USC Subpart 3

20 U.S.C. § 6661 Program authorized

(a) In generalFrom the amount reserved by the Secretary under section 6621(3) of this title, the Secretary is authorized to carry out an American history and civics education program to improve—(1) the quality of American history, civics, and government education by educating students about the history and principles of the Constitution of the United States, including the Bill of Rights; and (2) the quality of the teaching of American history, civics, and government in elementary schools and secondary schools, including the teaching of traditional American history. (b) Funding allotmentOf the amount available under subsection (a) for a fiscal year, the Secretary—(1) shall reserve not less than 26 percent for activities under section 6662 of this title; and (2) may reserve not more than 74 percent for activities under section 6663 of this title.

20 U.S.C. § 6662 Presidential and Congressional Academies for American History and Civics

(a) In generalFrom the amounts reserved under section 6661(b)(1) of this title for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall award not more than 12 grants, on a competitive basis, to—(1) eligible entities to establish Presidential Academies for the Teaching of American History and Civics (in this section referred to as the “Presidential Academies”) in accordance with subsection (e); and (2) eligible entities to establish Congressional Academies for Students of American History and Civics (in this section referred to as the “Congressional Academies”) in accordance with subsection (f). (b) ApplicationAn eligible entity that desires to receive a grant under subsection (a) shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may reasonably require. (c) Eligible entityThe term “eligible entity” under this section means—(1) an institution of higher education or nonprofit educational organization, museum, library, or research center with demonstrated expertise in historical methodology or the teaching of American history and civics; or (2) a consortium of entities described in paragraph (1). (d) Grant termsGrants awarded to eligible entities under subsection (a) shall be for a term of not more than 5 years. (e) Presidential Academies(1) Use of fundsEach eligible entity that receives a grant under subsection (a)(1) shall use the grant funds to establish a Presidential Academy that offers a seminar or institute for teachers of American history and civics, which—(A) provides intensive professional development opportunities for teachers of American history and civics to strengthen such teachers’ knowledge of the subjects of American history and civics; (B) is led by a team of primary scholars and core teachers who are accomplished in the field of American history and civics; (C) is conducted during the summer or other appropriate time; and (D) is of not less than 2 weeks and not more than 6 weeks in duration. (2) Selection of teachersEach year, each Presidential Academy shall select between 50 and 300 teachers of American history and civics from public or private elementary schools and secondary schools to attend the seminar or institute under paragraph (1). (3) Teacher stipendsEach teacher selected to participate in a seminar or institute under this subsection shall be awarded a fixed stipend based on the length of the seminar or institute to ensure that such teacher does not incur personal costs associated with the teacher’s participation in the seminar or institute. (4) PriorityIn awarding grants under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that coordinate or align their activities with the National Park Service National Centennial Parks initiative to develop innovative and comprehensive programs using the resources of the National Parks. (f) Congressional Academies(1) Use of fundsEach eligible entity that receives a grant under subsection (a)(2) shall use the grant funds to establish a Congressional Academy that offers a seminar or institute for outstanding students of American history and civics, which—(A) broadens and deepens such students’ understanding of American history and civics; (B) is led by a team of primary scholars and core teachers who are accomplished in the field of American history and civics; (C) is conducted during the summer or other appropriate time; and (D) is of not less than 2 weeks and not more than 6 weeks in duration. (2) Selection of students(A) In generalEach year, each Congressional Academy shall select between 100 and 300 eligible students to attend the seminar or institute under paragraph (1). (B) Eligible studentsA student shall be eligible to attend a seminar or institute offered by a Congressional Academy under this subsection if the student—(i) is recommended by the student’s secondary school principal or other school leader to attend the seminar or institute; and (ii) will be a secondary school junior or senior in the academic year following attendance at the seminar or institute. (3) Student stipendsEach student selected to participate in a seminar or institute under this subsection shall be awarded a fixed stipend based on the length of the seminar or institute to ensure that such student does not incur personal costs associated with the student’s participation in the seminar or institute. (g) Matching funds(1) In generalAn eligible entity that receives funds under subsection (a) shall provide, toward the cost of the activities assisted under the grant, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 100 percent of the amount of the grant. (2) WaiverThe Secretary may waive all or part of the matching requirement described in paragraph (1) for any fiscal year for an eligible entity if the Secretary determines that applying the matching requirement would result in serious hardship or an inability to carry out the activities described in subsection (e) or (f).

20 U.S.C. § 6663 National activities

(a) PurposeThe purpose of this section is to promote new and existing evidence-based strategies to encourage innovative American history, civics and government, and geography instruction, learning strategies, and professional development activities and programs for teachers, principals, or other school leaders, particularly such instruction, strategies, activities, and programs that benefit low-income students and underserved populations. (b) In generalFrom the amounts reserved by the Secretary under section 6661(b)(2) of this title, the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities for the purposes of expanding, developing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating for voluntary use, innovative, evidence-based approaches or professional development programs in American history, civics and government, and geography, which—(1) shall—(A) show potential to improve the quality of student achievement in, and teaching of, American history, civics and government, or geography, in elementary schools and secondary schools; and (B) demonstrate innovation, scalability, accountability, and a focus on underserved populations; and (2) may include—(A) hands-on civic engagement activities for teachers and students; and (B) programs that educate students about the history and principles of the Constitution of the United States, including the Bill of Rights. (c) Program periods and diversity of projects(1) In generalA grant awarded by the Secretary to an eligible entity under this section shall be for a period of not more than 3 years. (2) RenewalThe Secretary may renew a grant awarded under this section for 1 additional 2-year period. (3) Diversity of projectsIn awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that, to the extent practicable, grants are distributed among eligible entities that will serve geographically diverse areas, including urban, suburban, and rural areas. (d) ApplicationsIn order to receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may reasonably require. (e) Eligible entityIn this section, the term “eligible entity” means an institution of higher education or other nonprofit or for-profit organization with demonstrated expertise in the development of evidence-based approaches with the potential to improve the quality of American history, civics and government, or geography learning and teaching.