Grants to Boost American History and Civics Education

You might care about this because the U.S. government wants to improve how American history, civics, government, and geography are taught in schools. The Departments of Education and Labor are offering grants for organizations to develop new teaching methods and training for educators. This program is called the American History and Civics Education National Activities, or AHC-NA. The goal is to encourage innovative ways to teach these subjects and to help teachers, principals, and other school leaders grow professionally. If you are involved in education, or care about how these important subjects are taught, this grant opportunity could lead to new resources and better learning experiences for students. The program aims to find and support methods that have already shown good results. The government is looking for ideas that focus on fresh ways to teach these subjects, and they are also giving preference to proposals that promote patriotic education and give more control over education back to individual states. This means the program is looking for ideas that are both creative and align with specific national priorities in education. This notice explains all the details for how groups can apply for these grants. What is particularly interesting about this notice is its dual focus. First, it emphasizes developing "evidence-based strategies." This means the government wants to fund projects that are proven to work, not just new ideas without support. This approach aims to make sure that public funds are used for effective programs. Second, it highlights specific national priorities through its "competitive preference priorities." These include "Promoting Patriotic Education" and "Returning Education to the States." This shows a clear direction in how the federal government wants to shape education in these subjects. It indicates a push towards teaching history and civics in a way that fosters patriotism and allows states to have more say in their curricula. This could lead to a shift in how these topics are presented in classrooms nationwide, with a greater emphasis on national identity and local control. The grants could also encourage new approaches to teacher training that support these goals. People who would be most interested in this legal document include educators, school administrators, and leaders in educational organizations. This covers teachers of history, civics, government, and geography, as well as principals and superintendents who oversee curriculum development. Institutions of higher education, particularly those with departments focused on education, history, or political science, would find this very relevant. Non-profit and for-profit organizations that specialize in developing educational content, teaching methods, or professional development programs for teachers are also target audiences. Any group with expertise in creating evidence-based approaches to improve learning and teaching in these subjects should look into this opportunity. Parents and community groups who care about the quality of history and civics education in schools might also want to understand the kinds of programs the government is funding. Basically, anyone involved in K-12 education or educational policy regarding American history and civics will find this information important.