As we work to promote the integrity of history education in the U.S., it is increasingly important to build a stronger bridge across K-16 with educators at every level of study. Rather than assuming how we can best help our colleagues in elementary, middle, and secondary schools, our panelists went to the source and asked K-12 teachers themselves “what can higher ed faculty do for you?”

This session reports on what teachers told us during the December 2025 annual conference of the National Council for the Social Studies. We organized an open session at the meeting where we listened more and talked less, asking K-12 teachers what assistance and support college faculty can best offer. Their comments and requests highlighted a wide range of topics, covering historical study, civics education, professional development, and students’ transition to college.

Each presenter on the panel will review one of the key subjects K-12 teachers raised during our NCSS session. But we will reserve much of our time for questions and audience comments about what has – and hasn’t – worked with collaborations across history education. Our goal is to offer a useful and practical set of approaches college faculty can take to meet the needs of our K-12 colleagues.