ORGANIZATION

The Public Education Project (PEP) operates as a committee of the Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG). It was born as an independent body after an exploratory meeting in October 2018 of four concerned, longtime members of the SHFG. Judson MacLaury, Lee Ann Potter, Mike Reis, and Don Ritchie were worried about the widespread lack of knowledge of the U.S. government and its history. Laying long-term plans for impactful educational efforts, they began by producing a pilot project of short historical videos about three federal agencies for distribution and promotion via Facebook and YouTube. In March of 2020  SHFG leadership recognized PEP’s performance and potential and established it as a permanent standing committee. Soon after that, PEP set its sights on launching an online national identity and educational presence. This website will serve as a platform for major PEP projects in public messaging and K-12 education.

MISSION

The Public Education Project seeks to reframe federal government history and promote the American public’s interest in, and understanding of, the story of their government. PEP reimagines that history as the cumulative work of a mosaic of diverse agencies and offices—guided by the president, the Congress, and the courts—taking action to meet the broad scope of the nation’s needs. We believe that exploring and gaining knowledge of the past is a powerful way to correct built-up negative attitudes and misinformation and open the door to critical and objective thinking about all of our government’s offices. We seek through our programs and initiatives to contribute to ongoing national efforts to promote informed civic engagement and greater trust in government.