"What's happening in heritage education?" This is the question that this survey begins to answer. With responses from state historic preservation offices and other heritage-related organizations, the national and state-by-state status of heritage education is emerging.
Why ask this question? The Goals 2000: Educate
America Act, signed into law in March of 1994 mandates
an account able and collaborative approach to education.
In doing so, the act essentially reaffirms that the
responsibility for education lies in state and local school
systems. A basic objective of Goals 2000 is to accomplish
educational reform by creating broad-based cooperative
partners P9 in states and local communities among
teachers, students, government agencies, heritage
organizations, the work force, retired citizens, and other
residents.
Individuals and organizations entrusted with the
identification, documentation, preservation, protection and
interpretation of our cultural and historic resources should
lead the way in cooperative efforts to build in the “in-school
generation a strong conservation ethic. With the 30th
anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 just past, it s a
timely necessity that heritage education become, or
continue to be, a high priority of state historic preservation
offices and heritage organizations.
Who is asking the question? The National Park
Service’s National Center for Preservation Technology and
Training (NCPTT) contracted with the Center for Historic
Preservation (CHP) at Middle Tennessee State University
to conduct the survey and prepare this report.
We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of the many
individuals at state historic preservation offices and
heritage organizations who took the time to reply to the
survey and to send materials illustrating their programs.
Because of the information provided we can focus with
renewed purpose and concentration on heritage education
in 2000 and beyond.