PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Mar 19, 2009
Improving the Teaching and Learning of American History and Civics Act of 2009 - Creates a new part E (American History and Civics Education) under title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), under which are placed the existing Teaching of Traditional American History, Civic Education (containing the We the People and Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange programs), and Close Up Fellowship programs.
Establishes, under part E of title II of the ESEA, programs requiring the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to IHEs, museums, libraries, research centers, or certain other educational institutions to establish Presidential Academies for Teaching of American History and Civics and Congressional Academies for Students of American History and Civics which offer seminars or institutes for teachers and outstanding students of such subjects, respectively.
Creates, under part E, a program authorizing the Secretary to provide grants or contracts to National History Day, Inc. for specified activities promoting and improving the study of history.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Repeals the American History and Civics Education Act of 2004, which contained a version of the Presidential Academies, Congressional Academies, and National History Day programs.
Reauthorizes part E programs through FY2015.
Amends the ESEA to require states to: (1) establish challenging academic content and student achievement standards in U.S. history, beginning in the 2011-2012 school year; and (2) measure the achievement of students against such standards at least one time during grades 3 through 5, grades 6 through 9, and grades 10 through 12, beginning in the 2012-2013 school year.
Improving the Teaching and Learning of American History and Civics Act of 2009 - Amends the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act to direct the Commissioner for Education Statistics to: (1) give priority to conducting national assessments of student achievement in history at least once every four years in grades 4, 8, and 12; and (2) conduct trial state academic assessments of student achievement in U.S. history and civics in grades 8 and 12.
People & committees
Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN] · R–TN
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3567-3571)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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