HR 1359119th CongressIn Committee

Black History Matters Act

Introduced: Feb 13, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Black History Matters Act would require the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) to conduct a nationwide study of Black history education in public elementary and secondary schools. The study must begin within 180 days of enactment and be completed within three years. It would identify which states and local educational agencies require Black history education, which do not, assess the quality of current Black history education (including in-class discussions, off-campus activities, and project-based learning), review instructional materials and course duration, and analyze how student knowledge is assessed (using traditional and nontraditional methods). After the study, the Director would submit a report to Congress within 180 days. The bill defines several terms to ground its scope, including what constitutes Black history and Black history education, and aligns terms with those used in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Key Points

1Study mandate and timeline: The Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture must conduct a study on Black history education in public K-12 schools, starting within 180 days and completing within three years of enactment.
2Scope of the study: Identify states/LEAs that require Black history education, those that do not, assess quality using indicators like in-class discussion, homework and project-based learning, review instructional materials, examine duration and comprehensiveness of courses, and analyze assessment approaches (traditional and nontraditional).
3Output requirements: After completing the study, the Director must prepare and submit a report to Congress within 180 days detailing the results.
4Definitions: The bill provides explicit definitions for elementary/secondary school terms (as used in ESEA), Black history, Black history education, and project-based learning to ensure consistency and scope.
5Purpose and limitation: The act focuses on studying and reporting; it does not itself mandate changes to curricula or funding or establish new requirements for states or districts.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Public elementary and secondary school students, teachers, and school districts across the United States; state and local educational agencies (LEAs) are central to the study’s findings.Secondary group/area affected: Policymakers in Congress, the Department of Education, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture; publishers and creators of instructional materials may be impacted by findings regarding materials and curricula.Additional impacts: The study could inform future policy discussions or legislative proposals concerning Black history education. Since the bill does not authorize funding or mandate changes, any subsequent actions would depend on Congress taking up recommendations from the study. The emphasis on both traditional and nontraditional assessments and project-based learning signals a potential shift toward more applied, experiential evaluation of students’ understanding of Black history.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 18, 2025