The Teaching American History (TAH) program is designed to raise student achievement by improving teachers’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of traditional American history as a separate subject within the core curriculum, separate from general social studies education. The TAH program is designed to assist LEAs in the development, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of research-based models of professional development in elementary and secondary teacher education.

For the purposes of this grant program, we use the definition of traditional American history that we published in our Notice of Final Selection Criteria and Other Application Requirements in the Federal Register on April 15, 2005 (70 FR 19939-19942). In that notice we defined traditional American history as including "the significant issues, episodes, and turning points in the history of the United States; how the words and deeds of individual Americans have determined the course of our Nation; and how the principles of freedom and democracy articulated in the founding documents of this Nation have shaped America's struggles and achievements and its social, political, and legal institutions and relations."

The Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 was published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2008. The closing date is March 9, 2009.

Applicants will be evaluated based on their responses to the selection criteria and the competitive preference priority, if applicable, described in the Federal Register notice. Applications will be evaluated by a technical review panel and scored accordingly. The Department then selects applications for funding, based on the rank ordering of the applications and other relevant information, such as the applicant's performance and use of funds under previous grant awards from the Department.

Projects may target the entire K-12 system within an LEA or may focus on a specific grade span such as elementary, middle, or high school.

No, there is no matching requirement for this program. However, if an LEA intends to provide a local match, such information must be included in the budget narrative and in any future reporting documents.