Education
grants awarded
Cal
State Long Beach's history department is
awarded grants to improve education in the
community.
By
Richard Ables
On-line Forty-Niner
In
a joint venture with three local school
districts, the Cal State Long Beach history
department recently received a second award
of federal grants from the Department of
Education through its "Teaching American
History" program.
The
award of $2.86 million will fund a program
that the university has with the Long Beach,
Garden Grove and Compton School districts,
aimed at improving the knowledge, understanding
and appreciation of American history of
fifth, eighth and 11th grade teachers along
with providing new types of advanced placement
courses for underperforming history students.
According
to the Department of Education, the purpose
of these grants is to promote the teaching
of traditional American history in elementary
and secondary schools as a separate academic
subject. The grants will demonstrate how
school districts and institutions with expertise
in American history can work together to
ensure that traditional American history
is taught in an exiting and engaging way.
"The
strength of a nation begins in the classroom,"
said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige
in a recent press release. "Without
education, you cannot reap the many blessings
of freedom and the American dream."
The
three-year program begins with a two-week
summer seminar for history teachers to learn
new methods, followed by nationwide fieldtrips
for them to observe some of the top history
experts in the country and is maintained
by regular meetings with university professors
to discuss lesson plans, course content
and more.
The
program also offers a unique opportunity
for struggling history students. While advanced
placement courses are usually reserved for
students who are performing well, they are
now available to students having trouble
with history. The new classes are two years
in length, as opposed to one year. The first
year of the courses consists of learning
new skills and study methods to prepare
students for the second year, which focuses
more on subject matter.
"The
target audience for these grants are students
who don't do well," said Donald Schwartz,
one of seven Cal State Long Beach history
professors working on the program.
This
contribution was a welcomed surprise to
the history department since the Teaching
American History grants are awarded on a
competitive basis, rather than by population
or by need. Of the 114 grants awarded this
year, 17 were given to California educational
agencies. The Long Beach Unified project
received more assistance than many states
did during the competition based on its
proposals. Other organizations involved
in the project include the Gerder Lerner
Institute for American History, the Center
for Civic Education and the Education Department
of the Federal Reserve Bank.
"It's
unusual for a university to work so closely
with K-12 education," Schwartz said.
"Inspiration for this kind of work
comes from the mission of the university."
In
all, the Department of Education made almost
$100 million available to school districts
in 45 states with California receiving more
than any other state.
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