Waterford School District

Grant Proposal: Michigans History: Past to Present

Course and Curriculum Development for Secondary Education

http://mapsof.net/uploads/static-maps/Michigan_flag_map.png

David R. Wyatt
University of Michigan-Flint
Pub 594 -Grantwriting and Adminsitration
Professor C. Vergon

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION

PAGE

1. Executive Summary .......2

2. Statement of Needs .....3

3. Goals/Objectives.............4

4. Project Description......6

5. Evaluation Design .......10-13

6. Budget...........14

7. Organization Information..15

8. Conclusion.....17

9. References.18
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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Numerous authorities are recommending problem based learning as means of promoting
development of critical thinking. To an extent there is evidence that much high school teaching is
not based on active learning and/or engagement. The Waterford School District (WSD) in
Waterford, Michigan proposes to implement an intensive new history course and curriculum
targeted at students in grades 9-12 in our two high schools and one alternative high school. The
course, Michigans History: Past to Present, will examine the overarching theme of Patterns
of Movement and Settlement in American History and include a significant archaeology
component, engage students in critical thinking and problem solving skills, and deepen their
knowledge of standards-based subject matter. In addition, the course will incorporate service
learning with a local historic focus for high school students who, as an added dimension of their
service learning, will also then re-teach lessons about Michigan history to 3rd graders where it is
a required course.
In a previous, successful Teaching American History (TAH) grant (concluding in 2009), the
WSD involved 5th, 8th, and 9th grade teachers in the study of the Revolutionary Period, the
Civil War and Reconstruction and 20th Century American History respectively. While results of
this project have been very positive, feedback from 9th grade teachers indicates that students are
entering this grade, where they study American History as a separate subject, with an insufficient
background in content knowledge and historical inquiry skills about the state of Michigan and
local history.
Emily Asbenson of the Historical Society of Michigan has found through research that students
who participate in the state specific history courses perform better on high-stakes tests, are better
writers, more confident and capable researchers, and have a more mature perspective on current
events and civic engagement than their peers, according to the first national evaluation of the
widely used curricular program. Participants also show a greater ability to collaborate with peers,
manage their time, and obtain all skills employers say are lacking in todays workforce.
Asbenson goes on to say, that the study of Michigan history is extremely important to help
develop students, widen their views, and make connections to major U.S. and World events
(Asbenson, 2011).
Moreover, the State of Ohio as put together a Legislative Commission that has been looking at
the importance of preserving and teaching local and state history to students grades K-12.
Through their research they discovered that each state has its own unique history. These states
have contributed to the success of the United States through the activities of their citizens; such
as politicians, entrepreneurs, inventers, philanthropists, craftsman, artists, architects, reformers,
soldiers, and heroes. The commission goes on to further explain that students who are not
learning about local and state history, in this case Ohio, are missing out on valuable knowledge
and resources needed to become active members of society. The commission notes that it is

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invaluable for local/state history to be endorsed, because without it, valuable resources, societies,
museums, historical documents, and everlasting knowledge could be lost forever (Adams, 2010).
Therefore, the Waterford School District is requesting $5,000.00 from the National Education
Association (NEA) grant foundation in the area of Student Achievement in order to implement
the initial startup costs of the course. This funding is vital to starting the program, improving
student achievement, providing high-quality professional development for high school social
studies teachers, collecting primary sources and artifacts for the course, and ensuring the class
will be offered to students.

2. STATEMENT OF NEEDS
The Michigans History: Past to Present project will include teachers responsible for American
History instruction from Waterford Kettering High School, Waterford Mott High School, and
Waterford Durant Alternative High School. Mott and Durant have failed to make AYP for the
past three years and therefore are in Schools in Need of Improvement status according to the
state of Michigan Department of Education. Furthermore the three schools as a whole, at the
secondary level, have failed to show adequate growth and proficiency scores on both the NAEP,
MME, and on district summative American History tests as well. In an effort to help student be
inspired, educated, and empowered the high school social studies staff will be required to attend
high-quality professional development experiences, conduct action research, and create
lessons/units for the new Michigan History: Past to Present course.
Today's secondary students have little knowledge of the history of their own state and the lessons
that can be learned from it as the state now faces enormous challenges and its future is in
question. The design of Michigans History: Past to Present is therefore based on the following
identified problems and proposed solutions:
PROBLEM: Low U.S. History test scores on both the NAEP, MME, and on district summative
American History tests.
SOLUTION: History instruction needs to be connected and aligned, as well as content-rich and
engaging. It needs to focus on historical inquiry and the analysis of primary sources. Our
proposed Michigans History: Past to Present grant for WSD intends to model this type of
instruction for teachers by focusing professional development activities as well as our history
curriculum chronologically around current Michigan HSCEs for Social Studies, new Common
Core standards, and on two enduring concepts: Movement and Settlement. Lectures and
mentoring by a team of highly skilled and knowledgeable historians and archaeologists will
provide connected and aligned content. In conjunction with instructional specialists, they will
model historical inquiry. Ongoing archaeological excavations from the previous TAH grant will

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be tied into this new curriculum and are intended to actively engage teachers and students with
an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they are acquiring.
PROBLEM: The need to focus history on multiple resources instead of a single textbook.
SOLUTION: A team made up of historians from various local universities, the Project Leader,
a content literacy specialist from Oakland Schools, and the project Teacher Leaders will identify
exemplary history-related books and materials for the course. These resources will be integrated
into content lectures throughout the school year so teachers have a clear understanding of how to
relate each book to actual historical events and themes. Copies of the books will become a
permanent part of the Core Libraries. In addition, two special workshops will be offered to all
teacher participants, one on content literacy and history and one on evaluating and utilizing
historical fiction. Moreover, university professors will be leading monthly in class discussions
for students on various units, themes, or events, as well as professional development for staff.
PROBLEM: The need to teach literacy skills through a content-based class.
SOLUTION: An important component of the proposed grant will involve the Historian Team,
Project Director, the Oakland Schools Instructional Specialist, and local university historians in
guiding high school teachers and students in understanding and strengthening their role in
synthesizing and connecting together history content and instruction using reading and writing
skills while analyzing multiple sources.
The design of this new course and curriculum; Michigans History: Past to Present, is to tackle
these problems by involving the entire high school social studies department staff in an
extensive, varied, and content-rich program of professional development activities as well as
involving them and students actively in historical inquiry by way of an archaeology component
that includes two local excavations, monthly in class historical lectures by university professors,
and field trips. In order to provide a cohesive, connected program and curriculum; Michigans
History: Past to Present, will focus on an overriding theme, Patterns of Movement and
Settlement and how the archaeological record contributes to our understanding of this theme.

3. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The success of the Michigans History: Past to Present course will be measured according to
the extent to which it achieves the following goals, which are aligned with the Department of
Educations performance measures.
Goal 1: Improve student achievement and interests in history overall.
Objective A: Increase student proficiency on both the MEAP, MME, and on district
summative American History tests to at least 80 percent of all students being proficient.

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Objective B: Student Content Knowledge Pre and Post Assessment -25 selected response
items relating to grade level content on Michigan History. Data will summarized and
analyzed using our existing District ORCA system. Data will be analyzed by the
Evaluation Team and shared with the Historian Team and teachers. Pre and Post data will
be compared each year and used to adjust programming and evaluate progress.
Goal 2: Provide exemplary professional development in Michigan History that will result in 100
percent of participants completing 75 percent or more of the total hours offered.
Objective A: Improve teachers historical inquiry skills. Improve the quality of history
instruction in secondary classrooms. Increase the amount of time high school teachers
spend on Michigan history instruction.
Objective B: Teacher Content Knowledge of Basic Michigan History Pre and Post Test.
30 items with 28 multiple choice and 2 constructed response items. 20 items to be
selected from nationally validated tests including NAEP and the Michigan Merit Exam
(MME). 10 items to be developed by the Evaluation Team. All items will be designed to
measure 10 essential content expectations identified by Historian Team. Pre-Assessment
data will be used as a factor in making adjustments to the overall Grant Plan.
Intermediate and Post-data to measure progress. Post-data will be used to evaluate the
project and to help create a plan for continuing the project after grant funds are gone.
Objective C: Teachers will complete an analysis chart requiring them to analyze and
contextualize a primary source. Assessments will be holistically hand-scored by members
of the Evaluation Team using 4 point rubric. Areas of weakness relating to content
knowledge and historical thinking skills will be identified and shared with the Historian
Team.
Objective D: Teacher Attitudes and Behaviors Survey. Electronic survey using existing
district system ORCA. 20 item survey on a 5-point Likert scale relating to gain
knowledge on: teachers perceptions of their content knowledge, instructional strategies
used to teach Michigan History, and the amount of time spent teaching Michigan History.
Data regarding teachers perceptions of their content knowledge will be compared to their
scores on the Content Knowledge Pre-Test.
Objective E: The Project Director and building principal will visit one randomly selected
classroom of a Michigan History teacher in each secondary school (3 classrooms total).
Teachers will be evaluated with a rubric developed by the Evaluation Team. Anecdotal
notes will be collected. The Project Director and principal will meet to compare rubric
data and prepare an informal report of observations. The informal report will be shared
with participant teachers as well as the historians and instructional specialists involved
with the project. Data will be used to help identify lead teachers for the grant.

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4. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
a.) Overview of project
Michigans History: Past to Present, will examine the overarching theme of Patterns of
Movement and Settlement in American History and include a significant archaeology
component, engage students in critical thinking and problem solving skills, and deepen their
knowledge of standards-based subject matter. In addition, the course will incorporate service
learning with a local historic focus for high school students who, as an added dimension of their
service learning, will also then re-teach lessons about Michigan history to 3rd graders where it is
a required course.
The design of this new course and curriculum; Michigans History: Past to Present, will
involve the entire high school social studies department staff in an extensive, varied, and contentrich program of professional development activities as well as involving them and students
actively in historical inquiry by way of an archaeology component that includes two local
excavations, monthly in class historical lectures by university professors, and field trips. In order
to provide a cohesive, connected program and curriculum; Michigans History: Past to Present,
will focus on an overriding theme, Patterns of Movement and Settlement and how the
archaeological record contributes to our understanding of this theme.
b.) Description of key components and steps in process
The Michigan History: Past to Present project will include nine key structural elements:
1. Formation of History Teams: Two History Teams will be formed involving all high school
social studies WSD teachers. Two tracks of professional development activities will be provided
throughout the school year, with Track 1 being the most intensive. History Teams have been
assigned to Track 1 and Track 2 based on needs and the content connections between grade
levels. This two track system will allow all teachers in grades 9-12 to participate in the same
amount of professional development and attend as many activities as possible over during the
year.
2. Historian Team: The Waterford School District has sought the help of Oakland University
(OU) to extend its unique partnership with WSD by lending its entire American History
Department, led by Head Historian Dr. Karen Miller, to form a team of professional historians
who will deliver content-based professional development and mentoring to WSD teachers and
monthly in class discussions with students enrolled in the course based on their fields of
expertise. OU History Professors include: Dr. Daniel Clark, Dr. George Milne, Dr. Todd Estes,
Dr. Sara Chapman, and Mr. DeWitt Dykes. Also joining this team will be Sally Strait, a local
historian and President of the Waterford Historical Society and Carol Egbo WSD Social Studies
Curriculum Director as the local history experts.
3. Archaeologist Team: Dr. Richard Stamps from OU will head this team and be joined by Dr.
Vergil Noble and Dr. Dawn Bringleson from the Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) of the
National Park Service and Charlie Martinez, an archaeologist and local historian for the Oakland

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County Pioneer and Historical Society (OCPHS). This team will be in charge of the two local
excavations, Summer Site Visits to a national excavation, the creation of archaeology
connections for content lectures, and archaeology lectures for enrolled students.
4. Mentors: Members of the Historian Team will serve as mentors for specific the teacher
History Teams: Dr. Miller, Sally Strait, Dr. Hershock, and Dr. Clark; Team 1. Dr. Milne, Dr.
Estes, Mr. DeWitt Dykes, and Carol Egbo will mentor Team 2. The Historian Mentors will have
several roles. They will be available by phone and email to answer questions, provide
suggestions on additional readings, guidance on appropriate Internet sources, etc. Mentors will
also visit classrooms once a month to observe the context in which the content is being delivered
and instruct lectures, stories, and/or artifacts for students within the classroom. In addition to the
Historian Mentors, each grade level will have two Teacher Mentors/Teacher Leaders, selected
for their passion for history, effective classroom practices and leadership skills. These Teacher
Leaders will provide modeling and instructional support to their colleagues as well as
sustainability for the project after the grant period.
5. Collegial Study: Michigan History: Past to Present will provide WSD teachers with many
opportunities for collegial study, allowing teachers to share resources and ideas, and to provide
consistency and continuity within and between grade levels. Collegial study will include
participation in content seminars, workshops, field trips, book studies, lesson design sessions,
curriculum alignment meetings, afterschool lectures and field work at the archaeological sites.
6. Extensive Partnerships: In addition to WSD, OU, MWAC, and Oakland Schools the Primary
Project Partners Michigan History: Past to Present also includes several other partners: Henry
Ford Museum, the Michigan Historical Center, Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society,
the Oakland County Historical Commission and the Waterford Historical Society.
7. Evaluation Team: Project evaluation design, development of evaluation instruments, data
collection, and analysis of data will be accomplished by an Evaluation Team, led by an
independent outside evaluator in order to ensure valid and unbiased results. Other participants
will be the Head Historian; Head Archaeologist; Dr. Hershock, a historian with previous
experience on an elementary American History grant; the Oakland Schools History Consultant;
the Project Director; and the WSD Director of Assessment.
8. Advisory Board: Michigan History: Past to Present will be guided by an Advisory Board
with diverse membership consisting of the WSD Assistant Superintendent, the Director of
Secondary Education, the Project Director, the Head Historian, the Head Archaeologist, three
Teacher Leaders, one elementary principals, the History Consultant from Oakland Schools, and
representatives from the other partner agencies. The Advisory Board will meet three times
throughout the school year to review informal feedback from project participants as well as
results of formal evaluations from the Evaluation Team and to recommend any modifications to
the course as indicated by this feedback. The Board will also troubleshoot solutions to any
unforeseen logistical or other barriers and ensure communication to the community about the
projects activities.

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9. Creation of a Michigan/Local History Collection Center: A former classroom in a WSD

service building will be turned into a district History Center which will serve as a research
library, resource center, the meeting place for book studies, lesson planning center, archaeology
lab, display area for excavated artifacts, and the place for monthly lesson planning sessions. The
History Center will be open to the public during select hours, to be decided by the Advisory
Board.
c.) Implementation details
The Michigan History: Past to Present project will provide the following professional
development activities, within the framework of the eight structural elements described in the
previous section:
Content Seminars: A series of six two-hour workshops blending content and pedagogy will be
conducted throughout the year with the expectation that over the year of the grant all
participating teachers will attend all six. Topics for these workshops include: Digging Into the
Documents; Content Literacy and History; Teaching Students to Think Like Historians;
Evaluating and Utilizing Historical Fiction; Introduction to Archaeology; and Doing Historical
Research.
Book Studies: Three book studies conducted by members of the Historian Team, and open to all
teacher participants, will be offered each year. Books have been chosen on the basis of their
connections to the Eras being explored as well as the major themes of the project. These book
studies will meet a minimum of three times during the school year.
Curriculum Work: So that seminars can focus on content, Michigan History: Past to Present
will make use of existing district initiatives and structures for curriculum work. This will include
six 90-minute Curriculum Alignment meetings, monthly building-based meetings, and two
Professional Development days. Curriculum goals of Michigan History: Past to Present
include the creation of new history units and collection of primary sources and artifacts for the
course. This curriculum work will be facilitated by the Teacher Leaders, Project Director, and
Carol Egbo who recently developed prototypes for K-5 history units for the Michigan
Citizenship Curriculum Collaborative, a group consisting of 28 Intermediate School Districts in
Michigan.
Local Archaeological Excavations: During the project period, two local excavations under the
direction of Dr. Richard Stamps will be initiated. One will continue excavation on the 1819
homestead of the Williams family, the first family to settle in Waterford. The second project will
involve the examination of the ice house of the 1845 home of Governor Moses Wisner. Field
experiences at these sites will be offered on Saturdays and at Summer Archaeology Academies.
History Boxes: High School History Boxes will be created by each teacher which will include
primary source texts, photographs, historical maps, artifacts, and examples of documents
connected to the State of Michigan, as well as the local archaeology projects such as deeds,
census records and plat maps. Items will be provided by the Historian Team, local history

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societies, the MWAC, and Henry Ford Museum. As part of Michigan History: Past to Present
Curriculum work, lessons will be developed for multiple items in each History Box.
d.) Project partners
Each of the project partners was chosen carefully for its expertise in content and instruction,
strong working relationship with and proximity to the WSD. Oakland University (OU) will
expand on its partnership with WSD that was begun with two previous projects. Due to the
extensive time the OU History Department has spent working on professional development for
WSD elementary and middle school teachers, their experience and knowledge will be invaluable
in working with WSD high school teachers. OU will again provide the resources of its entire
History Department as lecturers and historian mentors for teachers. Dr. Karen Miller, Associate
Professor and Department Chair, will serve as Head Historian, leading and coordinating the
activities of the Historian Team, participating in the Advisory Board and Evaluation Team,
delivering formal content presentations, and mentoring teachers involved with the project. Dr.
Daniel Clark, Dr. George Milne, Dr. Todd Estes, Dr. Sara Chapman, and Mr. De Witt Dykes will
participate on the Historian Team, provide content presentations in their areas of expertise and
mentor teachers. The Team will also conduct professional development opportunities, in class
lectures for students, and offer guidance on unit development, lesson designs, and artifact
collections. OUs Department of Sociology and Anthropology is also partnering in the project,
providing the services of Dr. Richard Stamps as the Head Archaeologist who will: conduct
lectures; provide mentoring and research assistance; coordinate and oversee the two local
excavations; and coordinate activities with the archaeologists from the Midwest Archaeological
Center. OU will also provide visits for teachers and students to the OU Archaeology Lab, the
use of artifacts for lectures, simulated excavations, and displays, and undergraduate students to
support excavations and archaeology-based projects conducted by WSD teachers. The Henry
Ford Museum, a nationally recognized independent educational institution, will provide
curriculum materials, fieldtrips, research assistance, and primary sources for the Michigan
History: Past to Present project. Oakland Schools is the Intermediate School District for
Oakland County. Dr. Amy Bloom, Social Studies Consultant, will serve as a history and
instructional skills specialist and Dr. Les Howard will serve as the Content Literacy Specialist.
The Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society, a nonprofit historical society, library,
and museum which operates an extensive Research Library and Pioneer Museum will co-sponsor
one of the local excavations as well as provide access to their library and extensive collections.
The Waterford Historical Society will offer expertise in local history, access to its historic
properties, the loan of primary source material and research assistance. The Midwest
Archaeological Center of the National Park Service will: serve as a resource for educational
materials; engage with the OU partners involved in the local excavations; identify a field
research project each summer and facilitate a Site Visit for selected Michigan History: Past to
Present teachers; and provide staff archeologists who will travel to Michigan to make
presentations on MWAC research at the expense of the Center. The Michigan Historical
Center, encompassing the Michigan Historical Museum System, the Archives of Michigan, the
State Historical Preservation Office, and the Office of the State Archaeologist, will: plan and
facilitate field trips to MHC including their yearly Archaeology Day, serve as a curriculum
resource and provide access to their archives and research assistance. The Oakland County
Historical Commission will: serve as a liaison between Michigan History: Past to Present and

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local historical societies in the county; provide assistance in locating local history experts and
resources.
The Project Director will be David Wyatt, a Secondary Education Social Studies Teacher
within the Waterford School District who focused on American and Michigan History at
Oakland University during his undergraduate study. He will be working closely with Carol Egbo,
a history specialist, Staff Development Consultant for WSD. She has been a classroom teacher,
Curriculum Developer for Oakland Schools, Field Consultant for Harcourt Publishers, and
Visiting Professor at UCLA. Carol is a member of AHA, OAH and the National Council for the
Social Studies; a published author; and holds a Masters Degree in Teaching with Emphasis on
Social Studies Education. Her recent projects include a comprehensive elementary American
History curriculum which includes over seventy lessons with extensive supplemental activities.
She has been a classroom teacher, Curriculum Developer for Oakland Schools, Field Consultant
for Harcourt Publishers, and Visiting Professor at UCLA. She is a member of AHA, OAH and
the National Council for the Social Studies; a published author; and holds a Masters Degree in
Teaching with Emphasis on Social Studies Education. Her recent projects include a
comprehensive elementary American History curriculum which includes over seventy lessons
with extensive supplemental activities.

5. EVALUATION DESIGN
Kathleen Zimmerman-Oster, PhD, of TEST, Inc. will serve as the Project Evaluator. Dr. Oster
began working with the WSD in 2004, providing evaluation services for several U.S. Department
of Education grants including several other WSD grants. She has over 15 years of experience in
evaluation for non-profit organizations, public agencies, and school districts.

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Table 1: Evaluation Data

Data
Methods/
Data collection instruments to be
dates for
developed
collection
Answer
30 items with 28 multiple choice
sheets
and 2 constructed response items.
which will
20 items to be selected from
Teacher
be scanned.
nationally validated tests
Content
including NAEP and the
Knowledge Pre-test:
Michigan Merit Exam (MME)
of Basic
10/2013
10 items to be developed by the
Michigan
Post-test:
Evaluation Team.
History
6/2014
All items will be designed to
measure 10 essential content
expectations identified by
Historian Team
Written
assessment
scored with
a rubric.

Teacher
Primary
Source
Analysis
Pre-test:
Assessment 10/2013
Post-test:
6/14

Teachers will complete an analysis

chart requiring them to analyze
and contextualize a primary
source.

Data analysis
method
Fujitsu plain
paper scanner
Remark
Software for
data analysis
including a
detailed item
statistics, an
item analysis
and a
frequency
distribution
Assessments
will be
holistically
hand-scored
by members of
the Evaluation
Team using 4
point rubric

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Results
available
11/13
7/14

11/13

7/14

How information will be used to

monitor progress
Pre-Assessment data will be
used as a factor in making
adjustments to the overall Grant
Plan. Intermediate and Post-data
to measure progress.
Post-data will be used to
evaluate the project and to help
create a plan for continuing the
project after grant funds are
gone.

Areas of weakness relating to

content knowledge and
historical thinking skills will be
identified and shared with the
Historian Team.
Intermediate and Post-data to
measure progress

Data

Teacher
Attitudes
and
Behaviors
Survey

Methods/
Data collection instruments to be
dates for
developed
collection
Electronic
20 item survey on a 5-point Likert
survey using scale relating to:
existing
Teachers perceptions of their
district
content knowledge
system
Instructional strategies used to
ORCA
teach Michigan History
Amount of time spent teaching
June 2014
Michigan History
Class
observations
by Project
Director and
Principals

Class Visits
Oct.- March
2013-2014

The Project Director and

building principal will visit one
randomly selected classroom of a
Michigan History teacher in each
secondary school (3 classrooms
total)
Teachers will be evaluated with a
rubric developed by the
Evaluation Team
Anecdotal notes will be collected

Data analysis
method
Data will
summarized
and analyzed
using our
existing
District ORCA
system

The Project
Director and
principal will
meet to
compare rubric
data and
prepare an
informal report
of observations.

~ 12 ~

Results
available
7/14

How information will be used to

monitor progress

6/10

The informal report will be

shared with participant teachers
as well as the historians and
instructional specialists involved
with the project.
Data will be used to help
identify lead teachers for the
grant.

6/11
6/12

Data will be shared Historian

team
Data regarding teachers
perceptions of their content
knowledge will be compared to
their scores on the Content
Knowledge Pre-Test.
Post-data will be used to
evaluate the project

Data

Methods/
dates for
collection
MEAP
Collected by
(Michigan
the state
Educational 10/13
Assessment 3/14
Program)
MME
(Michigan
Merit
Exam)
Electronic
assessment
Pre-test:
Student
9/2013
Content
Knowledge Post-test:
Assessment 6/2014

Grant
Activities
Evaluation

Same as
other
surveys
June, 2014

Data collection instruments to be

developed

Data analysis
method

Results
available
2/14
7/14

How information will be used to

monitor progress

A test consisting of approximately

50-75 selected response items
designed to test the skills of Social
Studies

Scores and item

analysis from the
state

25 selected response items relating

to grade level content on Michigan
History.

Data will
summarized and
analyzed using
our existing
District ORCA
system

10/13

Data will be analyzed by the

Evaluation Team and shared
with the Historian Team and
teachers
Pre and Post data will be
compared each year and used to
adjust programming and
evaluate progress

10 item attitudinal survey on a 5point Likert scale gathering

information on the following:
Teachers attitudes toward the
project so far

Data will
summarized and
analyzed using
our existing
District ORCA
system

Late
June,
2014

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7/ 14

2012 data will be used as

baseline data for the project.
2013 data will be used for
comparison

Data will be used to assess the

degree to which teachers are
finding the project valuable and
to make program adjustments
each year.
Data from the June, 2014 survey
will be used to assessment the
effectiveness of the project

6. BUDGET

Line Item

Total Funding

Materials

$1,500.00

Field Trip

$1,500.00

Professional Development

$1,000.00

Facility Cost

$500.00

Office Supplies

$500.00

TOTAL

$5,000.00

Materials: Primary and secondary source documents, artifacts, maps, videos, etc. for the
creation of a Michigan/Local History Collection Center.
Field Trip: To cover the cost of admissions and transportation of students to the Henry Ford
Museum in Dearborn, MI.
Professional Development: to cover the cost of guest speakers, local historians, and university
professors who work with the staff and students throughout the one year grant.
Facility Cost: To cover the cost of utilities, general maintenance of office, and storage facilities.
Office Supplies: General office supplies for staff including stationary, files, presentation
materials, markers, etc. In addition, to cover the cost of correspondence with participants,
community partners, and other stakeholders.

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7. ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
a.) General Organizational Description
Waterford has thirteen elementary campuses, including an early childhood center. Each school
offers expertise and experience in the areas of physical education, art, music, and computer
technology. Students are both academically challenged and supported in a nurturing
environment.

The two middle schools in Waterford employ staff and teachers who are dedicated to making
middle school a challenging and rewarding experience. Waterford is firmly committed to the
middle school concept of education (grades 6-8).
Waterford has two comprehensive high schools and one alternative high school. Waterfords
high schools have a proud tradition of accomplishments and continue to educate a community of
young men and women who make a lifelong contribution to our community, state, and country.
All Waterford schools are accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
and hold state accreditation, with several of buildings designated as Exemplary Blue Ribbon
Schools.
b.) Geographic Description
Waterford School District is located at the center of Oakland County in southeast Michigan, a
short commute northwest from Detroit. The District encompasses Waterford Township and
portions of the surrounding townships of White Lake, West Bloomfield, Independence, and Lake
Angelus.
Waterford Township is composed of a group of residential communities transected by major
highways giving residents access to metropolitan areas including Canada. Light industry and
retailing are primary businesses. The township also includes the Oakland County International
Airport.
The average Waterford resident commutes to work within a half hour drive. Housing is typical
commuter spanning a wide range of values. Surrounding lakes, county parks and proximity to
metropolitan entertainment venues make the area attractive to residents. Expanded township
library, new town hall, and active senior citizen's center show the residents' commitment to their
community. The history of millage elections demonstrates the residents' continuing support of
local educational excellence.

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The Waterford School District ranks 9th in Oakland County, out of 28 districts, in the percentage
of dollars spent for basic instruction and instructional and pupil support services (District Profile,
2009).
c.) School Community Profile
The Waterford School District and region are battling a drastic economic downturn due to the
well-publicized fiscal crisis in the state of Michigan, particularly in the areas surrounding
Detroit. General Motors originally built Waterford as a company town in the 1950s-1960s,
and to this day most families income depend on some aspect of the automotive industry. Recent
automotive layoffs and plant closures have led to financial crisis for many of our families.
The percent of students eligible for the Free/Reduced Price Lunch program has risen from 43%
to over 50% in just 4 years, with low-income students spread evenly throughout the district. In
addition, the number of homeless students has drastically increased in the last several years, from
17 in 2006-2007 to 49 in 2012-2013, but the overall number of students within the district from
then to now has decreased (Spencer, 2013 and U.S. Census Bureau, 2010).
Demographic trends among Waterfords student population are reflective of the national trends.
Seventy-five percent of Waterford students are identified as White. Other ethnicity data
indicates 10% Black/African-American, 10% Hispanic/Latino, and 3% Asian/American.
Waterford has seen an increase in the number of English as Second Language residents as
Oakland County is Michigans leading center for international commercial activity with 629
companies representing 24 countries conducting business in the county. The current 2012-2013
count for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students is 555. There are 39 different languages
spoken by our students in the District. Of the LEP population, approximately 50% speak
Spanish, 2% speak Vietnamese, 2% Hmong and the rest is 1% between the other languages
(Spencer, 2013).
Student enrollment district-wide is 10,991 students with Waterford Mott at 1,559 students as of
April 2013 (see appendix A for mobility data). Enrollment remains somewhat steady, with just
enough fluctuation between levels to require the adjustment of staff as needed to keep class sizes
at desirable levels. School of Choice students, who enrolled in Waterford in 1996 for the first
time, have helped to maintain stable enrollment numbers. There are currently 587 School of
Choice Students attending the Waterford School District. While individual schools in the
District currently range from 19% to 76% of students qualifying for free or reduced price lunch,
the Districts proportion of students who receive free or reduced-price lunch is 50%. Waterford
Mott High School currently has 49% of its students who are eligible for Free/Reduced Price
Lunch program as of April 2013 (Spencer, 2013).

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8. CONCLUSION
The Waterford School District (WSD) in Waterford, Michigan proposes to implement an
intensive new history course and curriculum targeted at students in grades 9-12 in our two high
schools and one alternative high school. The course, Michigans History: Past to Present, will
examine the overarching theme of Patterns of Movement and Settlement in American History
and include a significant archaeology component, engage students in critical thinking and
problem solving skills, and deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. In
addition, the course will incorporate service learning with a local historic focus for high school
students who, as an added dimension of their service learning, will also then re-teach lessons
about Michigan history to 3rd graders where it is a required course.
The Michigans History: Past to Present project will include teachers responsible for American
History instruction from Waterford Kettering High School, Waterford Mott High School, and
Waterford Durant Alternative High School. Mott and Durant have failed to make AYP for the
past three years and therefore are in Schools in Need of Improvement status according to the
state of Michigan Department of Education. Furthermore the three schools as a whole, at the
secondary level, have failed to show adequate growth and proficiency scores on both the NAEP,
MME, and on district summative American History tests as well. In an effort to help student be
inspired, educated, and empowered the high school social studies staff will be required to attend
high-quality professional development experiences, conduct action research, and create
lessons/units for the new Michigan History: Past to Present course.
Today's secondary students have little knowledge of the history of their own state and the lessons
that can be learned from it as the state now faces enormous challenges and its future is in
question. Therefore, the Waterford School District is requesting $5,000.00 from the National
Education Association (NEA) grant foundation in the area of Student Achievement in order to
implement the initial startup costs of the course. This funding is vital to starting the program,
improving student achievement, providing high-quality professional development for high school
social studies teachers, collecting primary sources and artifacts for the course, and ensuring the
class will be offered to students.

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9. REFERENCES
Adams, Richard, Kathleen Chandler, Dennison Griffith, Jim Hughes, Mark Okey, Richard
Prasse, William Seitz, Nina Turner, and Christie Weininger Raber. Ohio Legislative
Commission. The Education and Preservation of State History, September, 2010.
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/documents/educationandpreservationreport.pdf.
Allen, Janet, and Christine Landaker. Reading History: Strategies to Improve Comprehension
and Connections in Social Studies Classes. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Asbenson, Emily. Historical Society of Michigan. Michigan Students Participate in National
Program Shown to Boost School Performance and Job Skills, 2011.
http://www.hsmichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/mhdschoolperformance2011.pdf.
District Profile. (2009) Waterford School District. Retrieved from
www.waterford.k12.mi.us/.../Waterford%20NCA%20District%20Profile%20final.pdf.
Holland, Sally. CNN. Subject Matters: Why students fall behind on history, January 18, 2011.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/01/18/history.teachers.solutions/index.html.
Spencer, J. (2013, February). Interview by D.R. Wyatt [Personal Interview]. Waterford student
mobility and assessment proficiency data.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2010). State & county Quickfacts: Waterford Township, M.I. Retrieved
from http://quickfacts.census.gov.

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