The Edmonds School District has received a three-year grant of nearly $1 million from the U.S. Department of Education intended to bolster U.S. history teachers’ knowledge of American history.
This $999,845 grant will allow the district to bring in notable historians to work with teachers. The teachers will be investigating multiple perspectives of American history and will share that learning with other teachers and their students, said Sarah Schumacher, the district’s social studies coordinator. The goal is to give students the necessary tools to think critically about the rich history of the United States.
Sounds like a great program. But, let’s not lose sight of the fact that most kids leaving high school cannot name the 3 bodies of our government or their state or federal representatives. Critical thinking is important but first these kids need to learn the facts.
Let’s hope it’s much more than reading ‘big history books.’ Ideally we’d have students doing history, visiting historical places (Williamsburg anyone?) and balancing hands-on with reading/research/debate, etc. ESC, please don’t waste the money.