Grantee: Birmingham City School, Birmingham, AL
Project Name: Teaching American History
Project Director: Theresa B. Thomas (205) 231-4673
Funding: $991,279
Number of Teachers Served: No information available
Number of School Districts Served: 1
Number of Students Served: No information available

District teachers in grades 5, 6, 7, 10, and 11 will participate in a professional development program designed to improve content knowledge of American history and pedagogical skills in partnership with University of Alabama/Birmingham, Birmingham Southern College, and Miles College. Primary source expertise will be provided by additional partners, including Birmingham Public Library, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham Historical Society, and Sloss Furnaces Historic Site. Summer institutes, school-year seminars, and field trips to historic sites focus on historical content covering Formation of Our Nation 1763-1900 (Gaining Independence, Forming and Growth of a Nation, Civil War, Reconstruction, Westward Expansion) and Becoming a World Power 1877-Present (Emergence of Modern America, Great Depression and World War II, Post-War U.S., and Contemporary U.S.). A wide variety of primary sources are incorporated throughout all modules. The program includes mentoring and coaching, and creating of a website offering history resources and a means for communication among participants.