“The Historical Enterprise”: Past, Present, and Future Collaboration between Secondary History Teachers and University History Professors

Session Abstract

This panel explores the past, present, and possible future of collaborative efforts between secondary history teachers, 6-12, and university history professors. At a time when funding for humanities programs is dwindling and the role of historical thinking skills are increasingly subjected to “value-added” outcomes, an examination of the relationship between those who create knowledge and those who ultimately teach it is critically important. This panel will address how our current “divided state of the historical enterprise” came to be, examine the current state of collaboration, or lack thereof, between these two inextricably linked interest groups and share the experiences of those currently involved in proactive professional collaboration. Ultimately, our panel is most interested in a critical examination of the state of the historical enterprise and its continued improvement, for the betterment of historians and students everywhere.