The Red Clay and Christina school districts have been awarded nearly $1 million in federal funds to enhance history lessons.
The U.S. Department of Education awarded $115.3 million to 124 school districts last week through a grant program, called “The Freedom Project: Turning Point and Learning Points in American History.” The grants are funded over a three-year period.
The grant money will be used to enhance teachers’ understanding of American history through intensive professional development, which will include study trips to historic sites and mentoring with historians and experts, Red Clay said in a press release.
Red Clay and Christina will partner with the University of Delaware, Delaware Public Archives and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History as well as hear presentations by faculty from the University of Maryland, Stanford University and the University of Delaware.
Two groups of 25 teachers and administrators, one covering the Colonial Period to the Civil War and the other covering Reconstruction to Modern Day, will participate in online, face-to-face and paper-based professional development, according to the district.
“Due to the high demands of the classroom environment, having direct access to experts of history and teaching strategies is a rare occurrence,” said Rebecca Reed, supervisor of social studies for Red Clay. “The teachers that participate in this program will benefit immensely and consequently the students of the Red Clay Consolidated School District will increase their understanding and awareness of U.S. history.”
