Kathelene Smith (University Libraries) received new funding from the State Library of North Carolina, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for the project “Building Partnerships for Student Success.” Tammy Gruer is co-principal investigator on the project.
North Carolina educators have a documented need for professional development resources to effectively find and evaluate primary sources and incorporate the use of primary sources in their classrooms. The NC Government & Heritage Library and the UNC Greensboro University Libraries have partnered to create a project that will address this need by developing a program that provides teachers the opportunity to attend workshops delivering expert instruction on primary sources that can be customized to the needs of school districts statewide.
Through this project, and in consultation with an advisory group that will be established, the planning committee will identify K-12 district partners, create workshop curriculum and assessment tools, and develop application and selection criteria. Once K-12 partners are identified, schools in the district or region will be invited to send teams of teachers (Media Specialist, English Language Arts, and Social Studies) to the workshop; this team attendance format will help schools develop their own multi-disciplinary approach to implementing the knowledge gained in the workshop. The K-12 partners will come from regions of highest need and will be identified through the Hometown Strong Initiative and NC Department of Commerce County Distress Rankings.
