School District earns nearly $1 million via grant
Lee County Public Schools is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a federal Teaching American History grant for nearly $1 million, which will support the first three years of a $1.6 million, five-year project. The District was notified of the award from the office of United States Senator George LeMieux.
The project’s title is: “E Pluribus Unum: One Nation, One People,” and will focus on the significant events, people and documents that have shaped our nation. The goals of the project are to increase teachers’ content knowledge and understanding of American history and to increase student knowledge of American history through improved instructional practices.
The project will target 120 teachers in grades five, eight and 11 who currently teach American history. The District is proud to partner with Southwest Florida Museum of History, The History Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University, The Edison & Ford Winter Estates and the Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida as part of this project.
The project format is based on several collaborations: of teachers with history experts; of teachers with history partners; and of teachers with other teachers. The professional development will consist of lectures and seminars, local historic site visits, national historic site visits, pedagogical training, research internships at FGCU and local historical museums, graduate level courses, and teacher professional learning communities.
This collaborative project will produce more knowledgeable teachers and students, lasting community partnerships and a rich online lesson resource for teachers in American history.