Submitted by Leyden HS District 212
Leyden Social Studies Teacher Dan Hogan has been awarded the prestigious James Madison Graduate Fellowship. Only one fellowship is given to a social studies teacher in each state. Hogan was contacted by U.S. Congressman Sean Casten who announced him as the Illinois recipient.
Hogan will receive $24,000 to be used to earn his Masters degree in American History and Government from Ashland University in Ohio. The fellowship requires the graduate level coursework include a concentration of courses on the history and principles of the United States Constitution. The highlight of the program is spending a month in Washington D.C. over the summer, taking classes at Georgetown and having behind-the-scenes access to the White House, Congress, Supreme Court, and other historical locations.
“This experience will be invaluable to me because it will not only deepen my content knowledge but will enrich my lessons and enhance the classroom experiences of my AP Government and Civics students for years to come,” said Hogan. “I'm excited to get started, and I would like to thank Dave Elbaum, Andrew Sharos, and Dr. Arturo Senteno for their strong support in obtaining this long-held professional goal of mine.”
The fellowships are funded by income from a trust fund in the Treasury of the United States and from additional private gifts, corporate contributions, and foundation grants. Recipients are required to teach American history, American government, or civics in a secondary school for at least one year for each year of fellowship support. The award is intended to recognize promising and distinguished teachers, to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government, and thus to expose the nation’s secondary school students to accurate knowledge of the nation’s constitutional heritage.