What is New Jersey History Day?

It's not just a day, it's an experience!

The New Jersey History Day program is an affiliate of National History Day (NHD), an exciting education program that engages students in the process of discovery and interpretation of historical topics. Either individually or in a group, students present their historical research on a topic related to the competition’s annual theme in the form of a performance, exhibit, documentary, website, or paper. These projects are then evaluated at local, regional, and state competitions that culminate in a national contest every June at the University of Maryland, College Park.

The History Day program is open to all students in grades 6-12.  All types of students participate in History Day - public, private, parochial, and home school students; urban, suburban and rural students; gifted students and students with special needs.

For more than thirty years the National History Day program has promoted systemic educational reform related to the teaching and learning of history in America's schools. The combination of creativity and scholarship built into the NHD program anticipated current educational reforms, making National History Day a leading model of performance-based learning.  

National History Day reinforces classroom teaching by rewarding students of all abilities for their scholarship, individual initiative, and cooperative learning. A national evaluation of the NHD program found that participants:

  • Outperform non-NHD peers on standardized tests
  • Are better writers, able to use evidence to support their point of view
  • Become critical thinkers who can analyze and evaluate information
  • Learn 21st-century college and career ready skills

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Michelle Moon
New Jersey State Coordinator

Email: moonm4@wpunj.edu


Need Help Getting Started?

We can connect you with an experienced NJ History Day teacher/mentor!


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