| FOR RELEASE: June 21, 2007 | Contact: Jane Glickman or Stephanie Babyak (202) 401-1576 |
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced the award of $116 million for 122 new grants to improve the quality of American history education. The grants are being awarded to school districts in 40 states nationwide.
"These grants will provide teachers with the resources they need to engage their students and provide them with a better understanding of our nation's history and the principles of our democracy," said Secretary Spellings. "A strong foundation in American history will ensure that our young people grow up to become active and informed citizens."
The Teaching American History discretionary grant program supports three-year projects to improve teachers' knowledge and understanding of traditional American history through intensive, on-going professional development. Grantees must work in partnership with one or more organizations that have extensive knowledge of American history, including libraries, museums, nonprofit history or humanities organizations and higher education institutions.
History is one of the core academic subjects under the landmark No Child Left Behind Act; however, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, which is commonly known as the "Nation's Report Card," shows that less than one-quarter of America's students in grades 4, 8 and 12 are proficient in American history. To improve student achievement, the Teaching American History grant program will immerse history teachers in American history content and research-based teaching strategies, to help them teach American history in an exciting and engaging way.
More information about Teaching American History grant program is available at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory/index.html.
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