In 2003, the Gotham Center , along with the New York City Department of Education and their partners, was awarded a citywide Teaching American History Grant from the US Department of Education. The American Journey: From Staff Development to Student Achievement in the Study of American History project developed, documented, evaluated and disseminated a program of professional development that instructed public school teachers in basic concepts of traditional American history. The program partners included City Lore, the Historic House Trust, Henry Street Settlement, the Brooklyn Historical Society, The New-York Historical Society, and other historical societies and museums across the city.

The foundation of the program was professional development courses for grade 3 through 8 teachers. The program included Summer Institutes for less experienced teachers in elementary and middle schools and Fellows sessions throughout the academic year for selected middle schools teachers. Both taught basic concepts, content and chronologies of American history, demonstrating how they were illustrated by some local examples. They also showed how these histories, both national and local, can be brought into the classroom through informed teaching and engaging methodologies.

We aimed to provide a model for the centralization and systematization of the teaching of American and New York City history throughout the school system. The program also established a web-based History Education Network for Grade K-12 teachers. It supports and disseminates the history instruction, content and methodology emerging from the professional development courses, the experience of other Teaching American History Grant recipients, and the vast range of resources available from the networked groups to encourage new teaching and learning in the classroom. The program targeted teachers in schools that were not served by other enrichment programs, including other Teaching American History programs. We identified other under-performing schools and schools with a preponderance of under-trained teachers. The grant enabled us to build on relationships and experience developed over many years between schools and the participating cultural organizations.