Grantee: Lawrence County School District, Monticello, MS
Project Name: Teaching History Instructors in a Network of Knowledge (THINK)
Project Director: Deborah Sylvester (601) 587-2306
Funding: $988,574
Number of Teachers Served: 100
Number of School Districts Served: 2
Number of Students Served: 6,605

Two rural, high poverty districts with low-performing students are partnering with William Carey College, Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Old Capitol Museum of Mississippi History and Lawrence County Historical Society to build capacity to support and sustain improved U.S. History instruction, and improved student understanding, achievement and appreciation for American history. Of 100 K-12 teacher-volunteers who will participate in project services, 25 will be selected as the representative sample for evaluation. Participants in this "learning network" to create teacher leaders engage in a series of intensive workshops and visit historic sites in order to focus on teaching traditional U.S. History as a separate subject. The teacher volunteers will be led by professors and historians. Professional development activities are combined with an array of educational resources including an online database, materials, peer mentoring, and a library. Major content themes include Conflict (Revolutionary War, Civil War, World Wars, 20th century wars); Change/Expansion (colonial times, Lewis & Clark, Manifest Destiny); and Captivity/Human Rights (slavery, Underground Railroad, internment camps, women's rights).

Grantee: Philadelphia School District, Philadelphia, MS
Project Name: History Connections
Project Director: Moira R. Rankin (301) 317-0110
Funding: $998,474
Number of Teachers Served: 25
Number of School Districts Served: 2
Number of Students Served: No information available

Philadelphia School District is partnering with Newton County School District, University of Southern Mississippi, and Mississippi State University, museums, archives and historical sites to provide American history teachers in grades 5, 8, and 11 with professional development including summer institutes; seminars; ongoing mentoring by University faculty; instruction in primary sources at historic sites and museums; education in oral and visual history principles for research; and curriculum development using primary sources, field trips and artifacts. Public broadcasters, Mississippi Television Authority, and the SOUNDPRINT Media Center are extending the seminars' reach and mentoring across the state via an electronic interactive network. The public broadcasters also provide audio and video material for instructional use and professional development—technology resources that will be left in place. Content aligns with state standards and covers Colonial American, Civil War and Reconstruction, The Great Depression, World War II and post WWII, and Civil Rights.