Michigan Council for History Education

Special edition of our December E-Notes Newsletter

Peter Knupfer — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:08:38 +0000

Jim McConnell, our tireless founder and editor of the MCHE monthly newsletter, has posted a special edition for this month:

I infrequently violate my rule of emailing only once/month
to the MCHE E-Notes group via the MSU H-Net system. Information about a very unique social studies opportunity prompts this email. A few of you may have already seen the announcement of the position, but MCHE E-Notes reaches a large audience. One never knows who might find this of interest. Then, I did decide to include a few special items for your consideration.

Find it here.

Register now for the annual joint conference and save…

Peter Knupfer — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:29:59 +0000

Early registration for the Joint Conference in Lansing this November expires by October 21, when rates go up from $160 to $200 for the entire weekend! The conference provides a one-stop professional development experience that allows for historical depth and interdisciplinary breadth across fields and subjects, so take advantage of this great opportunity and join us at the Causeway Hotel in Lansing Nov 4-6.

MCHE joins MCSS for Joint Social Studies Conference

Peter Knupfer — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:48:05 +0000

This year the Michigan Council for History Education is partnering with our fellow geographers, civic educators, economics teachers, and the Michigan Council for the Social Studies to put on a joint conference, November 4-6 in Lansing, where educators can get powerful professional development across the spectrum of the social studies. Watch our annual conference page for updates, registration information, and sessions listings!

Return history to its rightful place at the forefront of the curriculum

Peter Knupfer — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:29:52 +0000

That’s the message of Norm Augustine, a former under secretary of the Army and retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin in a vigorous op-ed, “The Education our Economy Needs,” published in today’s Wall Street Journal. Prompted by the recent NAEP results, which showed American high schoolers performing more poorly in history than in math or science, Armstrong argues that:

“Far more than simply conveying the story of a country or civilization, an education in history can create critical thinkers who can digest, analyze and synthesize information and articulate their findings. These are skills needed across a broad range of subjects and disciplines. In fact, students who are exposed to more modern methods of history education — where critical thinking and research are emphasized — tend to perform better in math and science.”

We couldn’t have said it better. Yet history’s share of the Michigan Merit Exam and of the social studies curriculum continues to shrink while the public’s attention is drawn to worrying about improving performance in the STEM disciplines. Elementary grade social studies teachers across the state barely spend more than an hour a week in history instruction. In neighboring Indiana, according to NCHE President Linda Salvucci, “elementary students receive twelve minutes per week of instruction in history.”

At Lockheed Martin, Armstrong looked for more than technical proficiency when hiring the 80,000 engineers working at his firm. Job seekers with strong critical thinking skills, excellent communication ability, and depth of understanding about the country’s past were most likely to get the nod.

Be sure to head to the Detroit Historical Museum for a Day at the D!

Peter Knupfer — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:41:35 +0000

Join us on October 8 for a three hour program on teaching Detroit history; registration closes by September 30. Find more information and registration form on our Upcoming Events page.

MCHE Board’s Strategic Planning Meeting

Peter Knupfer — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:46:54 +0000

On August 18, the Michigan Council for History Education executive board held an all-day strategic planning meeting to map the organization’s needs and plans for the near future. Board members Jim Cameron (also our executive director), Jim McConnell, Dorothy Ebersole, Peter Knupfer, Bob Bain, Tim Evans, Gordon Andrews, Danielle Ozanich, Mary Foulke, Abby Combs, Bill Warren, and Sean O’Neill were joined by web with Lindsay Brindley and Tim Hall to review MCHE’s past accomplishments, examine its finances and fiscal needs, scout out new opportunities, and set goals for developing the organization’s structure, leadership, and programming. The meeting ended with a draft strategic plan that will be presented to the entire board for discussion and revision. When it is ready, we will publish it right here. Thanks to everyone who took our member survey and gave us such helpful feedback about their interests and concerns in history education. And special thanks to our friends at the Historical Society of Michigan for providing such congenial setting for this important meeting!

Thanks for taking our survey!

Peter Knupfer — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:48:39 +0000

Our thanks to over 150 people who clicked over to take our brief survey! The results are very interesting and informative, and will be an important part of the MCHE board’s planning meeting tomorrow. We will publish the results (anonymized, of course) and invite comments.

NAEP U.S. History assessment results released

Peter Knupfer — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 03:47:52 +0000

The National Assessment for Educational Progress‘s benchmark U.S. History tests for grades 4, 8, and 12 have been scored and completed. Click here to browse the main site for a detailed report of findings, links to pertinent literature, charts of trends, sample questions, and other important information. The absence of clear trends in the results means that the assessment can support a number of often contradictory interpretations as to whether the schools, teachers, and students know their U.S. history.

MCHE Strategic Planning — Please take our survey!

Peter Knupfer — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:37:33 +0000

The Michigan Council for History Education’s executive board will be conducting a strategic planning session in mid-August to map the future direction for the organization. Input from the public and our members is essential to that planning process! We have created a brief, free 8-question survey that takes barely 10 minutes to complete. Click here to take survey and help make MCHE more responsive to the needs of history educators in our state!

And of course your ideas are always welcome! Feel free to leave comments here or to write us with your ideas.

Spots still available for Lake Michigan Cruise on War of 1812!

Peter Knupfer — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:11:42 +0000

We are partnering with the Michigan Maritime Museum and the Michigan Commission on the Commemoration of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 to sponsor a fascinating historical venture out on the water, out of South Haven, MI. Registration includes presentations on the War of 1812 on the Great Lakes; the “History of Friends Good Will: Past & Present”, Tour of the Michigan Maritime Museum, box lunch, and a Lake Michigan cruise on the historic replica Friends Good Will, August 6, 2011, from 10 to 3.

We are holding registration open beyond the June 13 deadline, so if you’re interested, click here for the informational flyer and registration form.