The underlying purpose of the national Teaching American History program is to improve teacher preparation and student understanding and achievement in American history. The Calcasieu-LEH grant, one of only 122 awarded nationwide, is an excellent opportunity to give Calcasieu public school teachers, and ultimately their students, access to the many of the best history scholars in southwest Louisiana and nationally prominent visiting scholars from other parts of the nation.

In a separate matter, the LEH assisted the Algiers Charter Schools Association in obtaining a $1 million Teaching American History grant for New Orleans area teachers. The LEH will be the fiscal agent and advising partner in this grant.

Beginning the summer of 2008, Teaching American History grant funds will enable the LEH, Calcasieu Public Schools and McNeese to conduct four graduate and undergraduate Teacher Institutes in American History each summer for three years. They will be taught by McNeese history professors. Public school officials estimate that about 204 elementary, middle and high school Calcasieu public school history and social studies teachers, who teach about 25,000 students, will participate in the three-year program.

Teachers will receive $1,000 stipends, textbooks, classroom teaching materials, three hours of graduate or undergraduate credit and 45 Continuing Learning Units, half of the 90 units required annually, and in-service professional development workshops during the school year. A few selected teachers will travel to Washington, D.C., each year to meet with the curators of education at major historic institutions such as the Library of Congress, National Archives and Smithsonian Institution.

According to LEH President and Executive Director Dr. Michael Sartisky, "The Pennington Foundation support is especially heartening as it is sometimes difficult to convince non-New Orleans based donors and foundations that an investment in the Center is an investment in Louisiana and not just New Orleans."

Evidence of that truth could not be more apparent. In the last weekend of July, more than 80 literacy professionals from around Louisiana will participate in a two-day Prime Time training in the Center and two days later, administrators and staff from several small museum from around the state will participate in a two day workshop on the LEH/Smithsonian Museum on Main Street Program. All of this and the Center is not yet completely finished.

Dr. Sartisky added: "In supporting an expansion of Prime Time Family Reading Time in Baton Rouge, the Pennington Foundation is investing in the future. There is no surer way to break the poverty cycle than to break the cycle of intergenerational illiteracy. Prime Time has shown itself very effective in families where parents possess limited reading skills and the people at the Pennington Foundation realize just how important that is."

In addition, Cox Charities of New Orleans has donated $2,500 to help continue PRIME TIME in St. Bernard Parish, where PRIME TIME had a strong presence pre-Katrina.

"Floodwall is a journey through loss and transformation. It explores the human connection to culture and community expressed through the everyday objects of people," said Jed Horne, former Times-Picayune city editor and author of the acclaimed book, Breach of Faith. "Through found objects and a multi-media interpretive presentation, Floodwall speaks of what was lost to Katrina and what remains of New Orleans."