{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/james-madison-project-forging-a-more-perfect-union-between-students-and-us", "James Madison project: forging a more perfect union between Students and U.S. Constitution", "2015-11-20", "2015", "2015-11", "Republican", "House", "CA", "Kevin McCarthy", "M001165", "kevinmccarthy.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Fortified with a federal grant, local educators want to form a more perfect union between middle and high school students and the U.S. Constitution.\n\u00a0\nBut first, they need a few good high school teachers.\n\u00a0\nIt\u2019s all part of the James Madison Legacy Project, named for the fourth President of the United States, considered the father of the U.S. Constitution, and the first three words of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.\n\u00a0\nKern County educators have long participated in continuing education to hone their skills in teaching middle and high school government and civics classes.\n\u00a0\nThat is, until federal funding lapsed several years ago.\n\u00a0\nRep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, helped revive it earlier this year, generating bipartisan support in the House for the Center for Civic Education's grant application to the federal Secretary of Education.\n\u00a0\nThe Center got its three-year grant, estimated at nearly $17 million nationwide, and early next year local teachers will host colleagues from the eighth and 12th grades as they learn more about the Constitution.\n\u00a0\nIn fact, area educators are managing the state\u2019s program, which is expected to directly train at least 150 teachers and reach more than 7,500 students.\n\u00a0\nIt will include 30 hours of professional development in January, February and March, including a close review of the Constitution and one-on-one time with teacher mentors.\n\u00a0\nIn April, 40 teachers from around the state will come to Cal State Bakersfield for Earl Warren Scholarship Day, and the following month a similar group including 25 Kern teachers will tour the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.\n\u00a0\n\u201cI\u2019ll be training teachers statewide, but right now the focus on the activities for this first group will be in Kern County,\u201d said Terri Richmond, who teaches 12th grade social studies at Golden Valley High School.\n\u00a0\nSo far, 15 local eighth grade teachers have indicated they want to be involved, but the group needs more 12th grade teachers \u2014 and, of course, sponsors.\n\u00a0\nCalifornia\u2019s portion of this year\u2019s federal stipend is only around $192,000, Richmond said.\n\u00a0\nCentennial High School educator Joseph Biron, who teaches world history, U.S. history and government classes, praised the Madison project highly and urged others to join.\n\u00a0\n\u201cIt\u2019s a great program. I know that the training I attended really helped me with my content knowledge and really helped my teaching,\u201d Biron said. \u201cDeepening your own knowledge helps you not only teach students but it helps you keep your passion for the subject alive.\u201d\n\u00a0\nLiberty High School\u2019s Eric Ball, who teaches honors government and world history, said the project\u2019s impact on students is considerable.\n\u00a0\n\u201cI\u2019ve had one who became a lobbyist. I had another one who became president of the Young Republicans at the university she was at,\u201d Ball said. \u201cWe\u2019re educating the next generation of students who are going to be in charge of our democracy.\u201d\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/james-madison-project-forging-a-more-perfect-union-between-students-and-us"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.685235183686018, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}