Goodbye History

From the National Humanities Alliance.  President Obama, in his original FY12 Budget Proposal, released on February 14, proposes to eliminate Teaching American History (TAH) as an individually funded program, and instead consolidate it into a new authority called “Effective Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education”, along with seven other programs emphasizing higher education partnerships and content-based activities.

The President’s Budget does not provide a FY 2012 allocation for Teaching American History or the consolidated programs. The new “Well-Rounded Education” authority would emphasize “accountability” and “flexibility” for state and local education agencies over current, field-specific opportunities.


The National Humanities Alliance urges Congress to provide continued funding, in FY 2011 and FY 2012, at the FY 2010 enacted level of $119 million for the Teaching American History grants program within the U.S. Department of Education, maintaining recent levels appropriated for TAH as a discretionary program line.


The Teaching American History grant program is a discretionary grant competition funded under Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The largest single source of federal funding for history education in the U.S., the goal of TAH is to support projects that raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of American history. The program provides competitive awards to local educational agencies, and requires that LEAs agree to carry out the proposed activities “in partnership with one or more of the following: institutions of higher education, nonprofit history or humanities organizations, libraries, or museums.” TAH is administered by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement.

Update from the National Coalition for History: although on the chopping block for FY11, lobbying for this program was successful and the entire program was not eliminated completely.

The Teaching American History Grants program sustained a cut of $73 million (-61%) down from $119 million in FY ’10 to $46 million. While this is disheartening, throughout the budget process House Republicans had repeatedly targeted the program for elimination. The Administration as well had zeroed out TAH for FY ’11 and proposed consolidating history education in a new Well Rounded Education program where it would have competed for funding with arts, music, foreign languages, civics, economics and other subjects.

Please tell the President and your representatives in Congress not to cut history from our children's education.  Tell them to keep TAH in the FY11 and FY12 budgets.  Step up.

To write to Representative Chris Van Hollen, go here.
To write to Representative Donna Edwards go here.
To write to Senator Barbara Mikulski go here.
To write to Senator Ben Cardin go here.

Paula BienenfeldTo write to President Obama go here.