Montgomery district to oversee federal grant
By: Greg Forester
MONTGOMERY The Montgomery Township School District received a grant of nearly $1 million last week to improve the quality of history education as the leader of a consortium of eight public school districts in Mercer and Somerset counties.
The moneys provided in the federal Nathanael Greene Liberty Fellowship to provide teachers with resources to provide students with a better understanding of American history and the principles of democracy, according to U.S. Department of Education officials.
The funds totaling $959,930 will go the Montgomery district, as well as the Franklin Township, Watchung Hills Regional, Lawrence Township, Princeton Regional, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional and Washington Township school districts.
"Montgomery was the lead member of the consortium, and we developed it and enlisted the support of teachers in the other seven districts," said Holly Houston, director of humanities in the Montgomery district. "The grant will go to programs that we develop for teachers that will enhance their understanding of American history."
The regional consortium contains 41 schools, including 24 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and eight high schools.
They have more than 30,000 students between them.
The teachers participating in the three-year program of professional development will write historical narratives, generate Web-based history activities, research history, and create lessons.
The grant comes from the Department of Education’s Teaching American History discretionary grant program, which supports these three-year projects aimed at increasing teachers’ skills in understanding and teaching history.
"A strong foundation in American history will ensure that our young people grow up to become active and informed citizens," said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, in a statement.

