The AHA is excited to announce the development of a new departmental membership for secondary educators.  Through focus groups and individual meetings held in New Orleans at our annual meeting last month, we sought feedback on the needs and interests of pre-collegiate teachers to inform how best to establish this new membership initiative.  Thank you to everyone who participated in the discussions. 

Your ideas have helped us to re-think how the AHA can engage teachers more extensively—from an increased involvement at our annual meeting to featured articles in our print and online publications, and from greater access to classroom resources to professional development programs that address issues in both pedagogy and historical content.  We’re exploring new partnerships and programs to make membership for secondary educators in the AHA more rewarding and beneficial than ever.

Based on the suggestions we have received, we plan to implement a membership program that meets the needs of pre-collegiate educators in three primary categories: facilitating connections and collaborations between post-secondary and secondary educators; offering access to primary and secondary resources for use in the classroom; and providing professional development opportunities and information through our annual meeting, publications, and other programs.

We are currently establishing an advisory committee to help solidify the details of the membership program, which will be available within the next year.  Here are just a few of the benefits we are considering as part of the program:

• Discounted membership fees for secondary educators (as compared to Individual Membership rates)
• Travel scholarships to attend the annual meeting
• Increased number of panels for secondary educators at our annual meeting, including special breakout sessions to discuss how the historical content from the panels can be applied in the classroom
• Sponsored networking events at the annual meeting
• Featured articles in AHA outlets that provide reviews of books and textbooks, historiographical debates, and pedagogical news and information
• Access to online resources, curriculum units, and webinars that highlight the latest historical scholarship
• Access to online discussion groups that address current pedagogical and content-related issues
• Facilitated partnerships between secondary educators and university-level faculty to develop resource materials

If you have suggestions or ideas about our secondary education departmental membership initiative, or are interested in being a part of our advisory committee, please email Dana Schaffer or by completing our online survey.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.