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S. 659: Improving the Teaching and Learning of American History and Civics Act of 2009

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S. 659: Improving the Teaching and Learning of American History and Civics Act of 2009

111th Congress · introduced 2009-03-19 · Education · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2009-03-19 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Improving the Teaching and Learning of American History and Civics Act of 2009

Plain summary

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. 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.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Improving the Teaching and Learning of American History and Civics Act of 2009

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong111-s659 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111