Teachers in Stark County schools often have limited American history knowledge—and limited resources available to improve their knowledge. Each year of The Meaning of Freedom will begin with a 1-week summer institute that includes scholar-led seminars and a 3-day visit to the National Constitution Center as well as nearby historic sites. During the school year, teachers will attend four theme-related seminars and visit two Ohio historic sites; in addition, mentor teachers will meet regularly with participants. In Year 1, intensive training will be provided to four teachers to prepare them as mentor teachers, and these teachers will support project staff to train an additional 30 teachers each remaining year of the project. The project theme looks at how the meaning of freedom—as first articulated in the founding documents of the state and nation—has been central to the struggles and achievements that have been key turning points in American history. The content outlined in the topic strands will be developed to align with state standards and to connect Ohio's people, places, documents and events to those significant to the nation's history; it will be delivered through a blend of in-person and proven online strategies. Applying a backward design process, teachers will learn to use and create inquiry-based lesson plans that integrate 21st century skills and technologies. When complete, the lessons and other project materials, such as seminar content and primary source documents, will be mounted on a Web site and made available to all teachers who want effective and engaging history resources.

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.