Collaboration in History Teaching: Status, Problems, and Opportunities

Abstract

SINCE THE RELEASE OF A Nation at Risk in 1983, a steady outpouring of critical studies has sensitized the teaching profession and the academic community to the need for reform in the nation's educational processes. One of the key ideas embraced by teacher-scholars at all levels of instruction involves the widely-recognized importance of ongoing and meaningful professional development that reinforces teachers' mastery of the content material in their disciplines. Professional historians, both precollegiate teachers and their counterparts at the postsecondary level, are increasingly united in their endorsement of content-based approaches to intellectual renewal. The intensity of the current standards debate lends new urgency to the call for career-long professional development opportunities that will enable teachers to remain connected to their disciplines, and the growing influence of the history standards underscores the need for closer ties among all history educators. Because of its central position between the secondary schools and baccalaureate institutions, the two-year institution is uniquely situated to foster greater communication within the scholarly community and refocus attention on the importance of content issues. While much missionary work lies ahead, a growing number of historians has come to understand that college and university faculty must be