Learning our History:
Exploring the American Experience
  Learning Our History: Exploring the American Experience, is a partnership between the Nassau County Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES), a consortium of 56 school districts in a suburb of New York City, and Long Island University, C.W. Post campus. One hundred thirty-five teachers of American History (grades 7-12) in eleven Nassau County school districts will participate in four professional development days provided by nationally known historians during each year of the project. In addition, they will attend a one-week Summer Institute to take place each July. Priority will be given to teachers in the eight participating districts who were cited as not meeting Annual Yearly Progress on secondary school performance outcomes in 2006 by the New York State Education Department.
    Teachers will receive professional development to effectively implement document-based questioning methods, inquiry learning, analysis, synthesis, and other prominent features of the historian's task to develop students' critical thinking skills and allow them to take control of their own learning. C. W. Post faculty, along with consultant historians and American History educators, will provide teacher training to help teachers plan and develop curricula and varied lessons to best engage their student population.
    Four Curriculum Planning and Collaboration Days will be held at Nassau BOCES each year of the grant project. At that time, teacher teams will receive professional development by technology integration specialists to provide engaging instruction for students of diverse needs and ability levels.
    Nassau County school districts that are participating in the project include: Farmingdale, Glen Cove, Jericho, Lawrence, Long Beach, Mineola, Oceanside, Oyster Bay-East Norwich, Roosevelt, Sewanhaka, and West Hempstead.