Education Outreach Partnership for National History Day

Partners: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU), University of Minnesota (U of M), Minneapolis Public Schools, St. Paul Public Schools Through this program, partners are extending the reach of National History Day in Minnesota. MNHS professional staff members coordinate school services with an emphasis on support for students from diverse backgrounds. Higher education partnerships help build college readiness skills for middle and high school students and strengthen the mentoring skills of Minnesota college students. Undergraduate students from the U of M and MNSCU colleges are trained to become History Day mentors and work with History Day students at inner city and rural schools. These partnerships have established a national model for creating "campus to classroom" connections where undergraduate students support classroom teachers by advising History Day students with topic selection, research, and project development. These academic skills make students more college-ready and the relationships with mentors increase aspiration for higher education.