Arizona State University (ASU) faculty have received $1.6 million from the U.S. Department of Education for a program to teach K-12 teachers about civics, history, and media literacy.
Dr. Lauren Harris
The project, Project ACCLaIM: Advancing Civics Curriculum Learning through Instructional Microcredentials, seeks to create a specialization in the aforementioned topics and offer smaller courses that earn teachers microcredentials, which they can then count as credits towards a master’s in education.
The co-pilots of the program are Dr. Lauren Harris, an associate professor of history education, and Dr. Leanna Archambault, professor of learning design and technology. Lindsie Spengler, clinical assistant professor, will serve as the project coordinator. A number of ASU faculty will contribute and particiupate in the project.
“Teachers who have been hired to teach history and social studies in [high-poverty schools] may not have had much coursework in history, civics and media literacy themselves or training in how to teach these subjects,” Harris said. “These are the teachers and schools that we want to reach with this project and provide flexible professional learning opportunities in these topic areas.”
The funding is to be awarded over three years. The proposal for the grant was made by faculty from ASU’s School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies; Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College; and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
For the first year, the project team will focus on teachers in Mesa Public Schools, the state’s largest school district. In the following years, the team will expand the program across Arizona.
The project will also develop an online mentorship program for teachers, the Professional Learning Network (PLN), so that they can connect with ASU faculty for support during the program.
