TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY

Grant: Teaching American History (TAH)
Agency: U.S. Department of Education         
Division: Office of Innovation and Improvement
Deadline: Notice of Intent to Apply requested by March 4, 2011. Applications are due April 4, 2011.

Description: The Teaching American History (TAH) grant program supports projects that aim to raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding and appreciation of traditional American history as a separate subject within the core elementary and secondary school curriculum. Grant awards assist local educational agencies (LEAs), in partnership with entities that have extensive content expertise, in developing, implementing, documenting, evaluating and disseminating innovative, cohesive models of professional development.

Each applicant LEA must propose to work in partnership with one or more of the following:

• An institution of higher education.
• A nonprofit history or humanities organization.
• A library or museum.

There are four competitive preference priorities for this round of the grant competition. Applicants may choose to address one or more of these competitive preference priorities, and the U.S. Department of Education may award up to an additional 12 points to an application, depending on how well it meets these priorities:

• Improving the effectiveness and distribution of effective teachers or principals.
• Improving achievement and high school graduation rates.
• Enabling more data-based decision-making.
• Technology: improving student achievement or teacher effectiveness through the use of high-quality digital tools or materials, which may include preparing teachers to use the technology to improve instruction, as well as developing, implementing or evaluating digital tools or materials.

Fit for Public Broadcasting: Building on a long history of developing teacher training materials and an unmatched archive of historical educational materials, public broadcasting stations make a great partner on this project and should seek out an LEA to serve as the lead applicant. Because partnerships are required for LEAs to be eligible to apply for funding, stations should approach school districts in their communities about collaborating. In addition to expertise in teacher training and education, public media stations are experts in using technology and digital media for education. Use of technology is a competitive priority for this grant competition, and applications that propose improving student achievement and teacher effectiveness through digital tools will be more likely to receive funding.

In an effort to develop a K–12 continuum in the teaching of American history, Thirteen/ WNET partnered with the New York City Department of Education to help create a project titled "Content and Continuity: A Citywide Approach to American History." The partnership resulted in a developmental approach to American history that modeled the growth of democracy and allowed students to explore content through the lens of the "American Dream."

Eligibility: LEAs, including charter schools that are considered LEAs under state law and regulations, must work in partnership with one or more of the following entities: an institution of higher education, a nonprofit history or humanities organization, a library, or a museum. Stations can be one of the organizations with which an LEA partners.

Anticipated funding: The Administration's budget request for FY 2011 does not include funds for this program. In place of this and several other programs focused on student achievement in specific subject areas, the Administration has proposed to create, through the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, a broader program, Effective Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education, that would support activities to improve student achievement and teacher effectiveness in American history, among other subject areas. The U.S. Department of Education is still, however, inviting applications for the TAH program to allow enough time to complete the grant process before the end of the current fiscal year, if Congress appropriates funds for this program. Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, the U.S. Department of Education may make additional awards in FY 2012 from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.

The estimated range of awards is $250,000 - $2,000,000, and the estimated average award size is $910,000. The maximum award amount varies based on the size of the LEA. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that it will award 75-80 awards with a project period of up to 36 months.

How to apply: Applications can be obtained online. Applications must be submitted online via Grants.gov. Online submission requires registration, a process that usually takes three to five business days but can take as long as four weeks. Be sure to visit Grants.gov and begin registering well in advance of the deadline. To do business with the U.S. Department of Education, applicants must have a DUNS number, register with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) and maintain an active CCR registration with current information during the application process and, if a grant is awarded, during the project period.

The U.S. Department of Education strongly encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department by sending a short e-mail message indicating the applicant's intent to submit an application for funding. The e-mail need not include information regarding the content of the proposed application, only the applicant's intent to submit it. This notification should be sent to Mia Howerton by March 4, 2011. Applicants that do not provide e-mail notification of intent to apply may still apply for funding.

Resources:
Program notice
Program website
Previous awards