FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 01, 2003
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The White House - Office of the Press Secretary
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We the People Forum on American History, Civics, and Service |
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Fact Sheet
The USA Freedom Corps, as part of its mission to promote a culture
of service, citizenship and responsibility in America's communities,
has worked with federal agencies to find ways government can support
the teaching of American history and our democratic traditions. Today's
"We the People" forum is part of that effort.
On September 17, 2002, the 215th anniversary of the signing of the
U.S. Constitution, President George W. Bush announced new government
efforts to improve the teaching of American history and civics and make
national treasures more accessible to teachers and students - including
a "We the People" Forum on American History, Civics, and Service.
At the forum, members of his Administration announced the National Endowment
for the Humanities will ask Congress to provide $100 million over the
next three years to support this effort, and the Department of Education
is accepting applications for nearly $100 million in competitive grants
this year to raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge
of American history.
Background on Today's We the People Forum Today's forum, co-hosted
by the U.S. Department of Education, Corporation for National and Community
Service, and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) with the USA
Freedom Corps, also included the inaugural NEH "Heroes of History"
lecture and the presentation of the first "Idea of America"
medals to outstanding high school students.
Historians, educators, college and university professors, education
policy experts, school administrators, and state policy makers assembled
at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. President
Bush addressed the forum by video, and other featured speakers included
Mrs. Laura Bush, Mrs. Lynne Cheney, and historians Robert Remini and
David McCullough. The forum also included panel discussions on the state
of cultural and historical literacy, and promising practices for promoting
American history, civics, and service in schools and through cultural
institutions. Forum participants also watched students demonstrate well-regarded
learning methods.
The Need for Better Instruction in History and Civics America's second
president, John Adams, said "Liberty cannot be preserved without
a general knowledge among the people." Unfortunately, data on the
historical and civic knowledge of America's students tells us that too
few of our students are learning those lessons well.
The U.S. Department of Education's National Assessment of Education
Progress (NAEP), which tracks both Civics and American History understanding
among K-12 students, shows less than one quarter of America's students
are proficient in either subject.
According to an Albert Shanker Institute study, 48 states have standards
for learning in American history and civics, but only 12 states have
standards that include the depth and breadth of the history of democracy
students ought to learn.
Training Educators to Teach History and Civics In September 2002, President
Bush announced the NEH would administer a new "We the People"
initiative to enhance the teaching, study, and understanding of American
history and civics, and today his Administration announced that it would
seek $100 million over the next three years, beginning with the $25
million installment President Bush requested as part of his fiscal year
2004 budget.
The NEH will use a significant portion of that funding to support teacher
training and instruction to improve student knowledge and understanding
of American history, including the following new resources to improve
instruction: The NEH is expanding its seminars and institutes program
to provide teachers with additional opportunities to study significant
texts on American history under the guidance of distinguished scholars
and educators in the field. To support the development of model curriculum
projects to help schools establish or improve course offerings in American
history, culture, and civics, the NEH is launching a new grant competition
as part of "We the People." The NEH is also supporting new
grants for intensive two-week residential academies for school principals
and teachers centered on American history, culture, and institutions.
Universities and other educational organizations will compete to sponsor
and host these academies in 2004.
The Education Department announced the start of its latest annual grant
competition to support enhanced instruction in American history with
nearly $100 million. "Teaching American History" grants will
support elementary and secondary schools working to improve the quality
of history instruction through innovative professional development programs
carried out in partnerships with colleges and universities, humanities
and nonprofit organizations, museums, and libraries.
National Treasures in Communities and Classrooms In September, President
Bush noted the federal government "conserves and protects some
of our greatest national treasures, and we need to make them more readily
available to Americans in their schools and local communities."
That day he announced "Our Documents," an initiative to share
the resources of the National Archives and Records Administration with
teachers and students. Since then, almost 100 educators have requested
copies of the materials each day. In addition to those resources:
A pilot project at the NEH called "Landmarks of American History"
will support summer enrichment programs for teachers at important historical
sites across the nation, such as presidential homes, battlefields, and
archaeological sites.
A number of federal agencies are already having great success helping
teachers, such as: The Library of Congress American Memory program,
which makes nearly eight million original documents from American history
available online, as well as new oral histories of our veterans. The
National Park Service, which offers students ways to learn about national
treasures such as Mesa Verde, Jamestown, Thomas Edison's laboratory,
the Statue of Liberty, and the Kitty Hawk.
The National Museum of American History, where today's forum took place,
which offers educational resources online that give teachers and students
virtual access to its exhibitions.
Resources for Teaching History, Civics, and Service The Education Department
announced today it is developing a new video series for schools across
the country that will teach students the origins and significance of
our national holidays.
The Learn and Serve America program at the Corporation for National
and Community Service has received dozens of applications for a new
set of competitive grants dedicated to supporting schools, community-based
organizations, and colleges that are developing and implementing curricula
that link student service with the study of history and civics.
Students across the country will be able to participate in a new "National
History Bee" to be sponsored by the NEH, including statewide competitions,
followed by a national championship.
Honoring excellence as part of "We the People," the NEH is
already working to recognize excellence among historians and students.
At the forum, Robert Remini, the author of a three-volume biography
of President Andrew Jackson and of biographies of Henry Clay and Daniel
Webster, and a dozen other books on Jacksonian America, delivered the
NEH's inaugural "Heroes of History" lecture.
Mrs. Bush recognized the first six winners of the "Idea of America"
high school essay contest, a new annual competition sponsored by the
NEH.
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