Contact: Maridith Geuder
While their middle and high school students sleep, hang out with friends, enjoy the outdoors in a balmy Mississippi springtime, and other weekend rituals, a host of teachers are sitting in class at Mississippi State.
More than two dozen educators from 13 Mississippi school districts are enrolled in an innovative educational project that allows them to earn master's degree credit through intensive all-day Saturday classes.
Funded by a $1 million grant from the United States Department of Education, Project Impact is a collaboration among MSU and 13 public school districts. The districts include Amory, Choctaw County, Clinton, Houston, Louisville, Lowndes County, Meridian, Neshoba County, Newton County, Noxubee County, Starkville, Tupelo, and West Point.
"Mississippi State is providing the course content and instruction," said Richard V. Damms, associate professor of history and director of the Center for Historical Studies formed under the grant.
Funding for the center was obtained through a competitive grant proposal developed by Damms' departmental colleague, associate professor Lorenzo M. Crowell. Ranging from $300,000 to $1 million, the 2003 awards went to approximately 150 school districts around the country.
Crowell said the federally supported program is designed to emphasize research-based methods for improving instruction and teacher education. "Funds are to be used especially to improve the content knowledge in key areas of American history," he explained.
On a recent Saturday at MSU, the teachers examined and discussed documents related to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. They delved into motivations of both the United States and its then-Cold War nemesis, the Soviet Union.
"They read transcripts of President John F. Kennedy's conversations during the crisis, his diplomatic exchanges with (Soviet) Premier Nikita Krushchev and excerpts from historical analysis in hindsight," Damms said. Crowell, a Vietnam War veteran, also led them in a discussion of U.S. involvement in the 1964-75 Asian conflict.
Damms said the ultimate goal of the program is to give participants new perspectives on a subject many have taught for years and to create a cadre of scholars who can share their knowledge with other teachers.
"We're tailoring the coursework to teachers' schedules," Damms said. In the first academic course taught this spring, he added, participants successfully squeezed a semester of studies into five all-day sessions. In addition to mastering subject content, they also learned research techniques and efficient ways to explore documents that can enhance their understanding of history.
When they have completed the program, the teachers will return to their schools as mentors. Ultimately, the program is expected to significantly improve the quality of history education in Mississippi public schools.
One of the first participants, Marty Friend of Starkville High School, said she values this one-of-a-kind state program that lets teachers complete a master's while continuing to work in the classroom.
"Because the grant covers our costs, it's a great benefit to teachers," she said. "The program also is better preparing us to teach United States history for statewide examinations students must now take in Mississippi."
Friend and her colleagues will continue their studies during the summer. During the process, they will begin research projects that introduce them to the Mississippiana collection of MSU's Mitchell Memorial Library.
"They'll be able to conduct research using original documents that present views of recent U.S. and Mississippi history," Damms said.
For more information on the program, telephone Damms at (662) 325-8821.