This ERIC Digest on teaching about the Bill of Rights in the schools examines the status, the deficiencies, and means to improve citizenship education. Currently, the Bill of Rights is taught at least four times during the elementary and secondary grades. Constitutional rights and liberties are stressed in K-12 curriculum goals for social studies guides published by local school districts, state departments of education, and the National Assessment for Educational Progress. A thorough understanding of the Bill of Rights is necessary for responsible citizenship, but a variety of surveys of U.S. adults and high school students revealed that they are not retaining important knowledge, values, and attitudes about constitutional rights and liberties. The deficiencies that were noted in these surveys are: (1) ignorance of the content and meaning of the Bill of Rights; (2) civic intolerance in application of constitutional liberties and rights; (3) misunderstanding of the federal judiciary's role in regard to Bill of Rights issues; and (4) inability to rationally analyze and judge issues. To improve this educational process, the Digest suggests: (1) teaching core concepts systematically through a rule-example-application strategy; (2) using case studies to teach skills in analyzing and judgment; and (3) establishing and maintaining an open classroom environment so that issues can be discussed. A 15-item reference and ERIC resources list is included. (DJC)