James Madison Legacy Project
Posted in CERL Research
Providing civic education to high-need students.
Preparing young people for civic life is an essential task of a democratic society. Civic education gives individuals heightened knowledge, awareness, and a vested interest in American government and political principles. It provides students with opportunities to acquire the dispositions and skills that are required of good citizens.
The James Madison Legacy Project was a three-year nationwide initiative of the Center for Civic Education that aimed to increase the availability and effectiveness of civics instruction in elementary and secondary schools. It provided professional development for teachers of high-need students in order to increase the achievement of students in attaining state standards in civics and government. The professional development program was based on the Center’s We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum which has involved over 28 million students and 75,000 teachers in all 50 states since 1987. The James Madison Legacy Project delivered professional development to teachers in over 500 schools serving thousands of students across the nation. The James Madison Legacy Project was made possible by a generous grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program.