U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to Speak at 2009 National History Teacher of the Year Award Ceremony

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to Speak at 2009 National History Teacher of the Year Award Ceremony

Award Co-sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute, Preserve America and HISTORY(TM)

NEW YORK, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has announced that Tim Bailey, a fifth grade teacher at Escalante Elementary School in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the recipient of the 2009 Preserve America National History Teacher of the Year award. The award is co-sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Preserve America and HISTORY(TM). Bailey will receive the $10,000 award on December 16, 2009 at the School Without Walls in Washington, D.C. United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be on hand to congratulate Bailey and speak about the importance of American history education.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091111/NY09731LOGO-b)

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History conducts the Preserve America History Teacher of the Year award program as part of its larger effort to promote the study and love of American history. Winners are selected in each of the fifty states, including Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Territories in the Pacific. From the fifty-plus state winners, a national award winner is chosen. Each state honoree receives $1,000 and an archive of books and resources from Gilder Lehrman and HISTORY for his or her school's library.

"Tim Bailey is dedicated to teaching students at an early age that the study of American history is not only essential but tremendously rewarding. His steady enthusiasm in the classroom is nothing short of exceptional and his primary source document-based teaching methods are creatively unique and effective," says James Basker, president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute. "We are pleased that Preserve America and HISTORY join us in celebrating this year's history teacher of the year. It is my hope that in combining forces with these co-sponsors we will be able to reach more teachers and encourage premiere and exemplary history teaching methods."

This year's winner, Tim Bailey, began his teaching career in 1989. He has written three American history workbooks focused on primary sources for elementary classrooms in the Easy Simulations series, published in 2008 by Scholastic. He has also served as a teacher mentor for the past eight years. A Fulbright Scholar in 2003, Bailey has earned several awards from the state of Utah, the Salt Lake City school district, and others.

"It is important to honor teachers such as Tim Bailey who know how to connect today's youth with their heritage," said John L. Nau, III, chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the federal agency that administers much of the Preserve America program. "There is no better way to get young people excited about history and their place in the American story than efforts by exceptional teachers to provide authentic experience of places, artifacts and documents. Preserve America is proud to partner with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and HISTORY to commend outstanding history teachers throughout the country."

HISTORY has actively participated in the education fields of history and social studies since its launch in 1995, using twenty-first century technology to help Americans explore the past. Through a wide range of activities with school districts, museums and organizations, HISTORY has developed extensive educational outreach programs and resources that demonstrate a long-term commitment to the best in history education. Important public and private partnerships like the ones with Gilder Lehrman and Preserve America advance HISTORY's outreach initiatives and further the cause of quality education for all ages.

"HISTORY is proud to recognize Mr. Bailey as National History Teacher of the Year. His expertise and dedication exemplify the qualities needed to inspire not only his students but teachers everywhere. We are honored to join the Gilder Lehrman Institute in acknowledging Mr. Bailey and other outstanding teachers throughout the country," stated Dr. Libby O'Connell, SVP Corporate Outreach and Chief Historian, HISTORY.

About Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Prior to his appointment as Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public Schools, a position to which he was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley, from June 2001 through December 2008, becoming the longest-serving big-city education superintendent in the country.

About the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. The Institute serves teachers, students, scholars, and the general public. It helps create history-centered schools, organizes seminars and programs for educators, produces print and electronic publications and traveling exhibitions, sponsors lectures by eminent historians, and administers a History Teacher of the Year Award in every state through its co-sponsorship with Preserve America and HISTORY(TM). The Institute also awards the Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and George Washington Book Prizes, and offers fellowships for scholars to work in the Gilder Lehrman Collection. The Institute maintains two websites, www.gilderlehrman.org and the quarterly online journal www.historynow.org.

About HISTORY

HISTORY(TM) and HISTORY HD(TM) are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event-driven specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network's program offerings are hit series such as Ax Men, Battle 360, How The Earth Was Made, Ice Road Truckers, Pawn Stars and The Universe, as well as acclaimed specials including 102 Minutes That Changed America, 1968 with Tom Brokaw, King, Life After People, Nostradamus: 2012, Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed and WWII in HD. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, seven Primetime Emmy® Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy® Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History® campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network's latest initiative connecting America's schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY web site, located at www.history.com, is the definitive historical online source that delivers entertaining and informative content featuring broadband video, interactive timelines, maps, games, podcasts and more.

About Preserve America

Preserve America is a national initiative in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities. Detailed information on all aspects of this initiative can be found at www.preserveamerica.gov.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091111/NY09731LOGO-b
Source: HISTORY

CONTACT: Chelsea Van der Gaag, +1-646-366-9666 x11,
vandergaag@gilderlehrman.org, Fax: +1-646-366-9669; Cara Tocci,
+1-212-210-9083, Cara.tocci@aetn.com

Web Site: http://www.history.com/

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