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The College of Charleston was recently awarded a $1,504,000 federal grant to launch an innovative, three-year professional development partnership designed to strengthen the teaching of American history, civics and government in local K-12 schools.
The project, titled The Founding Documents & Their Legacy: The College of Charleston and K-12 Educators in Partnership, is funded through the competitive American History and Civics grant program, jointly administered by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Labor.
The College of Charleston is one of just 25 institutions nationwide selected for this prestigious grant in Fiscal Year 2026.
The initiative will be co-led by Dean Jason Coy of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Dr. Brian Lanahan, professor and Teacher Education faculty member in the School of Education. Together, they will spearhead an evidence-based professional development framework linking CofC faculty directly with Charleston-area educators.
“This significant federal investment allows us to deepen our commitment to local schools and empower teachers with the robust tools they need,” says Coy. “By bridging academic expertise with classroom execution, we can enrich how students engage with the core principles of our democracy.”
The multi-year initiative will equip local elementary, middle and high school teachers with innovative, evidence-based instructional approaches centered on the nation’s founding documents and their enduring legacy. A core focus of the program will be providing teachers with the strategies necessary to foster civil discourse, critical thinking and viewpoint diversity within contemporary classrooms.
“This significant federal investment allows us to deepen our commitment to local schools and empower our teachers with the robust tools they need to foster civility,” Lanahan adds. “By bringing our academic expertise teaching the founding documents to K-12 classrooms, we can enrich how students engage with the core principles of our democracy.”
Program activities are slated to begin this academic year, establishing a collaborative network of educators equipped to elevate history and civics outcomes across the Lowcountry.
Founded in 1770, the College of Charleston’s mission is to provide students with a world-class education in the arts and sciences, business and technology, engineering and health sciences. Students have more than 150 majors and minors from which to choose — and they often choose to combine several—and complement their academic courses with overseas study, undergraduate research and internships for a truly customized education.
Nearly 12,000 students choose the college for its unique urban, mid-sized university feel. The College, home to undergraduates from across the country and around the globe, provides a creative and intellectually stimulating environment where students are challenged and guided by a committed and caring faculty of distinguished teacher-scholars. The city of Charleston serves as a living and learning laboratory for student experiences and opportunities for career development. The university bridges the old with the new in a setting that is truly extraordinary — where historic character and forward-looking innovation come together to shape a distinctive and inspiring environment for learning. A College of Charleston education focuses on discovery and personal growth, as well as preparation for life, work, and service to our society.
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Source: The College of Charleston
