When Whitman launched the Leadership Academy for Social Justice (LASJ) in 2021, the program featured five classes: Introduction to Social Justice (LENS), African American Studies, LGBTQ+ Studies, Women’s Studies and Media in Society. Since then, the LASJ program has expanded to 11 different classes covering a wide range of social justice topics.
AP Economics teacher Kevin Oberdorfer created the most recent addition to that list, Social Justice Through Public Policy, which debuted in January 2025. The class aims to provide students with a way to engage practically with the content other LASJ classes teach.
Oberdorfer structured the class around a semester-long project in which students develop policy and action plans to address social justice issues in the community or the country. The idea for the class was initially pitched by Whitman alumni Dani Klien, and Oberdorfer built the course’s curriculum around her concepts. With a master’s degree in social policy and work experience in all three branches of government, Oberdorfer explained he wanted to use his knowledge and experience to directly inform his teachings.
“It was a great opportunity for me to get involved in LASJ and to teach this class that I’ve always wanted to teach,” Oberdorfer said.
After presenting his course proposal to then-Assistant Principal Gregory Miller, Oberdorfer worked with Miller and Klein, who was still a senior at the time, to refine and edit it before sending it to MCPS officials. From there, county officials reviewed the plan, offering a few edits and suggestions before approving the course to be taught in the 2024-25 school year, Oberdorfer said.
Klein, now a freshman at Yale, has high hopes for the lessons students will learn in the class.
“Social movements and political movements need each other to survive and actually make change,” she said. “So I hope [this class] arms students with the knowledge and skills they need to take advantage of that process.”
Oberdorfer said the course could be described as “Government 201,” emphasizing understanding the inner workings of government. Students will spend a significant portion of the class digging deeper into the topics taught in their previous government courses. The class also includes history lessons about society and government.
Project-based learning, where lesson plans are interactive for students, has been gaining popularity at Whitman and other schools nationwide. This teaching method is supposed to promote student application — rather than just repetition — of knowledge that students can’t get from a lecture. Following this principle, Oberdorfer’s class will see students complete five policy proposals on topics they choose throughout the semester. The last proposal will be a capstone project in the form of a policy proposal sent to Montgomery County local government.
The class currently has one section during 8th period, though Oberdorfer hopes to expand its reach in the future to translate students’ aspirations for social justice into impactful action.
“For those who want to see change happen,” Oberdorfer said, “this is going to be an introduction to how to make change.”
Dani Klein is a former editor for The Black & White.
