From Yale to cosmetology school, Americans brush up on history and government
Saturday is the first annual Constitution Day, and Mr. Byrd's law is focusing considerable attention on the document.
Millions of new copies have been printed, and readings and discussion are scheduled at the National Archives, thousands of schools and universities, and even many technical institutes unaccustomed to constitutional debate.
A massage school in Michigan will test students on the Constitution, and students at a cosmetology school in Philadelphia will watch a taped lecture by two Supreme Court justices.
Congress's decision to mandate lessons on the Constitution for every school, however, has also brought forth voices of dismay. The 10th Amendment leaves education to the states, and Congress has rarely dictated what the nation's schools must teach.
Some people fear that Mr. Byrd's initiative has opened the door for lawmakers to mandate other lesson plans, like requiring science teachers to include intelligent design alongside evolution.