TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY IN COBB COUNTY SCHOOLS 2010 - 2013

What will the grant do for Cobb County Schools? The three year federally funded Teaching American History grant will provide funding for a program of enrichment for Cobb County U.S. History teachers and seek to increase student performance. Bring the knowledge and experience of partners, the History Department at Georgia State University and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, to Cobb County teachers.

What does the teaching American History Grant bring to teachers? Opportunities to become part of a teacher cohort of American History specialists. Symposiums to present top scholars with curriculum related topics. Field study opportunities to visit sites of historical importance. Stipends and PLU’s for participating.

Lead Historians for the grant Dr. Timothy Crimmins from Georgia State University has experience with several TAH grants from Fulton, DeKalb and Henry Counties. Dr. Glenn Eskew, also from Georgia State, has worked with Dr. Crimmins on several grant projects and has worked with the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s activities with previous grants.

What will the grant do? Through the federally funded Teaching American History Grant, “With Liberty and Justice for All,” Cobb County teachers have a unique opportunity to participate in a one to three year program of symposiums, book studies and field study experiences. The purpose of these activities is to enrich and enhance the teaching of American History in Cobb County classrooms and to seek to improve student performance.

What topics will the grant participants study? The leading theme of constructing citizenship in a new world and a new nation will consider changing definitions of freedom, race and equality over the course of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. In each year of the grant a century of U.S. History will be investigated.

Who may apply? High School teachers will apply for year one and may continue in the program through year three with strong participation in grant activities. As some teachers may not be able to continue for the three year duration, additional teachers will be included through the application process. Cohorts of experienced teachers that develop throughout the grant three year period will be creating lesson usable materials, particularly using primary source documents that will be available to all Cobb County teachers and distributed broadly through online resources.

What kinds of programs will the grant sponsor? Year One’s spring semester explores the origins of the United States through the interaction of multiracial populations during the colonial era. We will kick off in January 12, 2011 with the first Symposium, followed by Symposium #2 on February 9th. Symposiums will be held on Wed. evenings from 5:00 to 8:00. March will highlight our book discussion, and April 15-17 participants will attend a three day Field Study to Macon, Savannah and Coastal Georgia led by our lead scholars, Tim Crimmins and Glenn Eskew.

What is Year One’s Summer Activity? Year One’s summer workshop on June 15th precedes the June 22-26 Summer Trip to Philadelphia A two day Implementation workshop for completion of teacher materials will follow. Extraordinary materials and experts from the Gilder Lehrman Institute will be incorporated into the symposiums and field study.

What happens Year Two? Beginning in the fall of 2011 and continuing through the summer of 2012, the focus of Year Two will be the study of the 19th Century and its massive influx of immigrants. Included will be the development of raced-based slavery in the South, the extinguishing of Native American claims to land, the crucible of Civil War and the redefinition of citizenship guaranteed through Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The need for workers in the rising cities of the new Industrial Nation-State of America which led to the importation of cheap labor from Asia and Eastern Europe is the backdrop for our study and our field trips.

Year Two--continued The fall and spring schedule will be similar to spring 2011, but dates have not yet been established. Field Studies and summer field trips will feature visits to Montgomery, AL; Boston and Lowell, MA; and San Francisco, CA.

And Year Three? Year Three begins September 2012 with an analysis of 20th century limitations placed on immigration and the defense of white supremacy but concludes with the lifting of racist restrictions and the extension of democracy to all citizens regardless of race or ethnicity. Against the backdrop of world wars, we will investigate the nation’s struggle over labor that resulted on bans on workers from Europe and the onset of the southern diaspora with the African American and white migrations to the North and West. Study of the Civil Rights Movement and post-war immigration policies will conclude with an examination of today’s multicultural population that makes the United States one of the world’s most dynamic nations.

Year Three Continued The schedule for year three is also pending while plans for field studies include visits to the Carter Center, Alabama Civil Rights sites and New York City Schedules are subject to change, including destinations and topics.

Is There a Stipend for Teachers? YES Participants will receive a $200/year stipend for attending all symposiums and book discussions over two semesters and a $300/year stipend for attendance of all summer related activities.

How do I apply? Teachers will fill out the application that can be found on the Social Studies Blog (find it on Picasso) or www.cicobb.typepad.com/socstudies It can also be obtained by email from the grant coordinator, Martha Battle, at martha.battle@cobbk12.org Division chairmen have been given copies of grant materials. Cobb County Briefings also posts a copy of the application.

Where does the application go? Applications may be mailed electronically to the grant coordinator martha.battle@cobbk12.org Or mailed to Martha Battle, TAH Coordinator Sprayberry High School 2525 Sandy Plains Rd. Marietta, GA 30066

All Expenses are Paid by the Grant All materials such as books and document sets will be paid for by the grant. All travel expenses will be paid for by the grant.