History Teacher of the Year

Gina DeVore, a fifth-grade teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Little Rock, was honored on October as the 2007 Arkansas History Teacher of the Year. DeVore will receive a $1,000 honorarium and a core archive of history books and materials donated to the school library by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

“I am so pleased to present this award to Ms. DeVore,” said Commissioner of Education Dr. Ken James, who presented the award to Ms. Devore along with Laura Beth Arnold, Little Rock School District curriculum specialist. “Her love of teaching is palpable, and her commitment to making history meaningful to her students is evidenced by looking at her thoughtful lesson plans and activities.”

Arnold, who was also project director of the Little Rock School District’s Teaching American History Grant, said she “had the opportunity to observe the depth of Gina’s commitment to improving her knowledge of American history and the knowledge of the students she teaches.”

Devore holds a B.A. in English from the University of California at Riverside and an M.A. in education from National University in La Jolla, CA. She has taught fifth grade at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary since 2006. Before that she taught at Des Arc Junior High and Camino Nuevo Charter Academy in Los Angeles. She has served on numerous school committees and was a participant in the history academy conducted by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as an activity of the Little Rock School District’s Teaching American History Grant program.

Inaugurated in 2004, the History Teacher of the Year Award is designed to promote and celebrate the teaching of American history in classrooms across the United States. It honors one exceptional teacher of American history from each state and U.S. territory. This year, for the first time, only kindergarten- through sixth-grade teachers were eligible for nomination.

The selection of the state winner is based upon several criteria, including at least three years of classroom experience in teaching American history in elementary school; a deep career commitment to teaching American history, which includes local and state history; evidence of creativity and imagination in the classroom that address literacy and content beyond state standards; close attention to primary documents, artifacts, historic sites, and other primary materials of history, including oral history; and evidence of thoughtful assessment of student achievement.

Preserve America is a White House initiative that encourages greater shared knowledge about the nation’s past and increased local participation in preserving the country’s cultural and natural heritage assets.

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. The Institute serves teachers, students, scholars, and the general public. It helps create history-centered schools and academic research centers, organizes seminars and enrichment programs for educators, produces print and electronic publications and traveling exhibitions, sponsors lectures by eminent historians, and administers a History Teacher of the Year Award in every state through its partnership with Preserve America. The Institute also conducts awards including the Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and George Washington Book Prizes, and offers fellowships for scholars to work in the Gilder Lehrman Collection and other archives.

The Institute maintains a Web site to serve as a portal for American history; to offer high-quality educational material for teachers, students, historians, and the public; and to provide up-to-date information about the Institute's programs and activities.