Kentucky Association of Teachers of History

The KATH Board is excited about a new partnership with UK Libraries and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) featuring their collections of materials relating to Kentucky Governor Earle C. Clements. We plan to include a session devoted just to this topic at our annual meeting in October. According to Deirdre Scaggs, Co-Director of the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center and Associate Dean of Special Collections at University of Kentucky Libraries, this new partnership will draw upon the resources and expertise of the NARA Education Team to complement a major educational initiative by the University of Kentucky Libraries on the career of Earle C. Clements.

The University of Kentucky is assembling a team of historians, archivists, and educators to create a web-based curriculum guide called “Courthouse to the White House,” focusing on the life and public service career of Clements. The online guide for educators will feature documents, photographs, oral history materials, and other resources held in the UK Libraries. The Wendell H. Ford Government Education Center in the Owensboro Museum of Science and History will serve as a partner and provide instructional guidance, networks of Kentucky teachers, and a forum for teacher workshops. The NARA Education team will participate in the workshops, demonstrating to teachers how their resources, particularly Docsteach, are invaluable tools for boosting learning and achievement.

Scaggs is working with NARA staff and the Wendell H. Ford Government Education Center to design the KATH session. In addition to the upcoming KATH session targeting K-12 teachers, NARA is offering a K-12 teaching award in partnership with UK and KATH. The award will promote innovative teaching by secondary school teachers in the field of Social Studies and Civic Education. Foundation support would fund the $1,000 “Earle C. Clements Innovation in Education Award.” The plan is to recognize three Kentucky teachers for their innovative and effective use of the curriculum guide and NARA resources in their classrooms. This award will produce a corps of master teachers who will be valuable as exemplars of best practices and important local advocates for using primary resources.

For more details, contact Deirdre A. Scaggs, Associate Dean of Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries, Margaret I. King Building, Lexington deirdre@uky.edu.