Using ESSEX History:  Using Evidence, Scholarship, and Sources to Explore History
Project Abstract
(To read the entire grant narrative, please click here)

Beverly Public Schools (BPS), in partnership with the Salem State College Department of History (SSC), the Essex National Heritage Commission (ENHC) and the National Archives and Records Administration—Northeast Region (NARA), will present Using ESSEX History: Using Evidence, Scholarship, and Sources, to Explore History.  This project is designed to increase teachers’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of key events and issues in American history through an intensive, ongoing professional development program. By inviting all of Essex County’s middle and high school American history teachers to participate, this program will contribute to a renewal of American history in twenty-four school districts (95,000 students) and will lead to increased student interest and achievement in U.S. history courses.

Over three years, Using ESSEX History will increase teachers’ understanding of four core themes in American history: Foreign Relations; Political and Constitutional history; Economic History; and Social Reforms and Cultural Changes. The program has three major components: day-long monthly seminars held during the school year, summer institutes, and a web-based resource center. In each historian-led monthly seminar, teachers will study a topic related to a core theme through reading, lecture, discussion, and primary source analysis. Teachers will receive Professional Development Points (PDPs) for  participating and for producing primary-source based lesson plans. During the summers,a seminar will be conducted for a cohort of teachers who have attended monthly sessions. Teachers will receive 3 hours of graduate credit for their work in this institute.  They will use their enhanced content knowledge and the extensive ENHC and NARA resources to create curricular materials that they will share with their colleagues in print form and on the project's web site. All activities will take place at relevant historical sites.

Using ESSEX History will have a long-term impact on Essex County and Massachusetts because it is designed to be effective and sustainable. A full-time Academic Director, with a Ph.D. in American history, will insure the scholarly integrity of the program and guide participants as they translate their new knowledge into engaging and informative lessons. A Project Coordinator will handle the logistical details of this complex, inter-district project.  The web site offers immediate dissemination possibilities while also allowing teachers to benefit from the project even after funding ends. Moreover, the timing of the project coincides with the state’s introduction of a new, high-stakes history subject test that all students will have to pass  in order to graduate. To meet this new test requiremen teachers must create new lesson plans for new statewide standards in history and social studies. Using ESSEX History will help participating teachers embed the project’s content within their district’s curricurla guides so that teachers and students will benefit for many years to come.

Using ESSEX History will succeed because it combines the skills and resources of four committed partners. SSC’s American history faculty has earned a national reputation for scholarly excellence and has helped the department receive recognition as one of Salem State’s most effective teaching departments. In addition to vast archival and material holdings, ENHC and NARA have staffs with extensive experience helping the state’s teachers and students interpret primary sources. BPS has leadership in place that is excited to seize this opportunity to help their teachers and students and to lead a county-wide consortium. These four institutions share a commitment to improving American history education and are eager to help teachers make history exciting and challenging in Essex County’s classrooms.