This project brings together St. Paul Public Schools with the University of Minnesota History Department and the Minnesota Historical Society to increase student achievement and improve the quality of American history teaching in 15 district junior and high schools. Supporting partners are University of Pittsburgh's Institute for Learning and the Minnesota Department of Education. HITS' strategies include intensive summer institutes, a resource website for HITS teachers, lectures and workshops, study groups, creation of model American history classrooms, and regular observation and evaluation of students and teachers. Participants can also attend the Focus on Teaching sessions at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians. The LEA's Program for Academic Excellence serves as the framework for applying principles and practices of Disciplinary Literacy in History to the traditional U.S. history content mandated by state and NAEP standards. Historical periods studied are 1607 to the present. Specific content themes will be linked to a needs assessment and include topics such as Colonial America, American Indians and Culture, African American History and Culture, the Industrial Revolution, and Minnesota History.