In this southwestern Ohio urban district, 70 percent of the student population is African American. Most high school history teachers lack adequate preparation, with fewer than 4 percent holding an undergraduate history degree. Each year, the project teachers will participate in a week-long summer institute to explore the annual theme's content, pedagogy and resources; two workshops focusing on additional content and pedagogical strategies; a field experience at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, using artifacts and other resources to contextualize various aspects of African American history; and a minimum of four curriculum development group sessions. The project will serve 20 teachers the first year with approximately 10 returning and 10 newly recruited teachers each succeeding year. The themes focus on the Ohio Academic Content Standards for 10th grade, which link post-Civil War history to the story of America's early formation, which is covered in 8th-grade. This project will build the teachers' understanding of seminal turning points and issues that have shaped America's identity as a nation and a citizenry, and help them translate that knowledge into engaging, rigorous instruction. Strategies will include analysis of primary and secondary sources, historical debate and controversy, and appreciation of recent historiography by examining how historians develop differing interpretations. Teachers also will learn to incorporate the following historical thinking skills into their lessons: chronological thinking, historical comprehension, historical analysis and interpretation, historical research capabilities, and historical issues/analysis and decision making. A project Web site will house teacher-developed curricular materials, including lesson plans.

Adapting Project HISTORY will serve seven districts in central New York State, where a 2010 needs assessment demonstrated that a large majority of secondary history teachers need professional development related to interacting with content experts, using new research-based teaching skills and strategies, developing primary sources, integrating new technology and examining local history resources. The project will combine historians' presentations, related technology integration sessions, and visits to these historic sites and museums: Oneida Community Mansion House, the Oneida County Historical Society, the Erie Canal Museum and Fort Stanwix. Each cadre of 25 secondary teachers will participate in 75 hours of seminars led by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; the professional development programs for the two cadres will be split into two consecutive 30-month periods. The seminars will follow the National Assessment of Educational Progress subject areas for U.S. history and focus on significant events, issues and turning points in American history. In addition to attending the seminars, the teachers will learn to align their content to state standards and analyze original American history documents. The project is adapted from Issues in American History, a professional development program established in 1976 to help teachers improve students' knowledge of American history and problem-solving skills. The project directors will develop a Web site that serves as a teaching, learning and research resource; the Web products will include teacher-prepared Webquests and PowerPoint presentations, which other teachers can access and replicate.