Tachau Teacher of the Year Award

Eligibility

Tachau Teacher of the Year Award, with an application deadline in November, offers numerous awards that vary in amount.

Description

The Tachau Teacher of the Year Award is given annually by the Organization of American Historians in recognition of the contributions made by precollegiate teachers to improve history education within the field of American history. The award will be given for activities which enhance the intellectual development of other history teachers and/or students. Applicants must be precollegiate teachers who are engaged at least half-time in U.S. history teaching, whether in history or social studies. Successful candidates shall demonstrate exceptional ability in one or more of the following kinds of activities: (1) Initiating or participating in projects which involve students in historical research, writing, or other means of representing their knowledge of history. (2) Initiating or participating in school, district, regional, state, or national projects which enhance the professional development of history teachers. (3) Initiating or participating in projects to build bridges between precollegiate and collegiate history or social studies teachers. (4) Working with museums, historical preservation societies, or other public history associations to enhance the place of public history in precollegiate schools. (5) Developing innovative history curricula which foster a spirit of inquiry and emphasize critical skills. (6) Publishing or otherwise publicly presenting scholarship that advances history education or historical knowledge. Candidates may be nominated by any person familiar with the nominee's professional accomplishments or standing or nominate themselves. Applicants must submit a cover letter written by a colleague indicating why the teacher merits the award; two letters written by former or present students; curriculum vitae; samples of written work, that should include article reprints, reports by classroom observers, course outlines, research proposals, and/or other evidence of excellence in some or all of the areas mentioned in the criteria; a narrative; and names, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three professional references, including the writer of the cover letter, at least one of whom must be a colleague or supervisor. Nominees may be asked to submit supplementary materials by December 1, 2025. Please visit the award's website or contact the Organization of American Historians for more information.