National History Day Participants Are Better Able to Succeed in School and Learn Skills to Become Informed Citizens, Sought-After Employees
College Park, Md. – Students who participated in the National History Day (NHD) educational program perform better on high-stakes tests, are better writers, more confident and capable researchers, and have a more mature perspective on current events and civic engagement than their peers, according to the first national evaluation of the widely used curricular program. Participants also showed a greater ability to collaborate with peers, manage their time and persevere – all skills employers say are lacking in today’s workforce.“This research confirms what those of us who work with National History Day students have seen anecdotally for years,” said Dr. Cathy Gorn, the program’s executive director. “This program not only helps students improve academically, it can also change their lives. Students who are ‘slipping through the cracks’ of our education system find their way back and get on track to succeed in school while participating in NHD.” National History Day is a year-long academic program for elementary and secondary school students focused on historical research, interpretation, and creative expression. NHD students become writers, filmmakers, Web designers, playwrights, and artists as they create unique contemporary expressions of history. The full report is available at www.nhd.org/NHDWorks. Some of the important findings include:
- NHD students outperform their non-NHD peers on state standardized tests, not only in social studies, but in reading, science and math as well. For example,
- In 2008-2009 in Texas, twice as many NHD students achieved “commended performance” as non-NHD students (87 percent vs. 37 percent) on the social studies assessment of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS)
- At the South Carolina middle school where NHD was part of the curriculum for all eighth graders, students scored higher than students in the non-NHD middle school on the Language Arts, Math and Science segments of the 2008-09 PASS test.
- NHD students are better writers, who write with a purpose and real voice, and marshal solid evidence to support their point of view. NHD students outscored comparison-group students on both pre- and post-writing assessments, receiving more high scores (5s or 6s) on a 6-point scale, and fewer low scores. NHD essays had more sentence variety, richer vocabulary, a more authentic voice, and better organization.
- NHD students are critical thinkers who can digest, analyze and synthesize information. Performance assessments show that NHD students overall were significantly better than their peers at interpreting historical information, with an average of 79 percent vs. 61 percent correct.
- NHD students learn 21st century skills. They learn how to collaborate with team members, talk to experts, manage their time and persevere.
- NHD has a positive impact among students whose interests in academic subjects may wane in high school. Analyses show that among Black and Latino students, NHD students outperform non-NHD students, posting higher performance assessment scores and levels of interests and skills. Compared to non-NHD boys, and to all girls, boys participating in NHD reported significantly higher levels of interest in history, civic engagement, and confidence in research skills, on both pre- and post-surveys.
“History not only teaches students about the stories of our past, but it is vital to creating a generation of young people who can apply these lessons to the future,” said Cokie Roberts, journalist, author and political commentator. Roberts will moderate a Congressional briefing on the NHD evaluation in February. “Kids always told us that they loved their NHD experience, but now we have data to show that the experience is a life-changer. This is the way to educate engaged citizens!” she added. Conducted by San Francisco-based research firm Rockman, et al, the study looked at performance assessments, surveys and standardized test scores to evaluate students’ research and writing skills, ability to interpret historical information, academic performance and interest in past and current events. They then compared their evaluations of students who participated in National History Day (NHD) to their peers who did not participate in the program. The study, conducted at four sites around the country, found that on nearly every measure, NHD students’ scores or ratings were higher than their peers who did not participate in the program. The sites evaluated included school districts in urban, suburban and rural settings: Aldine Unified School District, Houston, TX; Chesterfield Co. Schools, Chesterfield, SC; a large public school district in Colorado; and Paterson Public Schools, Paterson, NJ. The survey included a slightly higher sample of Black and Hispanic students compared to the population breakdown in U.S. public schools. “Regardless of geography, gender or ethnicity, NHD students score better on assessments than their peers,” added Gorn. “NHD is different than other educational programs for many reasons, and this is one. As this research shows, it is not only the academically-talented students who are participating and succeeding.” This evaluation and report were made possible with funding from Kenneth E. Behring, HISTORY, the David and Janis Larson Foundation, H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, Albert H. Small and Southwest Airlines. This research was developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. About National History Day National History Day (NHD) is a year-long academic organization for elementary and secondary school students. Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers nationwide participate in the NHD contest. Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, websites, exhibits, performances and documentaries. These products are entered into competitions in the spring, at local, state and national levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates in a national competition each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park. Visit www.nhd.org.