Grantee: Clark County School District, Las Vegas, NV
Project Name: Living American Freedom, Living American History
Project Director: Sara Gardner (702) 799-8464
Funding: $985,729
Number of Teachers Served: 150
Number of School Districts Served: 1
Number of Students Served: No information available

American history teachers in grades 7 and 11 will participate in a professional development program including a series of colloquia combining lectures, discussions and readings, summer institutes, and community programs focused on a theme of "living history." Aimed at enhancing student academic achievement in U.S. History, teacher mastery of history content, teachers' application of primary sources in the classroom, and instructional skills, the program partners the district with history department faculty from Community College of Southern Nevada, Education faculty from University of Nevada, Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, and Nevada Humanities. Colloquia emphasize particular themes: American freedom related to race, gender, class, and ethnicity. Guest speakers cover such topics as Freedom from the Mother Country, Slavery, Civil War and Reconstruction, Progressive Freedom, Depression and World War II, Cold War and Civil Rights.

Grantee: Washoe County School District, Reno, NV
Project Name: The Northern Nevada Teaching American History Project
Project Director: Susan H. Davis (775) 850-8025
Funding: $978,152
Number of Teachers Served: 300
Number of School Districts Served: 7
Number of Students Served: 74,000

This project results from over 3 years of collaboration between the LEA and its partners: University of Nevada-Reno, Truckee Meadows Community College, Nevada Humanities, Nevada Historical Society, Nevada State Historic Preservation Office, Channel 5 (public broadcasting station), and Consolidated Management Services (providing primary source workshops and access to the Library of Congress and National Archives and Records Administration). Aimed at history teachers in 6 rural school districts and a high school in the Paiute Tribal Reservation, the project is based on a comprehensive, research-based professional development model. Traditional American history topics such as the Constitution, U.S. as a nation of immigrants, impact of major leaders, and significant events such as the Louisiana Purchase, Brown vs. Board of Education are addressed in 9-day summer institutes; book clubs; Saturday dialogues; community symposia; primary source workshops; on-site pilot history curriculum enhancement teams; and a project website. Elementary through high school teachers are participating.