Educating for American Democracy: A Partnership With The NEH & US Department Of Education

A selection of the recently released Teacher Resources curricula from the Shapell Manuscript Foundation is featured in the new cross-ideological initiative, Educating for American Democracy: A Roadmap for Excellence in History and Civics Education for All Learners.

Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the US Department of Education, Educating for American Democracy provides guiding principles that educators can use to transform how civics is taught in schools. Released as a report and pedagogical “roadmap,” the endeavor offers a blueprint of integrated civics and history instruction from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Key to the project’s roadmap and structure is a pedagogical shift from breath to depth; rather than focusing primarily on events and individuals from US History, the project centers on key themes and inquiries that recur over time. The roadmap is neither a set of standards nor a curriculum, but rather suggested strategies, implementation recommendations, and a website of curated examples. 

The Shapell Manuscript Foundation Teacher Resources are featured in Educating for American Democracy’s curated examples. 

The Teacher Resources are based on primary sources from the Shapell Manuscript Collection and provide teachers and students the opportunity to explore meaningful, and sometimes lesser-known, scenes from history. Each lesson plan fits within state and national educational standards and includes ideas for differentiation, assessment form, and document-based questions (when applicable).