Several CU-Boulder faculty members participated in a weeklong summer institute on teaching American history for approximately 120 Jefferson County teachers. At the final event on June 7, the teachers expressed their appreciation of the institute with a standing ovation.
The program featured both local and national presenters. Patricia Limerick, Eric Love, Gloria Main, William Wei and Marcia Goldstein of CU's history department, Kenneth Orona of the ethnic studies department and David Wrobel, a visiting professor at CU's Center of the American West who teaches at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, were among those who served as instructors at the institute.
"This was an absolutely great week," said Patricia Limerick, faculty director of the Center of the American West. "The partnership between K-12 teachers and university professors was at its best and most productive. We look forward to a long and worthwhile relationship with the Jefferson County schools."
The goal of the program, funded by a three-year, $865,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, is to increase student achievement in American history by enhancing the knowledge of Jefferson County elementary and secondary teachers. Jefferson County was the only school district in Colorado and one of 62 nationwide to receive the grant.
Partners with Jefferson County Schools in the grant include the CU-Boulder Center of the American West, Social Science Education Consortium, Colorado Historical Society, National Center for History Education and Organization of American Historians.