Overview

Since its founding, the Youth and Education Law Project has worked with disadvantaged youth and their communities to ensure that they have access to equal and excellent educational opportunities.

Whether filing a class-action lawsuit to prevent a local school district from unlawfully excluding students from school without providing them their constitutional right to a hearing, advocating for a preschooler with autism in a mediation session to ensure that he receives appropriate educational services, or drafting a policy brief that seeks to improve the delivery of mental health services to youth with disabilities, students in the clinic are exposed to a wide range of educational policy reform and advocacy work.

Under the direction of Professor Bill Koski (PhD '03), students represent youth and families in special education and school discipline matters, community outreach and education, school reform litigation, policy research, and advocacy.

"In addition to developing first-rate lawyering skills such as client counseling, negotiation, and oral advocacy, students in the clinic are given the opportunity to take ownership of their cases and projects, reflect on their practice, and develop the critical quality of sound professional judgment."

Professor Bill Koski (PhD '03), Director, Youth and Education Law Project