The School District of Springfield R-12 in Springfield, Missouri will partner with Southwest Missouri State University to construct a graduate program for middle and high school teachers. The goal of the project is to improve middle and high school student achievement in American History. In addition to five core courses, summer institutes will take the place of research seminars. The district proposes to enroll 30 social studies teachers in a graduate program that will provide training over the three-year grant period in American History, offering the courses via the Internet.

This project brings together a consortium of districts in the St. Louis area, with Ritenour as the lead district. The activities of the consortium will be facilitated by Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis, a non-profit organization. The project will focus on three historical themes in order to upgrade the teaching of U.S. history: the Louisiana Purchase, the American West, and National Identity. The partners on the project include the University of Missouri-St. Louis, National Council for History Education. Some of the strategies to be used are: researching historical themes and authentic pedagogy; encountering and discussing new scholarship; building teacher networks; and preparing future history teachers. The project will make use of summer institutes, colloquia, reading seminars, lectures, conferences, and electronic networking.

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