Teaching American History

Frequently Ask Questions

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
The Teaching American History Grant program is a discretionary grant program funded under Title II-C, Subpart 4 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The program is designed to raise student achievement by improving teachers’ knowledge and understanding of and appreciation for traditional U.S. history. Grant awards will assist LEAs, in partnership with entities that have content expertise, to develop, document, evaluate, and disseminate innovative and cohesive models of professional development. By helping teachers to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of U.S. history as a separate subject matter within the core curriculum, these programs will improve instruction and raise student achievement.

• What is the purpose of the Teaching American History grants?

• Are there areas in which funds are particularly intended to support?
  
  
• How will applicants be selected?
  
  
• Which schools should projects target?
  
  
• Are there specific strategies that have been proven to be most effective in addressing American history teaching?
  
  
• Must an applicant collaborate with other entities?
  
  
• May a grantee serve the same teachers as served in a previous TAH grant?
  
  
• What are the reporting requirements under this program?

GENERAL GRANT INFORMATION:

What is the purpose of the Teaching American History grants?     Back to top

The Teaching American History grant will improve the quality of instruction in American History, as distinct from general social studies education. Grant awards will be designed to assist elementary and secondary school’s in implementing research-based methods for improving the quality of instruction, professional development and teacher education in American history.

These funds will be used for competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or consortia of LEAs where appropriate. The U.S. Department of Education awards approximately 100 to 135 grants, and the estimated range of the awards is a maximum of $500,000 for LEAs with enrollments of less than 20,000 students; $1,000,000 for LEAs with enrollments of 20,000-300,000 students; and $2,000,000 for LEAs with enrollments about 300,000 students. Funds are available to grantees for up to three years.

Are there areas in which funds are particularly intended to support?   Back to top

The goal of the program is to strengthen American History instruction and improve students’ academic performance in American History. Funds are particularly intended to help teachers improve content knowledge in the key events and eras of US history.

How will applicants be selected?   Back to top

Applicants will be selected based on their responses to the selection criteria described in the Federal Register notice. Applications will be evaluated by a technical review panel and scored accordingly.

Which schools should projects target?   Back to top

Projects may target the entire K-12 system within an LEA or may focus on a specific grade span such as elementary, middle, or high school.

Are there specific strategies that have been proven to be most effective in addressing American history teaching?   Back to top

Projects should have a coherent plan for implementing effective strategies. Applicants are not limited to using these strategies and may choose to implement other activities that have demonstrated success.

Must an applicant collaborate with other entities?   Back to top

School districts MUST partner with one or more universities, history organizations, libraries or museums in order to be eligible to apply. This is a statutory requirement of the program.


ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES:

May a grantee serve the same teachers as served in a previous TAH grant?   Back to top

Yes, a grantee may serve the same teachers in a second or third grant if they are providing a new approach to professional development. A grantee cannot provide the same professional development program for the same teachers - that would be unnecessary or unreasonable and thus not allowable.

What are the reporting requirements under this program?   Back to top

Grant recipients will be required to submit an annual performance report that documents yearly progress towards meeting the expected programmatic outcomes. Grantees will also be required to submit a final report no later than 90 days after the end of the project period, in addition to any materials developed in the documentation, evaluation, and dissemination of the proposed products.

In addition to individually developed project measures, all grantees are required to respond to the TAH program’s two GPRA indicators. These two indicators are: (1) Students in experimental and quasi-experimental studies of educational effectiveness of Teaching American History projects will demonstrate higher achievement on course content measures and/or statewide U.S. history assessments than students in control and comparison groups; and (2) Teachers will demonstrate an increased understanding of American history through the use of nationally validated tests of American history that can be directly liked to their participation in the Teaching American History program.