Wiregrass History (WHC) is a discretionary grant program funded under Title II-C, Subpart 4 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act through the Teaching American History Grant program. The goal of the program is to raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of American history.
The Project is administered through Coastal Plains Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) in Lenox, GA. Coastal Plains RESA http://www.cpresa.org/ is a non-profit agency dedicated to 11 public school districts in South Central Georgia. The purpose of WHC is to promote the teaching of traditional American history in elementary and secondary schools as a separate academic subject. The grant funds are used to improve the quality of history instruction by supporting professional development for teachers of American history. Coastal Plains RESA has agreed to carry out the proposed activities in partnership with Valdosta State University, the National Council of History Educators (NCHE), the Carter Presidential Library and other nonprofit history and humanities organizations, libraries, and museums.
WHC will support programs to raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of American history. These programs will focus on content expertise in order to design, implement, and demonstrate effective, research-based professional development programs. The selected teachers in grades 4,5, 8 and high school will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to teach traditional American history in an exciting and engaging way over a 4-year period from 2005 to 2009.
Through WHC, supported school districts will evolve comprehensive professional development approaches for providing high-quality American history instruction so that students will develop an appreciation for the great ideas of American history.
