History Programs Overview
In order for students to succeed to their highest potential, they need exceptionally well prepared teachers. The History Programs service of ESD 112 aims to develop the capacity of teachers by deepening their content knowledge and strengthening best practice strategies. This work benefits the 200 schools in six counties serviced by ESD 112, and has been funded through grants offered by the Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Constitutional Connections is our current Teaching American History Grant.
Learn more about Constitutional Connections:
About the Program | Newsletters | History Web Resources
Constitutional Connections Activities
Upcoming Events:
Constitutional Academy: The Doctrine of Discovery, Native America, and the U.S. Constitution
Featured Speaker: Robert Miller, Lewis & Clark Law School
Wednesday, May 21
5:00 – 8:30 pm
ESD 112 Conference Center
This event is free to teachers but seating is limited and advanced registration is required. Please contact Matt Karlsen to secure a spot.
Preparatory Readings:
Constitutional Institute: The Constitutional Rights Foundation’s Seminar with a Scholar
July 28 – 31
9:00 am – 4: 00 pm
Staff from the Constitutional Rights Foundation will team with Diana Hess (University of Wisconsin – Madison) and UCLA’s Jack M. Beard for three days of attention to teaching constitutional issues in United States history with a focus on the 20th Century, productive discussions and deliberation in the classroom, and making History and Civics relevant to students’ lives. On the fourth day, Constitutional Connections participants will reflect on the work we’ve done together and plan the road ahead.
This event is free to teachers but seating is limited and advanced registration is required. Please contact Matt Karlsen to secure a spot.
Past Events:
Constitutional Academy: Liberty, Checks and Balances, and The Constitution
On April 29, 2008, Constitutional Connections participants examined what Idaho State University Political Science Professor David Gray Adler described as the great constitutional crisis of our day: The usurpation and abdication of constitutional roles by President and Congress. Building his argument on the concerns of the Framers, Dr. Adler pointed to the endangerment to liberty posed by the erosion of checks and balances.
Constitutional Academy: Equality, Equal Rights Movements, and The Constitution
Julie Novkov, Associate Professor of Political Science and Women’s Studies at the University of Albany, SUNY, provided an overview of 230 years of struggles for equality, focusing on the role of the Constitution and the courts in movements for African American and women’s rights.
Constitutional Academy: The Constitution and Social Justice in the Progressive Era
Michael Willrich of Brandeis University presented Social Justice and the Constitution in the Progressive Era. Utilizing rich multimedia resources, Willrich led participants in an investigation of the birth of the modern welfare state, exploring a time when so many ideas we now regard as "common sense" found their origins. Willrich paid special attention to two court cases: Lochner v. New York (1905) and Muller v. Oregon (1908).
Constitutional Academy: The Common Good, Immigration, and The Constitution
Paul Finkelman of Albany Law School was our featured speaker on October 3, 2007. In The Common Good, Immigration, and the Constitution, Finkelman informed, provoked, and inspired with a wide ranging discussion of the Constitutional history of citizenship in the United States.
Constitutional Academy: Diversity, Urbanization, and The Constitution
Eric Arnesen is Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Chicago, where he specializes in issues of race, labor, and politics in American history. His September 13 presentation addressed the interplay between the African-American experience between Reconstruction and The Great Migration, the US Constitution, and shifting democratic ideals.
Constitutional Institute: Focus on Classroom Based Assessments and Professional Learning Teams
Our work together August 2 and 3 drove us to deeply consider the work Constitutional Connections participants are doing with their students as well as with their History Professional Learning Teams. Thursday, Rick Dills from Portland State University’s Center for Student Success guided participants through a meaningful examination of the teacher and student work samples collected by the program over the past year. Friday, HPLTs met to reflect on their work over the previous year and to chart the coming year together. Participants left better equipped for the work ahead.
Constitutional Institute: The Constitutional Rights Foundation's Seminar with a Scholar
Staff from the Constitutional Rights Foundation led a three-day workshop deepening understanding of 19th century US history teaching and learning with a focus on the US Constitution. John Lloyd (Cal Poly Pomona) guided historical content while CRF staff members Keri Doggett, Karen Hirsch, Tanya Manabat and Carol Wright led participants in classroom-ready activities.
Constitutional Academy: Civil Liberties, The Constitution, and The Perils of Secrecy
On May 3, Athan Theoharis (Professor Emeritus of History at Marquette University) drew from his immense expertise in FBI history to paint the story of federal surveillance policy during the Cold War. He guided participants through a reading of case study documents that reveal central threads of the story but also speak to the challenges of studying history. Speaking of The Patriot Act, Theoharis discussed ways in which the Cold War story has contemporary resonance.
Constitutional Academy: Historical Perspectives on Human Rights and International Justice
On March 14, Liz Borgwardt (of the Washington University in St Louis) recaptured a multilateralist moment in US history, leading Constitutional Connections participants to consider the seminal role the Atlantic Charter (1941) played in developing modern institutions of human rights and international justice. In exploring the “constitutionalization” of these rights, Dr. Borgwardt helped us see how the Bretton Woods Charter (1944), the UN Charter (1945), and the Nuremberg Charter (1945) emerged from Roosevelt and Churchill’s earlier proclamation much as the Constitution evolved from the Declaration of Independence. Dr. Borgwardt encouraged participants to consider how to use their students’ concerns regarding contemporary human rights issues to develop a deeper understanding of U.S. History and the Constitution.
Constitutional Academy: The Real Story of Josefina Montoya, American Girl: Women, Property, and Conquest on the Mexican Frontier
Three dozen program hale and hearty folk braved snowy roads January 17, 2007, for an excellent presentation by Maria E. Montoya, associate professor of history at New York University. Dr. Montoya’s presentation focused on the collision of legal regimes regarding property rights that followed the US-Mexican War. She guided us through interrogation of primary documents, looking at two versions of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Taking as its starting point the fictionalized account projected by the American Girl doll, she discussed both the benefits and challenges of many children’s first engagement with that history: One which takes place in an idyllic age, uncomplicated by questions of contingency and enamored with the myth of progress.
Constitutional Academy: Slavery and the 19th Century Constitution
Grant participants enthusiastically received University of California, Berkeley Professor Robin Einhorn’s November 30, 2006 presentation on the often overlooked legacies of slavery: Civil War Amendments intended to end slavery which transformed the Constitution’s reach and a lingering popular association between taxation and oppression with surprising historic roots.
Constitutional Academy: Patriots, Revolution, and Constitutions
Grant participants enjoyed a lecture and workshop led by Patrick Manning (University of Pittsburgh) on October 12, 2006. Dr. Manning's presentation, Patriots, Revolution, and Constitutions, added to our Constitutional understanding by situating its foundation in a global context. He urged us to consider social movements from around the world in our quest to understand ways in which the US Constitution was both unique and representative of the era.
Constitutional Institute: Focus on Creating Effective Professional Learning Teams
August 4, 2006
On August 4, participants gathered to investigate Professional Learning Teams, Lesson Study, and Classroom Based Assessments.
Constitutional Institute: The Constitutional Rights Foundation's Seminar with a Scholar
August 1 - 3, 2006
Staff from the Constitutional Rights Foundation delivered a three-day workshop focused on the founding documents and principles of American democracy. Jack Rakove from Stanford University lectured on historical content while CRF staff led participants in classroom-ready activities.
Constitutional Institute: "What Is It? A Constitution & A Bill of Rights"
March 31 - April 3
& April 3 - 6, 2006
Dr. Will Harris explored the distinctive theory of American constitutionalism. Over several days in the Virginia Piedmont, fifty K-12 teacher - participants engaged in Constitutional thinking, uncovering the history, systems and personal and professional implications of the Constitution.
Orientation Presentation
PowerPoint Format (27MB) or PDF Format (635k)
If you do not have Microsoft Powerpoint, you can download the free Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer.