Hampton City Schools serve two large military installations, a minority majority student population (59% African American), and an English as a Second Language (ESL) population that has tripled in the last 10 years. In addition, the majority of district teachers lack a U.S. history endorsement. To remedy this situation, the district will provide a content-rich professional development program that aligns with state assessment and curriculum standards. The project will focus on elementary and middle school teachers who lack history content as part of their teacher licensure. The project will offer three study trips and summer colloquia to improve teachers' content knowledge of specific historical periods. Visits to the National Archives and the National Museum of the American Indian are included. In addition, an American history technology camp and classroom outreach programs will enhance teachers' application of content knowledge to classroom practices. The grant will also include instruction on the incorporation of reading strategies into the teaching of history. The entire span of American history will be covered and presented with the first two years focusing on the Early American period through the Civil War and the last year focusing on the Civil War to the present. Some of the historical topics covered will be the early explorers, American Indians, European immigrants, the Westward movement, World Wars I and II, and the Civil Rights movement. The project will examine closely the diversity and blending of cultures throughout American history.

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