U.S. Department of Education (DOE) Teaching American History CFDA 84.215X

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 local educational agencies (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. Tentative application deadline is February 17, 2009.

Who May Apply: (by category) Local Education Agencies (LEAs)
Who May Apply: (specifically) LEAs must apply in partnership with one or more of the following: institutions of higher education (IHEs), nonprofit history or humanities organizations, libraries, or museums.


The program supports competitive grants to local educational agencies. The purpose of these grants is to promote the teaching of traditional American history in elementary and secondary schools as a separate academic subject. Grants are used to improve the quality of history instruction by supporting professional development for teachers of American history. In order to receive a grant, a local educational agency must agree to carry out the proposed activities in partnership with one or more of the following: institutions of higher education, nonprofit history or humanities organizations, libraries, or museums.

To Prospective Applicants in the 2009 Teaching American History grant competition:
The Teaching American History program is hoping that the Fiscal Year 2009 Teaching American History grant competition will be announced in the Federal Register and on this web site within the next several weeks.

We plan to provide applicants with 75 days to submit their applications and we plan to hold pre-application workshops in: New York City- in the Grand Ballroom of the New York Hilton Hotel, 1355 Avenue of the Americas, New York City NY 10019 on Thursday, January 8th, from 2-4 p.m. and in Washington D.C.- U. S. Department of Education Auditorium, 400 Maryland Avenue S.W. Washington DC 20202 Monday, January 12th, from 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Please continue to check the website for further details

The Teaching American History Grant program will support programs to raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of American history.

Grant awards will assist local educational agencies (LEAs), in partnership with entities that have extensive content expertise, to design, implement, and demonstrate effective, research-based professional development programs.
By helping teachers to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of American history as a separate subject matter within the core curriculum, funded programs will improve instruction and raise student achievement.

Funding Status 2008
Appropriation: $117,903,600
Number of New Awards Anticipated: 130
Average New Award: $500,000
Range of New Awards: For LEAs with enrollments of less than 20,000 students: up to $500,000; for LEAs with enrollments of 20,000 to 300,000 students: $350,000–$1,000,000; and for LEAs with enrollments above 300,000 students: $500,000–$2,000,000
Number of Continuation Awards: 0

The goal of this program is to demonstrate how school districts and institutions with expertise in American history can collaborate over a three-year period to ensure that teachers develop the knowledge and skills necessary to teach traditional American history in an exciting and engaging way.

Through these projects, districts will demonstrate comprehensive professional development approaches for providing high-quality American history instruction. Students will develop an appreciation for the great ideas of American history.

Local educational agencies (LEAs)--including charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law and regulations--working in partnership with one or more of the following entities: institutions of higher education (IHEs); non-profit history or humanities organizations; and libraries and museums. Note: Groups of LEAs interested in submitting a single application must follow the procedures for group applications in 34 CFR 75.127-75.129 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR).

Federal Register Notice

2008 Award Abstracts