For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 1, 2003
Fact Sheet: We the People Forum on American History, Civics, and Service
We the People Forum on American History, Civics, and Service
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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