Long-term ACT Client Provides Opportunities for Teachers of the American Constitution

Claire McCaffery Griffin sought financial support for graduate study when she applied for a James Madison Fellowship. She got so much more.

Claire McCaffery Griffin

“My personal and professional lives would not be what they are today had it not been for the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation and the fellowship itself. They have had a tremendous impact on me in many ways,” said Griffin, who was part of the first class of fellows in 1992, representing Hawaii.

The fellowship enabled Griffin, now retired from teaching after 28 years, to earn a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii in American Studies with an emphasis on the American Constitution. She believes it has also opened the door to many opportunities for her over the past two decades. These include participation in a summer program at Harvard University and a teaching exchange in Russia; an eight-year stint with the Bill of Rights Institute, helping teachers and students understand the Constitution; and today, a consultancy role with the Foundation.

A tour of the Howard University campus is one of the stops at historic sites of African American importance in the Washington, DC area.

Improving teaching about the Constitution in secondary schools is the mission of the Foundation, which is based in Washington, DC. Through an annual national competition, it offers fellowships to a select group of people who desire to become outstanding teachers of the Constitution. ACT’s Scholarship and Recognition Services (SRS) has managed the fellowship program since 1992.

Established by Congress in 1986, the Foundation is an independent agency of the Executive Branch of the federal government and is funded by Congress and private contributions. The Foundation introduced the fellowship to honor Madison’s legacy and Madisonian principles by providing support for graduate study in the United States that focuses on the Constitution—its history and contemporary relevance to the practices and policies of democratic government.

Each year, the Foundation selects at least one Fellow from each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The competition begins each April and runs to March 1 of the following year. Fellows receive a maximum award of $24,000, which covers tuition, required fees, books, and room and board.

Madison Foundation Fellows attend a lecture at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.

To be eligible for a James Madison Fellowship, applicants must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national
• Be, or plan to become, a teacher of American history, American government, or social studies at the secondary level
• Hold a bachelor’s degree or plan to receive one no later than August 31 of the year in which they are applying
• Wait at least three years from the time any previous graduate degree was awarded before applying.

Fellowship recipients have opportunities to strengthen their research, writing, and analytical skills. They form professional connections that can significantly influence their career aspirations, and they gain a deeper understanding of the principles of constitutional government, which they in turn convey to their students.

Fellows, who must pursue master’s degrees in areas related to the Constitution, are encouraged to choose institutions offering courses that closely examine the origins and development of the Constitution, the evolution of political theory and of constitutional law, the effects of the Constitution on society and culture in the United States, or other such topics.

Madison Foundation Fellows ask a historian at Monticello questions about Thomas Jefferson’s life and pursuits.

After earning their master’s degrees, Fellows must teach American history, American government, or social studies at the secondary level for no less than one year for each full academic year of study under the fellowship.

As part of the program, Fellows participate in a four-week summer institute on the Constitution at Georgetown University once they have been accepted to graduate school and have taken several graduate courses.

The institute includes an academic course entitled “The Foundations of American Constitutionalism,” trips to sites in and around Washington, DC, and opportunities for interaction with scholars, teachers, and others associated with the Constitution.

“The Summer Institute was a transformational experience for me,” said Griffin. “I enjoyed being immersed in the Constitution with outstanding scholars and like-minded teachers. I began to think of myself as a history scholar and became more confident in the information I was teaching to my students.

“I encourage more people to apply for the fellowship. It is a huge commitment and a challenge to complete, but the rewards are worth it. It’ll make you a better teacher and a better citizen.”