Legislation (H.R. 1891) will soon be considered in the House of Representatives that would eliminate the Teaching American History (TAH) grants program at the U.S. Department of Education. We urge you to contact your Member of Congress immediately to oppose this bill. Click here to access an on-line advocacy tool that allows you to send an e-mail message directly to your Representative on this vital issue.
H.R. 1891, the “Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act,” would terminate 43 K-12 federal education programs, including the Teaching American History grants program, the House Republican leadership contends are wasteful, ineffective and duplicative. Teaching American History grants is the only federal program that funds K-12 history education.
The House Education and the Workforce Committee has cleared H.R. 1891 and it will go to the House
FLOOR for a vote soon. It is important that you contact your Member of the House of Representatives TODAY to urge them to oppose this bill. We have set up a template message for you to customize. We strongly encourage you to personalize this message by telling Congress why TAH programs are important to you, your institution, your field, your state, and/or district.
The President’s fiscal year 2012 budget request for the Department of Education would eliminate Teaching American History grants (TAH) as a separately funded program. However, the Administration proposed consolidating history education into a new program called Effective Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education.
The Obama Administration DOES NOT support eliminating federal funding for history education, but rather moving in into a new competitive grant program. The Administration’s proposed Well-Rounded Education program would support competitive grants to States, high-need local education agencies (LEAs), and nonprofit partners to develop and expand innovative practices to improve teaching and learning of the arts, foreign languages, history, civics, economics and financial literacy, environmental education, physical education, health education, and other subjects.
Please do not eleminate funds for history programs. History is one of the most important fields of study for young people. It is well known that “Those who do not know their history are destined to repeat it”.
As a 10 year veteran teacher, and a participant in two TAH History Grants, I feel it would be very wrong to terminate this program. My classroom has come alive with the tips, suggestions, and emphasis on History that these grants have provided me through my participation. Creative ways to take my knowledge and share it in more creative and more understandable forms makes these grants valuable. I have also shared the wonderful things I have learned with my colleagues, both in social studies and other subject areas, so that their classrooms and pupils can grow. You will be just as negligent as FEMA during Hurricane Katrina if you hurt the education of America’s students by ending this program.
I strongly urge you to not cut or eliminate funding for Teaching American History Grants. As a three year grant participant and 8th grade U.S. History teacher, I can personally attest to the fact that my students have an increase in performance in history tied to my implementation of new knowledge and techniques learned in the program. As John Adams wisely stated, “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.”
I urge Congress not to cut the “Teaching American History” grant. American Samoa has been a U.S. Territory since 1900, and it is essential that our teachers receive quality professional development in the content and strategies of teaching U.S. history so they in turn can transfer that knowledge to our students in elementary and high school. The TAH program has by far been the most effective professional development program offered to our teachers who teach U.S. history. Please help to save the TAH program.
I encourage you to not eliminate funds for the Teaching American History program. Our district is in the second year of our TAH grant and the results are outstanding. Our proposal was written for a five-year period and we sincerely hope to be able to offer the entire program to our teachers. This program invests in our teachers and the improvement of their skills and abilities through quality staff development. Our project serves elementary, middle, and high school teachers with training from university professors and experts in the history field providing the background information and the linkage between that knowledge and the classroom. Please oppose HR 1891 that would end funding for the Teaching American History program. Our teachers and their students need this support.