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Northern Illinois University

NIU Office of Public Affairs


News Release

Contact: Tom Parisi, NIU Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-3635

July 14, 2004

NIU faculty will help shape history in Rockford schools

DeKalb, Ill. — U.S. history specialists at Northern Illinois University are joining efforts to beef up American history lessons in Rockford public schools.

Congressman Don Manzullo, R-Egan, announced earlier this month that the Rockford public school district is receiving a grant of nearly $1 million through the federal Teaching American History program. Distributed over three years, the funding will provide Rockford teachers with professional development opportunities geared to improve the quality of history instruction at the fifth, eighth and 11th grades.

History professors from NIU, Rockford College and Rock Valley College will lead the professional development workshops. Three other project partners— the Atwood Center, Midway Village & Museum Center and Burpee Museum of Natural History—also will provide resources to the program.

The Rockford public school district is the third largest in the state, serving more than 28,600 students.

“When students understand the issues and events in American history, they are much more likely to become involved and participate in their communities as responsible citizens,” said NIU History Professor J.D. Bowers, who helped write the grant proposal.

Bowers previously worked as an American history teacher in Hawaii, Virginia and Uruguay high schools. He now serves as coordinator of secondary teacher certification for the NIU Department of History. “We believe history teachers, in collaboration with the community, can make a difference,” he said.

Professional development topics for Rockford teachers will focus on improving curricular content, instructional methods and student achievement. An emphasis will be placed on instruction in four themed areas: justice, immigration and migration, war and social upheaval, and Native Americans and pioneers.

About a dozen NIU professors with expertise in U.S. history will participate in the program, serving as guest lecturers during training sessions. Senior history teachers in the Rockford schools will also serve as mentors to student and beginning teachers.

The program will kick off this fall with a meeting to review the school district’s curriculum. Bowers said Rockford teachers will identify target areas of need. The program will be piloted in 13 schools during its first year. By the third year, 44 Rockford schools will be involved.

While national educational initiatives have focused on improving test scores in reading and math, little accountability exists in the social sciences, Bowers said. Yet history is a particularly important subject because it relates to all disciplines.

“All disciplines take a historical approach to their study,” Bowers said. “For example, scientists try to advance or replicate past experiments, and students of literature need to place the works they’re studying into historical context. History also promotes civic values and the principles of democracy. It would be hard to understand even the news today without a grasp of historical context.”

Rockford teachers will be given stipends for travel to history conferences, membership in historical societies and subscriptions to scholarly journals.

“We want to provide them with resources they need to be involved in the historical profession,” Bowers added. “Access to these resources and activities will help teachers keep abreast of the latest interpretations of history. Ultimately, it will keep their teaching fresh.”

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