The James Madison Foundation Fellowship

Katie Reen  an elementary school teacher in Milton, Vermont, was a 2007 recipient of the prestigious  James Madison Graduate Fellowship awarded by the James Madison Foundation.

In a May 17th, 2007  Burlington Free Press article, Lauren Ober wrote "Instilling a love of social studies and civics in her students is one of her main goals as a teacher, and her students couldn't be happier about her recent honor. "

Below is her Application Essay.

Why is the study of the US Constitution a critical part

of a secondary education?
By: Katie Reen

When leaving the Constitutional Convention, Ben Franklin was asked by a group of people what type of government had been created. He replied "A republic, if you can keep it." These seven simple words illustrate for me, the need to integrate the study of the Constitution in American education. I firmly believe that the survival of our democracy depends on the knowledge we impart on our nations' children. All students must understand the principles that guide us as Americans in order to ensure that this "Grand Experiment" succeeds. They must understand our Founding Fathers' vision, the framework of government they laid out, the goals of our country at its birth, the structure and limitations they created in the Constitution's development and the living nature of the document. Robert Byrd argued that the Constitution "defines us as Americans." If this is the case, it must be the cornerstone of students' educational experience.

 Ironically, the purpose of public education at its inception was to educate the citizen. James Madison argued in order to preserve government "we must love it...and to inspire (that love) ought to be the principal business of education." Unfortunately, we have moved so far away from this charge. The educational community is so concerned with test scores and avoiding controversy that they have dropped the education of the citizen for the sake of reading, math and science. Theoretically, a student could get through high school without ever having studied the Constitution. In fact, many times, only honor students receive a firm foundation in its principles and ideas. It's no wonder, that study after study, shows a young person today is much less likely to participate in their government or see it's benefit. Young people are stereotyped as apathetic, ignorant and cynical when, in fact, blame can be directly placed on our negligence.

I fear the direction our country will take if we continue to ignore the needs of our developing citizens. If we do not reevaluate the Constitution's importance in a student's education, what will happen to our liberties? How will our students, who will become our caretakers, fight to preserve the Union amidst pressures of globalization, growth, technology, war and crisis? If they are not versed in what their rights are...how will they protect them? How will they recognize oppression unless they study the plight of blacks, women and the poor throughout our history? How will they recognize the importance of their own voices if they don't study the Civil Rights Movement, or the 26th Amendment? How will they navigate the difficult issues ahead such as global warming, immigration, health care, social security, and stem cell research if they don't understand the structure of their government? Quite simply, how will they take responsibility for the direction of government if they don't know that soon  it will be their responsibility?

How will they navigate the difficult issues ahead such as global warming, immigration, health care, social security, and stem cell research if they don't understand the structure of their government? Quite simply, how will they take responsibility for the direction of government if they don't know that soon - it will be their responsibility?

Right now, the power in our government is held by the oldest generations. We must involve young people from very early on and ensure that they are heard by those in power. We cannot continue to alienate them from political discussion, debate and issues. If we do, it is at our own peril. It is not enough to dedicate September 17, to the study of the Constitution. It must be an integrated, central component of a student's education. Perhaps "No Child Left Behind" should be renamed "No Citizen Left Behind" because that is really the key to our nation's health.