In an effort to help Alabama’s youth better their knowledge and understanding of the founding and history of the United States, Troy University and the American Village in Montevallo are joining forces.
The two institutions have signed a memorandum of understanding to create a leadership program that targets high school juniors and seniors and educates them on the nation’s history. The added bonus of the program is that participants will receive three credit hours for Troy’s Leadership 1100 course upon passing a challenge exam.
According to Troy, the course’s focus is to help students understand the structure of federal, state, and local government, and the elements of being a good citizen.
Furthermore, not only will students receive the credit hours, but the American Village and Troy are developing a supporting curriculum to assist Alabama public schools in satisfying state-level civics and government requirements for high school graduation. This will include a civics education micro-credential for teachers who teach middle or high school civics, American national government, U.S. history, or for those educators responsible for preparing students to take the civics exam for graduation.
There will also be an online/hybrid curriculum option that will be accessible through ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide).
Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., chancellor of Troy, advised, “We believe in the mission and the direction of the American Village.”
According to Hawkins, the two institutions’ values are congruent.
“We believe in a strong military, we believe in the power of faith, we believe in good citizenship and civility, and we believe in all of those things that we think have contributed to the greatness of America,” he further stated.
Dr. Tom Walker, president emeritus of the American Village, echoed Hawkins and emphasized the importance of improving Alabamians’ literacy of American history.
“We believe this is an opportunity for the state of Alabama to take the lead in our country in increasing American history literacy and increasing civil participation and that is our goal,” he added.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.