School & District Management

History, Civics Education Part of Sen. Byrd’s Legacy

By Erik W. Robelen & Alyson Klein — July 12, 2010 1 min read
Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., is pictured with an American bald eagle, "Challenger," on Capitol Hill in 2007. The occasion was the announcement of a resolution for American Eagle Day, celebrating the recovery and restoration of the U.S. national symbol.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, who died June 28 at the age of 92 after 51 years in the U.S. Senate, leaves as part of his legacy programs born of his passionate advocacy of history and civics education.

Sen. Byrd, a Democrat who was known for carrying a copy of the U.S. Constitution in his pocket, pushed through legislation in 2004 requiring that public schools and colleges receiving federal aid conduct educational programs about the document each year on or near Sept. 17, the date the charter was approved by the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

The longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history, the Senate’s president pro tempore, and a former majority leader of the chamber, Sen. Byrd also left his imprint through other education-related programs. They include the Teaching American History grants program, created in 2001, which supports teacher professional development in that subject, and the Byrd Honors Scholarship Program, which annually provides $40 million in merit-based scholarships for high school students.

Sen. Byrd was a fierce defender of his priorities. Earlier this year, for example, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan proposed a sweeping consolidation of programs— including the $119 million Teaching American History program—as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s still-pending fiscal 2011 budget request. That drew strong opposition from Mr. Byrd.

“I am gravely concerned about the administration’s decision to eliminate the Teaching American History grant program and roll its contents into a much broader educational concept,” Sen. Byrd said in a statement. “In doing so, I believe our students’ understanding of our rich history will suffer.”

Numerous times over the years, Sen. Byrd also proposed constitutional amendments that would guarantee students the right to pray voluntarily in schools. In introducing one such proposal in 2006, he cited rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court that he said “have been moving closer and closer to prohibiting the free exercise of religion in America.”

Related Tags:

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
A version of this article appeared in the July 14, 2010 edition of Education Week as History, Civics Education Element of Byrd’s Legacy

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion Your School Needs a Teacher-Mentorship Program
We all know how critical the first few years of teaching are. Here's how to set teachers up for success.
Pamela Slifer
4 min read
Mentorship development of young teachers. School leaders make the teaching profession more sustainable by developing a robust mentoring program in their school.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management School Leaders Rush to Manage Deportation Fears
School and district leaders describe a chaotic time amid changes to federal immigration policies.
9 min read
A line of school children with obscured faces board a school bus on their way to school.
E+/Getty
School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About The Superintendent Persona?
The superintendent plays a crucial role in purchasing decisions. Test your knowledge of this key buyer persona and see how your results stack up with your peers.
School & District Management Opinion School Modernization Funds Are in Jeopardy. Here's What to Do
Upgrades to ground-source heat pumps keep students learning in hot weather and rack up energy savings, write two former school leaders.
Brenda Cassellius & Jonathan Klein
5 min read
Thermometer under a hot sun. Hot summer day. High Summer temperatures.
iStock/Getty