The study of history is essential to better government.
George Washington
Founded in 1974 on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio,
National History Day (NHD) is a nationwide history education program and competition with a
community-based approach that includes students, teachers, parents, historical societies and
museums. It is the only program of its kind that involves middle and high school students as
well as educators in an engaging, innovative and project-based education program about U.S.
and global history. In addition, it works with state and federal education standards for history and
language arts. NHD is a federally authorized program as part of P.L.108-474, The American
History and Civics Education Act.
Annually, more than 600,000 middle and high school students participate in NHD by creating
presentations that bring primary-source research to life through table-top exhibits,
documentaries, performances, web sites and research papers. Teachers incorporate the NHD
curriculum into their classrooms or offer the program as an extracurricular activity. The program
is supported locally with “affiliate coordinators” at the state or territorial level who represent
local historical societies and museums – a true partnership between historians and historical
societies, educators and students. Student work culminates in local and affiliate contests – and a
final national competition, the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest, held each June
at the University of Maryland.
 Since its inception, the NHD program has successfully served more than 10 million
students and teachers.
 56 affiliates include all 50 states, D.C., American Samoa, Guam, and International
Schools in China, Korea, and South Asia.
 NHD provides a model to help teachers meet state and national standards.
 Annual teacher workshops are conducted at national and affiliate levels.
 NHD designs and offers programs to help educators exceed education standards.
 The NHD program rewards innovation and interdisciplinary approaches in the classroom
with resources including:
o Intensive summer institutes, including Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom, a program
for teacher-student teams, and Understanding Leadership: China in the 20th Century
o Teacher workshops
o Curriculum materials
o Recognition for outstanding teaching in history
The National Humanities Medal
In February 2012, NHD received the prestigious National Humanities Medal from President
Obama in a White House ceremony. The award honors NHD's 30+ years of service and
accomplishments in the field of history education.
National History Day, Inc.
4511 Knox Road, Suite 102 ■ College Park, MD 20740
info@nhd.org ■ www.nhd.org ■ Phone: (301) 314-9739 ■ Fax: (301) 314-9767
National History Day Works: Key Evaluation Findings
The need to demonstrate the evidence-based, wide-ranging effectiveness of innovative,
successful modes of teaching history is at a pivotal point. According to the most recent federal
study of American students’ academic ability in history, the 2010 National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP), less than one-quarter of students performed at or above the
proficient level, and on the secondary school level, 12th-grade students performed the lowest on
the history assessment compared to science, math and economic assessment scores.1
With funding from Kenneth E. Behring and the U.S. Department of Education, NHD commissioned an
independent research organization, Rockman et al, to develop and implement a national evaluation to
explore the impact of the program.
Key Evaluation Findings
During the 2009-2010 school year, researchers from Rockman et al examined students’ skills and
knowledge across a range of measures and found:
 NHD students outperform their non-NHD peers on state standardized tests in multiple
subjects, including reading, science and math, as well as social studies.
 NHD students learn 21st Century college- and career-ready skills. They learn to
collaborate with team members, talk to experts, manage their time and persevere.
 NHD students are better writers – they write with a purpose and real voice, and they
marshal solid evidence to support their points of view. NHD students had more
exemplary writing scores and fewer low scores than comparison students.
 NHD has a positive impact among students whose interests in academic subjects may
wane in high school, and NHD students are critical thinkers who can digest, analyze
and synthesize information.
National History Day Is Endorsed By:
American Association for State and Local History
American Historical Association
Federation of State Humanities Councils
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Center for History in the Schools
National Council for History Education
National Council for the Social Studies
Organization of American Historians
Society of American Archivists
The full report – including detailed methodology and research instruments – can be found on the National History
Day website: www.nhd.org
1
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2010/2011468.pdf.
National History Day, Inc.
4511 Knox Road, Suite 102 ■ College Park, MD 20740
info@nhd.org ■ www.nhd.org ■ Phone: (301) 314-9739 ■ Fax: (301) 314-9767