This project brings together a consortium of districts in the St. Louis area, with Ritenour as the lead district. The activities of the consortium will be facilitated by Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis, a non-profit organization. The project will focus on three historical themes in order to upgrade the teaching of U.S. history: the Louisiana Purchase, the American West, and National Identity. The partners on the project include the University of Missouri-St. Louis, National Council for History Education. Some of the strategies to be used are: researching historical themes and authentic pedagogy; encountering and discussing new scholarship; building teacher networks; and preparing future history teachers. The project will make use of summer institutes, colloquia, reading seminars, lectures, conferences, and electronic networking.