To strengthen knowledge and appreciation of American history by teachers and students, a consortium of Winona Separate School and Montgomery County School Districts will partner with Mississippi Valley State University and National Council for History Education to provide a model professional development program for all U.S. history teachers in grades 7-12. Participants attend a summer history academy, receive individual and group instruction on pedagogy, serve as mentors to new U.S. history teachers, and document best practices. Instructional skills training emphasizes concrete, hands-on teaching tailored to individuals, including students with limited English proficiency and learning disabilities. Content covers events within broad themes: Three Worlds and Their Encounters in America (beginnings to 1607); Colonial Era and Emerging American Identity (1607-1763); Creating a Nation (1763-1815); Expansion and Reform (1801-1860); Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1877); Making of Modern America (1865-1920); U.S. and Two World Wars (1914-1945); and Contemporary America (1945-present).