Challenges, Advocacy, Collaboration, and Action

This paper will explore collaboration between K-12 teachers and university level educator as they seek to assist teachers in improving instruction at the K-12 level. Teaching American History Grants, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education have led to an increasing number of collaborations between school districts and University Departments and have allowed thousands of teachers to participate in programs designed to increase their content knowledge and to become familiar with new teaching strategies. However, due to decreasing budgets and time constraints these grants have also inadvertently reduced the number of workshops in California focused on non-U.S. history topics. Teachers who do not teach American History, therefore have less opportunities to increase their knowledge of a diverse and complex subject. After discussing this issue, I will then focus on several specific actions that can be taken by professors concerned about the challenges facing history teachers. Increasing awareness by distributing materials and encouraging colleagues to attend events focused on history education at the K-12 level such as the History Summits offered by the California History Social Science Subject Matter Projects is one such action. Professors can also write or contact legislators and express their dissatisfaction with the current standardized testing approach and the marginalization of history education due to an emphasis solely on reading, writing and mathematical skills and the grade school level. Further specific actions and the dangers inherent in failing to address these issues will also be delineated.