The Academy of Law, Education, & Public Service provides students with a rigorous academic environment and a personalized educational experience that will lead to future academic study in law, education, public safety, and government. The goal is to integrate practical experience with quality academic courses to aid students in the development of pre-college and career skills that will foster higher order thinking skills, integrity and ethics. Students gain insight on the various careers within social justice such as attorneys, paralegals, social workers, teachers, law enforcement officials, security officers, corrections officers, and other public service pathways.

Programs of Study 

The Academy of Law, Education, & Public Service will offer the following four programs of study during the 2012-13 Academic School Year:

Forensics
Students in this program are taught the fundamentals of a criminal investigation and how it is applied in a court of law. They learn by doing; they process crime scenes, analyze lab data, conduct scientific investigations, interact with guest speakers and become familiar with various texts. Students use technology to participate in activities that closely resemble those used by law enforcement personnel, forensic scientists and district attorneys. They document their findings through laboratory reports and legal briefs to ultimately be presented to a student court and jury. All of these tools are designed to engage a wide variety of learners in our school’s community.

Pre-Law & Social Justice
Students in the Pre-Law and Social Justice Academy become critical thinkers through a curriculum that is rigorous, innovative, and implemented through school, businesses and public service partnerships. Project based and problem based learning that addresses real world issues through the lenses of race, socio-economics, equity, peace, justice, and the environment will be the foundation of this program. Students will be trained by attorneys from the Maryland Bar Association and Maryland State Attorney’s Office on the justice system, trial preparation and law. Students will receive many opportunities to engage in a variety of extracurricular activities including seminars, internships, externships, Mock Trial, and Teen Moot Court in order to extend their learning and experiences.

Child Growth & Development
A student enrolled in this program will learn about the emotional, social, physical, and intellectual growth and development of the child from birth to adolescence. Practical experiences in working with children are provided through participation in the school’s preschool laboratory, as well as, community school sites. Courses in this program may earn college credit through Prince George’s County Community College.

Teacher Academy
The Teacher Academy program prepares students for further education and careers in the education profession. Students are expected to identify the current, historical, philosophical, and social perspectives of American education, including trends and issues; demonstrate an understanding that knowledge of a learner’s physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural development is the basis of effective teaching; explore learning theories as antecedents to current educational practice; identify research-based practices in teaching and evaluate their appropriateness for various educational situations.

Please view the Academy of Law, Education, & Public Service Brochure for examples of course schedules and recommended electives. 

Program Feeder Site 

In school year 2012-13 the Academy of Law, Education, & Public Service will be offered at the following high schools.  The charts list the middle schools that will feed into each high school.  The Academy will only serve rising 9th graders that live within the boundary area of the high schools.