Rockford Public School #205 in Rockford, Illinois, has been awarded a three-year $993,708 Teaching American History grant designed to raise student achievement by providing teachers with in-depth, professional development in American history, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today. This year, the Teaching American History program will award 121 new grants worth $114.7 million to schools districts in 40 states nationwide.

"The Teaching American History grant program offers educators opportunities to work with colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, libraries, or museums to learn more about our country's history, culture, and democratic tradition," said Secretary Spellings. "By providing professional development for teachers, we can help them support young people in becoming active, informed citizens."

The Rockford Public School #205's "Freedom Project" focuses on transitioning from an emphasis on social studies to a curriculum committed to traditional American history. The project consists of 15 eras of American history with each focusing on five major threads that directly align to the school's power standards. The goals of the project are to raise student achievement through improved teacher understanding, knowledge and practice in history content; enhance existing and develop new community partnerships with local organizations, museums, colleges and universities, and libraries; and modify the transition from a social studies based curriculum to an American history curriculum aligned to Illinois state standards. For additional information, contact Project Director Michael Kuzniewski, (815) 967-8067.

The Teaching American History grant program is designed to improve student achievement by enhancing teachers' knowledge of traditional American history through intensive ongoing professional development in both content and research-based teaching strategies. Grants fund projects for up to five years, and grantees must partner with one or more organizations that have extensive knowledge of American history, including libraries, museums, nonprofit history or humanities organizations and higher education institutions.

History is one of the core academic subjects under the No Child Left Behind Act. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as the "Nation's Report Card," shows some overall improvement in history performance at all three grade levels, however, less than one-quarter of America's students in grades 4, 8 and 12 are performing at the highest, or proficient level, in American history.

More information about the Teaching American History Grant program is available at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory/index.html.