Before 1972 most high schools offered courses in government, but not law. Soon the law classes were so popular that within a few years, a nonprofit organization Street Law Inc. was established. In 1975 the organization published the first edition of a textbook, Street Law, which is now in its sixth edition and has sold over one million copies. Today, the classes are offered in 35 countries, as well as every school district in the United States. Becky Bond, director of business development and finance for Street Law Inc. says that the program s popularity stems from its applicability.
Laws are the rules by which all people live.
A teacher from Cleveland once told me, Sending high school students out into the world without understanding law is like putting people in a basketball game without giving them the rules. The DU Law students who participated in Street Law last spring agree. They say that many high school students were facing legal problems in their own lives and needed help understanding their rights and responsibilities. Jennifer Gruber graduated from DU Law last spring, and Street Law was one of the last courses she took. She was placed at Abraham Lincoln High School.