American Crossroads is a five-year collaborative project to improve teaching and learning of traditional American history in western Minnesota. The primary partners in the project are the Lakes Country Service Cooperative, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Minnesota Historical Society, and a host of local, regional, and national organizations.
Highlights include:
- content seminars in traditional American history designed to meet the demonstrated needs of area teachers
- integration of traditional American history with global and local perspectives
- professional Learning Communities to focus on content-driven teaching strategies and teacher collaboration
- impressive array of partners, including Colonial Williamsburg, Gilder- Lehrman, the Newberry Library and the Minnesota Historical Society
- leadership team with representation from all the project stakeholders
- rigorous scientific five-year evaluation plan using quasi-experimental methods to assess program effectiveness and benchmarks to evaluate student and teacher progress
- flexible content delivery adapted to the climate of the northern plains
- teaching American History Lecture Series available to area teachers
- history of cooperation between the project partners
- fourth and fifth year focused on dissemination and evaluation of student progress
The project goals of American Crossroads are 1) Minnesota students will exhibit and increased understanding of and enthusiasm for American History; 2) Minnesota teachers will acquire the content knowledge and pedagogical skills to effectively teach American history, and 3) Minnesota educational and historical organizations will develop an increased capacity for continuous, sustainable improvement in history instruction.
