[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 178 (Friday, December 9, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      JAMES MADISON LEGACY PROJECT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2016

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the James 
Madison Legacy Project, a nationwide teacher professional development 
program, currently being implemented in Oregon by the Classroom Law 
Project, a civic education non-profit in Portland, Oregon. Led by 
Executive Director Marilyn Cover, Classroom Law Project brings vital 
and engaging civics and law-related education programs into the 
classrooms across Oregon, teaching students of all grade levels the 
values and skills essential to being a participating citizen in our 
democracy. Each year, Classroom Law Project's innovative, practical, 
and fun programs involve and inspire over 800 teachers and 60,000 
Oregon students.
  The James Madison Legacy Project, made possible by a grant from the 
U.S. Department of Education's Supporting Effective Educator 
Development program, is a three year nationwide initiative of the 
Center for Civic Education that recently entered its second year. The 
project aims to provide professional development for over 2000 teachers 
of high-need students, help over 200,000 students meet state standards 
in civics and government, serve the self-identified professional 
development needs of more than 500 participating schools with 
significant concentrations of high-need students throughout the United 
States. The project will also evaluate the relative effectiveness of 
the Center's traditional We the People: The Citizen and the 
Constitution professional development model enhanced with online 
resources compared with a new blended-learning variation of the 
traditional model that also uses online resources.
  The key goals of the James Madison Legacy Project are providing the 
best practices in civic education directly to teachers and identifying 
cost-effective ways to provide accessible professional development 
programs, particularly for teachers in high-needs schools. With 
exceptional professional development, teachers are better equipped to 
help students gain the knowledge and skills necessary in a 
participatory democracy.
  Through the James Madison Legacy Project, Oregon teachers are 
learning directly from current and past members of the Oregon Supreme 
Court, constitutional scholars, and master teachers. The project 
includes follow-up services so that teachers can more readily implement 
what they learn in their classrooms. Future professional development 
will include opportunities to examine primary source documents from our 
country's founding, a private tour of the Oregon Historical Society and 
exhibit on the Founders, and lectures from First and Fourteenth 
Amendment scholars. Teachers will also have an exclusive behind the 
scenes view of the renowned Oregon High School State We the People 
Competition in January 2017.
  The Center for Civic Education and Oregon's Classroom Law Project are 
at forefront of innovative and equitable civic education in America, 
and I look forward to their continued success and accomplishment.

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