Sixty Northside teachers will hone their knowledge of American history thanks to a grant worth almost $1 million from the U.S. Department of Education.
The goal of the federal grant is, over the course of three years, to give teachers a strong foundation in U.S. history and help them improve instruction in the classroom.
NISD will partner with Texas State University and the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies to provide lectures and intensive professional development for the 60 elementary and secondary teachers in Northside.
"What a great opportunity this is for our school district, our teachers, and our students," Superintendent John Folks said during a grant kickoff celebration held last week. "The bottom line is it's going to improve instruction and get kids more excited about learning."
The grant was established in response to low social studies scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test, or NAEP, known as the nation's report card. Based on NAEP scores, less than one-fourth of the nation's students in 4th, 8th, and 12th grade are proficient in American history.
Many social studies teachers only get one or two undergraduate courses in American history. The hope is that over three years, these teachers will have an in-depth background in U.S. History as well as improved leadership skills that will help them teach students in an exciting and engaging way.
"The kids get more excited about Social Studies when you have passion," said Anthony Symcheck, a fifth grade teacher at Scobee Elementary School. "The more knowledge you have, the more the kids will buy into it."
In Northside, the focus will be to improve instruction in the 5th, 8th, and 11th grades.
"I'm excited because I think of what I can do for my students," said Flor Caniglia, a bilingual teacher at May Elementary School. "They love to learn about individuals in history who live up to the Pillars of Character. I always tie it to that."
