Bill of Rights Institute
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| Founded | September 1999 |
|---|---|
| Founder |
Charles G. Koch and the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation |
| Type | Educational Charity |
| 480891418 | |
| Location |
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| Coordinates | 38°52′19″N 77°06′13″W / 38.8720°N 77.1036°WCoordinates: 38°52′19″N 77°06′13″W / 38.8720°N 77.1036°W |
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Area served
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United States |
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Key people
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President · David Bobb Board of Directors · Mark Humphrey · Ryan Stowers · Rob Testwuide · Todd Zywicki |
| Mission | Educating young people about the Constitution |
| Website | www |
The Bill of Rights Institute (BRI) is a nonprofit educational organization based in Arlington, Virginia that develops educational resources on American history and government, provides professional development opportunities to teachers, and runs student programs and scholarship contests. Since its founding in 1999, BRI says that its educational programs and resources have contributed to the education of approximately 4.3 million students regarding the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. It has been described as promoting a conservative view of the United States Constitution.
BRI states that its mission is to "educate young people about the words and ideas of America's Founders, the liberties guaranteed in our Founding documents, and how our Founding principles continue to affect and shape a free society."
BRI was founded in September 1999 by billionaire industrialist and philanthropist Charles Koch and the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation. BRI's first president, Victoria Hughes, was a teacher who had also held a number of executive roles in other non-profit organizations. Hughes led the organization for a decade until her departure, after which Tony Woodlief filled her position as president. David Bobb, a former Hillsdale College professor and head of its Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship, became BRI's president in December 2013.
Koch has explained that he became concerned with education in the field of constitutional law after he saw that many high school teachers had inadequate resources to develop educational materials on the principles, institutions, and ideas upon which the United States was founded. Koch recognized that the educational system could benefit greatly from the types of supplemental services that the Bill of Rights Institute provides to educators.
BRI runs educational programs for teachers around the country. BRI conducted 64 constitutional seminars in the 2010–2011 school year, often held at historic sites such as George Washington’s Mount Vernon or James Madison’s Montpelier. Seminars include instruction from a university professor and training by a BRI master teacher. BRI professors include BRI board member and Professor of Law at George Mason University Todd Zywicki; author and professor of public policy at Pepperdine University Dr. Gordon Lloyd;University of Texas School of Law and Professor Dr. H.W. Perry, Jr. BRI says it has reached over 22,000 teachers through professional development seminars.
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Wikipedia