Many studies show the value of local history, especially multicultural history, to youth development and student learning outcomes. Incorporating local history into classrooms improves students' ability to question historical significance, analyze primary sources, contextualize their historical thinking, and embrace the learning process as their…

Ordinary citizens and elected officials struggle with the unsettled nature of history and America's problematic racial past in particular. Textbooks--the most common curricular resource in the discipline--contribute by emphasizing singular names (e.g., Martin Luther King Jr.), curious objects (e.g., Rosa Parks's bus seat), and ahistorical notions…

Described is a history education project of the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System which shows that archives can be both repositories and disseminators of information. A curriculum packet composed of facsimiles of local government records for use in secondary school history classes was developed. (RM)

Architecture can be a topic in high school community studies. A program in Boulder, Colorado, is described as a case study. Learning activities include walking tours, library and city archive research, and slide shows. Tips for teachers and an annotated bibliography are included. (Author/DB)