Where History Meets the Future of Education
Making American History Content Interesting, Relevant for Today's Learners
Walter W. Buckley, Jr. Prize in American History
The Walter W. Buckley, Jr. Prize in American History is presented annually to an individual (historian, educator, business leader, elected official, or public intellectual) who has demonstrated an understanding of the importance of American history and has taken steps to ensure that it is taught and learned effectively.
The Buckley Prize is awarded every July, as part of Independence Day celebrations. A charitable donation of $50,000 is provided, in the recipient's name, to an educational non-profit that embodies the work of the winner and the field.
Honorees are selected based on a series of metrics designed to identify those who understand the significance of American history and whose work aligns with the passions and work of Walter W. Buckley, Jr. Honorees stand as exemplars for how to improve the teaching and learning of history.
Buckley Prize Winners
John Nau (2024 winner)
- Chairman and CEO of Silver Eager Beverages
- Chairman, Presidential Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
- Chairman, Texas Historical Commission
- Board Member, American Battlefield Trust
- Board Member, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation
- Board Member, Andrew Jackson Foundation
- Board Member, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Dr. Louise Mirrer (2023 winner)
- President and CEO, New-York Historical Society
- Executive Vice Chancellor, City University of New York
- Professor, CUNY Graduate Center
- Professor, Fordham University
- Professor, University of California-Los Angeles
- Professor, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- Designer, CUNY Honors College
DFI Film Initiative
Why films?
In order to ensure that young people embrace American history, we are committing to create and distribute a comprehensive American history short film series that focuses on:
1) what is relevant and interesting to the average high school junior;
2) what is attractive to learners who will vary widely in both interest in history and knowledge of history;
3) what is adaptable based on changes in learner preferences; and
4) what can be developed quickly and marketed at scale.
From our ongoing work researching the deficiencies in how American history is taught in K-12 classrooms today, as well as our work analyzing learner preferences on the types of content that is most interesting and relevant to them, the Driving Force Institute has determined that video content, accessed by students both in the classroom and virtually, is the most effective, underutilized tool available.
Untold History
To date, the Driving Force Institute has produced more than 500 films as part of "Untold History," a DFI initiative produced and distributed by Makematic. New American history education films are now posted weekly at: https://untoldhistory.org .
About Our Founder
Patrick Riccards
Patrick Riccards is the founder and chief executive officer of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement.
After leading the American History Initiative for the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, Patrick saw a clear and driving need for interesting, relevant, and provocative American history video content. Patrick's polling for AHI found th
Patrick Riccards is the founder and chief executive officer of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement.
After leading the American History Initiative for the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, Patrick saw a clear and driving need for interesting, relevant, and provocative American history video content. Patrick's polling for AHI found that fewer than four in 10 Americans could pass a basic survey of American history questions, while a growing majority of high school students found American history boring or irrelevant to their futures.
DFI was created to ensure a stream of short, relevant, and provocative American history content for today's learners. To improve the teaching and learning of history, today's learners need to "think like historians." That only comes through explaining the "untold" moments and people in American history.
Prior to launching DFI, Patrick served as the chief communications and strategy officer at the Woodrow, helping build many of its signature initiatives, including the WW Graduate School of Teaching and Learning and the WW Higher Education Policy Fellowship.
During his career, Patrick has advised three presidential administrations and more than a half-dozen cabinet-level agencies on policy and public engagement. He has also worked for three U.S. Senators and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as for the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Currently on the Board of Directors for the Center for the Collaborative Classroom and the advisory board for the Education Writers Association, Patrick also was former local school board chairman. An award-winning author, he writes and tweets under the handle Eduflack.
Patrick is the author of two award-winning books - Dadprovement and Dad in a Cheer Bow. He is also the editor of Why Kids Can't Read: Continuing to Challenge the Status Quo in Education and the recently published, Why History Matters: American History Educators Speak Out, a volume of essays from award-winning social studies teachers on the importance of learning U.S. history.
Patrick lives in Florence, SC with his wife, Jennifer, and children, Michael and Anna.