U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings recently announced the award of $116 million for 122 new grants to improve the quality of American history education.

The grants are being awarded to school districts in 40 states, including Baltimore City, which received $995,283.

“These grants will provide teachers with the resources they need to engage their students and provide them with a better understanding of our nation’s history and the principles of our democracy,” Spellings said.

History is one of the core academic subjects under the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act. However, the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows that less than one-fourth of U.S. students in grades four, eight and 12 are proficient in American history.