Schools to Tackle a New Mandate: Teaching About U.S. Constitution

Schools across the nation will be on the same page next week—on the crinkled and sepia-toned parchment that records the basic liberties of U.S. citizens and the structure of the government.

Though the U.S. Constitution’s final signing on Sept. 17, 1787, has long been celebrated by some, Congress mandated for the first time that all public schools and colleges conduct educational programs about the document annually, on or around that date.

The measure, a pet project that Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., tacked onto a federal spending bill last December, also requires all federal agencies to provide educational and training materials on the Constitution on the same date...