A $1 million grant awarded from the Teaching American History Project was enough to earn recognition from Secretary of State Cathy Cox and the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board (GHRAB).

Fayette County Schools, along with the school systems of Henry and Cobb Counties, were presented with the GHRAB Award for Excellence in Educational Use of Historical Records during the fourth annual GHRAB Archives Awards ceremony on October 16. The award was presented to the school systems for their combined grant project, “Linking American History: Past to Present,” which made extensive use of the Georgia Archives as participating teachers conducted research during the grant implementation period. The GHRAB awards recognize outstanding efforts in archives and records work in Georgia.

The grant-funded program was recognized as a model for encouraging the use of original records in the classroom. Project partners included Clayton State University, the Georgia Archives, the National Archives-SE Region, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and the Georgia Humanities Council.

From fall 2003 until summer 2006, the grant served 65 teachers. The 2006 participants included 17 elementary, 17 middle and 23 high school teachers. The project focused on the historical period of 1945 to the present.

The three school systems have combined once again and earned another $1 million grant, this time to study the beginnings of democracy in America. Implementation of “Creating a Nation: Seeds of Democracy” will begin this summer and will span over three years.

GHRAB works to promote the educational use of Georgia’s documentary heritage and to support efforts to improve the condition of records statewide. The board is charged with advising the Governor, Secretary of State and the Georgia Archives on records and policy issues.

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