The Education Department has awarded nearly $3 million in grants to help state education agencies and research institutions develop curriculum frameworks in the humanities.
The grants--which will support the development of frameworks in such core subjects as English, history, geography, civics, and the arts--also are intended to foster interdisciplinary approaches to teaching.
The three-year grants from the department’s Fund for Innovation in Education were awarded to the education departments of 13 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
In announcing the awards last week, Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley said that although states are trying to set high standards for educational achievement, they still have to decide what should be taught, how subjects should relate to one another, and how teacher training needs to change to bring it into line with the new standards.
The grants will help states develop K-12 curricula and change their teacher-training programs accordingly.
“All the elements must be included and joined in a systematic way,’' Mr. Riley said.
A separate effort to develop frameworks in science and mathematics is being supported by the department’s Eisenhower National Mathematics and Science Education Program.
This is the first round of grants for humanities curricula, and the department has not decided whether to continue the program beyond three years, according to a spokeswoman.
State Awards
The grant amounts announced last week, along with the subjects in which frameworks are to be developed, are as follows:
- Alaska: $186,647 for history, geography, and civics;
- Arkansas: $325,000 for English, history, geography, civics, and the arts;
- Colorado: $224,024 for geography;
- Connecticut: $305,000 for geography and the arts;
- Delaware: $206,154 for history, geography, and civics;
- Michigan: $255,948 for English and $205,649 for geography;
- Minnesota: $255,732 for the arts;
- Montana: $108,111 for English and the arts;
- Nebraska: $238,510 for the arts;
- North Dakota: $185,134 for English;
- Ohio: $101,065 for the arts;
- Vermont: $164,779 for English, history, geography, civics, and the arts; and
- Wisconsin: $174,409 for English, history, geography, civics, and the arts.
