As Americans celebrated the Bicentennial of the opening of the Constitutional Convention in May, Project ’87 awarded fifty-one teachers from thirty-four states a James Madison Fellowship. Project ’87 initiated the James Madison Fellowship Program to identify master teachers who can work in behalf of a thoughtful, vital commemoration of the Constitution’s Bicentennial.
The James Madison Fellowship is awarded, on the basis of a national competition, to outstanding junior and senior high school teachers of history and government. Each James Madison Fellow receives an award of $2500, support to attend a summer conference on the United States Constitution, and funds for projects in their communities and their school.
The James Madison Fellows prepared for their projects by participating in summer seminars devoted both to the study of the US Constitution and to exploring strategies for engaging the public, their students, and fellow teachers in an examination of constitutional principles and issues. The seminars for the James Madison Fellows were hosted by the Graduate School of Education at the University of California at Berkeley and by the Social Studies Development Center at Indiana University.
The 1987 James Madison Fellows were informed by the experience of an initial group of twenty teachers who have served as Fellows in 1986–87. These teachers have already established programs in communities that stretch from the Pacific Northwest through the South and up to the Far Northeast. They have prepared: features in local newspapers; special editions of student newspapers; exhibits and discussion groups in libraries; “constitution fairs” and town meetings; plays and dramatic readings; appearances on local television and radio stations. In addition, the James Madison Fellows have been sharing their knowledge and resources with their colleagues through extensive in service workshops. The newly designated James Madison Fellows are expected to follow in their footsteps, thereby demonstrating the strength of grass roots projects devoted to the Constitution’s Bicentennial.
Core support for the James Madison Fellowship Program is provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional support is being provided by businesses, media groups, and foundations in the Fellows’ communities.
Project ’87 was founded in 1977 by the American Historical Association and the American Political Science Association to assure that the Bicenntenial of the Constitution is an occasion for enhancing education and public reflection on our unique and enduring founding document. An array of publications, posters, and television series are being produced under its auspices. For fur ther information about Project ’87 and the James Madison Fellows, contact: Sheilah Mann, Director, Project ’87, 1527 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036; 202/483-2512.
Fellows who attended the seminar at University of California, Berkeley: Karl Allen, Thermopolis, WY; Cynthia Alperin, Weslaco, TX; Sue Babcock, Missoula, MT; Walter Christofferson, Kenosha, WI; Timothy Cullen, Hawthorne, NJ; Ross Duran, Lake Oswego, OR; Carole Eiserloh, San Francisco, CA; Carol Enseki, Santa Fe Springs, CA; Barry Fein, Staten Island, NY; Stephen Feinberg, Concord, MA; Brent E. Heath, Upland, CA; Dorothy Hood, Plainfield, NJ; Rita Jacobs, West Nyack, NY; Reuven Ralph Jaffee, San Francisco, CA; Elnora Johnson, Lakeside, AZ; Jan Leander, Moscow, ID; Ronald Levitsky, Northfield, IL; Andrea S. Libresco, Westbury, NY; Karen Coston Lucas, Christiansburg, VA; Judith Mc Govern, San Francisco, CA; Angeline Rinaldo, Littleton, CO; Donald V. Salvucci, Randolph, MA; Steven Teel, Berkeley, CA; Frank Toler, Bailey, CO; Joy Viselli, St. George, UT.
Fellows who attended the seminar at Indiana University: Blanche Y. Able, Saluda, SC; Lois J. Barnes, Versailles, KY; Norman Bigham, Smyrna, GA; Eva J. Brown, Chicago, IL; Russell Carrier, Northampton, MA; George Dillow, Troy, OH; M. Greenwood Edney, Asheville, NC; Patricia Flinn, Dayton, OH; Grace Gamradt, Plymouth, MN; Howard Gluff, Muncie, IN; Mary Anne Harper, Sarasota, FL; Bernard Hollister, Glen Ellyn, IL; Barbara Hubert, Wichita, KS; Andrew Kahn, Reading, PA; Bela Kissh, Lutherville, MD; Elliot H. Kraut, Easton, CT; Donald Leonard, Providence, RI; Jim Perry, Lincoln, NE; Julia Brady Ratliff, Tulsa, OK; Mildred F. Robinson, Niagara Falls, NY; Richard D. Schubart, Exeter, NH; Judy Smitherman, Montevallo, AL; Deborah Nelson Snow, Grand Rapids, MI; Marion Thompson, Pittsburgh, PA; Corinne F. Wright, Nashville, TN.
