Senator Byrd's Efforts to Renew History Education

In September 2008, Senator Robert C. Byrd was presented with an award from the National Council for History Education in recognition of his longstanding commitment to the improvement of educational resources and opportunities for studying American history. The award was presented by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough, who joined Senator Byrd in the effort to establish federal funding for history education eight years earlier in 2000.

(Left to Right) Historian David McCullough and Theodore K. Rabb, President of the National Council for History Education, present Senator Byrd with an award recognizing his contributions in 2008 in the Mansfield Room of the U.S. Capitol.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) sponsored a survey of university seniors in 1999 to assess proficiency in American history among American college and university students. Finding that 81% of seniors were unable to pass the survey, the ACTA lobbied Congress to establish and fund a national program to provide teacher training and resource development. In June 2000, Senate Concurrent Resolution 129 was passed, acknowledging the deficiencies in history education and calling for improvements to be made by educational institutions and agencies nationwide. Senator Byrd was a co-sponsor of this legislation and soon after its passage began working through the Senate Appropriations Committee to provide a regular source of funding for a program to train teachers to inspire greater knowledge and interest in American history among their students.
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Hoping to convince school districts across the United States to place greater emphasis on history in their curricula, Senator Byrd developed the Teaching American History program to be funded through the U.S. Department of Education. Grants supported collaborative projects between institutions that studied or held significant historical resources and local educational agencies to develop innovative and enhanced lesson plans and classroom resources for teaching American history. In July 2000, Senator Byrd inserted $50 million in an amendment to the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill to start the program. Senator Byrd wrote to his colleague from Iowa, Senator Tom Harkin, thanking him for supporting the measure during a subcommittee hearing, stating “the importance of American history is too often undervalued in our nation’s classrooms…it is my hope that this amendment will encourage teachers and students to take a deeper look at the importance of our nation’s past.” Despite support in the Senate, the amendment did not garner enough supporters in the House of Representatives.

Senator Byrd's letter to Senator Harkin regarding funding for Teaching American History.

Senator Byrd’s office worked to include the provision in the next round of budget hearings and the $50 million in pilot funding was authorized in 2001 during the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act which imposed new testing requirements and standards on educational institutions receiving federal funding. In subsequent years, funding was doubled to $100 million annually for the program. Over the next ten years, Teaching American History grants totaling $1 billion were awarded through the program, supporting numerous programs in states across the country. The Teaching American History Program was joined by other national efforts for bulstering student proficiency in United States history, including the creation of presidential and congressional academies of historical learning and Senator Byrd's 2004 amendment establishing September 17 as "Constitution Day" and mandating that teachers use the day to incorporate lessons about the nation's governing document into their classrooms. 
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Soon after Senator Byrd’s passing in 2010, the program was eliminated from the annual budget. The Byrd Center continues the legacy of this idea through its annual Teacher Institute program which inspires educators to encourage an appreciation and application of history among their students. These workshops continue the spirit of the Teaching American History program, built on partnerships between local education agencies, private institutions, and national centers of historical scholarship and resources to provide primary source-based learning tools for teachers. You can read more about this program on the Byrd Center’s website.