 are undergraduates.

The Boards of Cooperative Educational Services is a program of shared educational services provided to school districts by the New York State Legislature.

The Equal Protection Clause is part of the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The clause, which took effect in 1868, provides "nor shall any State ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." It mandates that individuals in similar situations be treated equally by the law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy of the Holy Names (Albany, New York)</span> Private, all-female school in Albany, , New York, United States

Academy of the Holy Names, or AHN, in Albany, New York, United States, is an independent, Middle States accredited Catholic girls' college-preparatory school for girls in grades 6–12. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. The school was founded in 1884 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. The mission of AHN is to prepare its students to become cultural, intellectual, moral, and spiritual leaders. Current enrollment for the 2021–2022 school year is 196 students.

Rondout Valley High School (RVHS) is a public high school located in Accord, New York, United States. Operated by the Rondout Valley School District, the school serves 9th through 12th graders from Marbletown, Rosendale, and Kerhonkson. The high school, which shares its campus with Rondout Valley Middle School, was constructed in 1959. Prior to its opening, high school students in the area attended Kerhonkson High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Madison High School (Brooklyn)</span> High school in New York

James Madison High School is a public high school in the Midwood section of Brooklyn New York City. It serves students in grades 9 through 12 and is in Region 6 of the New York City Department of Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburn High School (Massachusetts)</span> School in Auburn, Worcester County, MA, USA

Auburn High School is the only public high school in Auburn, Massachusetts, United States, a town approximately five miles south of Worcester. It has an enrollment of 724 students in grades 9-12, as of the 2017–2018 school year. Founded in 1935, the original school building served the town until the spring of 2006. In August 2006, the town of Auburn opened a new facility directly behind the original building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amador Valley High School</span> Public high school in Pleasanton, California

Amador Valley High School is a comprehensive public high school in Pleasanton, California. It is one of three high schools in the Pleasanton Unified School District, along with Foothill High School and Village High School.

Colton-Pierrepont Central School (CPCS) is a public school in Colton, New York, United States. It consists of grades pre-kindergarten through 12, and enrolls around 390 students.

The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering is the college of nanotechnology at the SUNY Polytechnic Institute campus in Albany, New York. Founded in 2004 at the University at Albany, SUNY, the college underwent rapid expansion in the late-2000s and early-2010s before merging with the SUNY Institute of Technology in 2014. The college will rejoin the University at Albany in 2023. The college was the first college in the United States devoted to nanotechnology.

Tech Valley High School is a four-year regional public high school. It is located on the campus of the SUNY Polytechnic Institute Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany, New York, United States. The school opened in September 2007 with a first class of 40 students. Its first class graduated in June 2011 on the campus of the University at Albany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ossining High School</span> Comprehensive public high school in the United States

Ossining High School (OHS) is a comprehensive public high school located in Ossining, New York, United States, along the Hudson River in northern Westchester County, New York. Serving grades 9 through 12, it is the sole high school within the Ossining Union Free School District. The school serves the entirety of the village of Ossining, portions of the Village of Briarcliff Manor, Town of Ossining, and Town of New Castle, as well as a very small southern portion of the Town of Yorktown.

The Government Law Center at Albany Law School is a nonpartisan law and public policy center based in Albany, New York. It produces independent legal research and analysis to help state and local governments better serve their communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies</span> Magnet school in Metairie, LA, United States

Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies is a Magnet School in the Jefferson Parish School District in Metairie, Louisiana. Haynes has been designated a Five Star School by the Louisiana State education agency. The Haynes Academy is named after Vernon C. Haynes, a former principal of the school. Offering a vast majority of clubs and Honor Societies, Haynes educates the next generations. Haynes is a nationally acclaimed school in Academic Games, led by their head coach, Mrs. Gamble, creating a dynasty that has lasted for nearly a decade. Haynes is the current Louisiana Quiz Bowl State Champion, Mission Ignition champions, and Louisiana Key Club Lieutenant Governor. Through its diverse curriculum, Haynes provides students with the keys to their education, setting up their future careers. Recently, Haynes was recognized as a trailblazer in securing new software and IBCs in the Jefferson Parish.

References

  1. "New Visions: Law & Government- Career & Technical School - Capital Region BOCES, Albany, NY". Archived from the original on 2010-09-19. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  2. 1 2 "University in the High School Program - University at Albany-SUNY".
  3. 1 2 "Program immerses students in law and government - New York State School Boards Association".
  4. http://www.bocescareertech.org/Programs/NVLawGovt.htm
  5. http://www.capregboces.org/CareerTech/news/2014-15/Feb_15/02.12.15_Gazette_NVLG.pdf [ dead link ]
  6. "New Visions students win 2015 "We the People" competition - Capital Region BOCES, Albany, NY". Archived from the original on 2015-03-14. Retrieved 2015-02-12.
  7. "Students".
  8. http://www.thedailymail.net/news/article_087695fe-eefe-11e4-95a5-2f2ba2e89530.html [ dead link ]
  9. "2015 National Finals Awards". Archived from the original on 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  10. "BOCES team repeats as state champs in Constitution competition". 29 February 2016.
  11. "BOCES New Visions group advances to national competition". 3 March 2016.
  12. We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution