Washington, D.C. — On February 2, 2011, the USDoE published the Notice Inviting Applications for the 2011 Teaching American History Grants. AIHE is a leading provider of services in the TAHG grant program and can help your district earn up to $1 Million to improve student achievement in U.S. History.

To learn more about the Teaching American History grant program, go to www.teachingamericanhistorygrant.com where you can download the full grant application package and learn more about AIHE's success increasing student achievement through this program.

Washington, DC — Congressman Chris Carney announced today that BLaST Intermediate Unit 17 has been awarded a $993,039 Teaching American History Grant by the US Department of Education. This discretionary grant program is designed to promote teaching American history as a separate subject within core curriculum, improve teachers’ knowledge and appreciation of the subject and raise student achievement.

“As a former college professor I believe that education is the backbone of our nation and understanding our country’s history is especially valuable,” said Carney. “It is the right of all children to receive an excellent education and it is our responsibility to make sure the history programs have qualified, well-trained teachers, to assure that our students receive the education they deserve.”

BLaST Intermediate Unit, one of 29 regional education service agencies in Pennsylvania, serves 19 school districts in four counties — Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan and Tioga. They provide a multitude of Special Education, curriculum, technology and business office consortium services. Additionally, the Division of Educational Planning provides curriculum support, teacher-in-service training, paraprofessional training, school improvement support and a wide-range of other services.

The Teaching American History Grant program is designed to raise student achievement by improving teachers’ knowledge and understanding of and appreciation for traditional US history. BLaST IU 17 will use the grant primarily for professional development for teachers of American history across their service area. The development will include training, field trips, a five-day summer institute, technology integration, online professional development units and classroom toolkits, content specialist training and an AP training class.

&ldquopThe Teaching American History Grant is a monumental opportunity for teachers in the IU 17 region,” said BLaST IU 17 Director of Educational Planning Cori Cotner. “Most of our schools are small and rural. Funding is hard to come by for these schools. BLaST IU 17 prides itself in offering high-quality professional development for our teachers, however, it is very difficult for us as a small, rural IU to offer content-specific specialists. The Teaching American History Grant will truly open a window to a whole new level of professional development for our teachers, and in turn, for our most precious resource — our students. We are ecstatic to watch the growth of our teachers through this program and to also witness the positive effects on student achievement.”

Grant Details:

BLaST Intermediate Unit -17
Williamsport/Canton, PA
Grant Amount: $993,039
Grant Project Period: 5 years
Grant Budget Period: 09/01/2010 — 08/31/2013

Sugartown Elementary School teacher Meredith Oswald recently entered and won an online contest run by the American Institute for History Education (AIHE). The contest asked teachers to submit lesson plans, ideas, and activities used in the classroom to teach students about personal and historical heroes that are inspirational. Oswald submitted her students’ “Heroes Tribute” project and won the contest.

As part of the “Heroes Tribute” project, fourth grade students in Oswald’s class learned about important historical figures. Students assumed the identity of those figures and participated in mock interviews where they taught each other about heroes such as Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, Jackie Robinson, and Helen Keller. Students also wrote poems and created posters about their own personal heroes.

Oswald’s winning submission will be featured on the “National Heroes Day” web site, along with a picture of her class. In addition, Oswald received a number of prizes, including: a free subscription to CICERO: History Beyond the Textbook™, an online digital toolbox for teaching American history; a complete set of HEROES Trading Cards; and one copy of the book 50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet by Dr. Dennis Denenberg. Students in Oswald?s class received individual packs of trading cards. Orlando Rivera, vice president of marketing for AIHE, and author Dennis Denenberg visited Sugartown to award the prizes to Oswald and her students.

“I was already really excited about how hard the students had worked both individually and collectively on our ‘Heroes Tribute’,” said Oswald. “Not only did the students learn a great deal, but the entire project also strengthened student relationships and enhanced the character behavior in our classroom, so this (award) is the icing on the cake of an incredibly meaningful experience!”