Programs

The educational program of the Association, begun in 1939, seeks to encourage and improve the teaching of history – especially Texas history – in the schools of Texas. The Association provides programs for both students and teachers.

The Junior Historians of Texas are an extracurricular organization for students in grades four through twelve. The Walter Prescott Webb Historical Society is the counterpart of the Junior Historians on the college level. Both organizations work through established school instructional programs to encourage students to discover, research, write, and publish the history of Texas as they find it where they live. The Association publishes two journals for student writings: the Texas Historian (for the Junior Historian program) and Touchstone (cosponsored by Lee College) for the Webb Society.

Texas History Day, a part of the National History Day program, is a competition that provides an opportunity for Texas, U.S., and world history students in grades six through twelve to demonstrate their interest in and knowledge of history through papers, projects, performances, interpretive Web sites, and documentaries. More than 20,000 young Texans are involved in the program at the local, regional, and state level each year. Nearly 900 students compete in Texas History Day, and approximately fifty students represent Texas at National History Day each year.

The Association goal in teacher training is to help elementary, secondary, and community college teachers keep abreast of content, methods, and techniques in teaching history. The Heritage Travel Program, held each summer, is a one-week traveling seminar dealing with a specific subject in Texas history. The History Awareness Workshops are practical, how-to conferences held at different times throughout the year that focus on the collection, organization, and use of local resources and community experiences in the teaching of Texas, U.S., and world history. During these sessions, professional educators introduce participants to various devices designed to add enrichment and relevance to the teaching of history.