Project Goals

Funded by The National Historical Publications and Records Commission, this institute for Pennsylvania teachers will focus on immigration to the Commonwealth and the complex nature of immigration over time throughout American history. Teachers will be introduced to new content and archival collections that document the stories of past immigrant groups and delve into how to use these stories and collections to make social studies teaching more effective today.   During the institute, they also will be introduced to a variety of teaching models that encourages students to pair historical research with current family/community histories, making the topic of immigration resonant with them.

In addition to the rich archival material, teachers will be able to draw on each other's experiences as educators and individuals. This collaboration is an important step in creating more effective and engaging classroom curriculum. This institute is five days long, but its reach will extend into each classroom a teacher represents, as the project team provides support throughout the school year in terms of additional classroom resources. Curricular products developed during the institute may be featured on hsp.org for use by others in the future as well.

 Want a sneak preview?

Here you can find the programs and activities scheduled for the week.*

Draft Schedule Teaching Historic Immigration in Current Times

Presenters and Educators

 Robbie Tubbs, Master Teacher - As Master Teacher for the Institute, Robbie will act as guide and thematic expert. Currently is a Social Studies Teacher in Clearfield Area School District, he has experience attending and leading professional development activities.  

 Beth Twiss-Houting, Project Director - Beth has served as the Director of Educational Programming at HSP for the past eight years, and has over thirty years experience developing and implementing educational and public programming for heritage organizations. She has managed numerous teacher institutes throughout her career, including one in 2015 supported by a NEH Landmarks in American History grant hosted at HSP. She earned her B.A. in history from Penn State University and her M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of Delaware's Winterthur program.

Mariruth Leftwich, Educator - Mariruth Leftwich, Ph.D., is the director of education at the Heinz History Center. During the institute, she will serve as a resource for the educators and will provide a session on the Heinz and its educator resources, including relevant research materials. She has worked in the field of museum education and heritage interpretation for more than fifteen years and currently serves on the board of directors of the Museum Education Roundtable, chairing the editorial team that manages the publication of the Journal of Museum Education. Mariruth holds a Ph.D. from the University of London's Institute of Education in the area of museum education, a M.Ed. focusing on curriculum design and instructional technology, and M.A. in history from Royal Holloway, and a B.A. in history with secondary teaching certification from Oglethorpe University.

Ned Landsman, Scholar - Dr. Landsman is a professor of history at Stony Brook University (SUNY). His areas of expertise include colonial history, Atlantic history, and migration. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Zachary Schrag, Scholar - Dr. Schrag is a professor of history at George Mason University. His areas of expertise include urban transportation and nineteenth century riots. His current work on the nativist riots in Philadelphia are particularly pertinent to the institute. Dr. Schrag earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University.

Kate Wilson, Scholar - Dr. Wilson is an associate professor of history at Georgia State University. Her areas of study include immigration, American cultural history, and gender studies. Her work on Philadelphia's Chinatown will be the focus of her work with the institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Folklife and Folklore from the University of Pennsylvania.

Zachary Steele, Educator - Before teaching Latino and African American studies at Esperanza, Zachary was executive director of Juntos, an advocacy organization for Philadelphia's Latino immigrant community. His interests include cultural identity and he has an academic background in social anthropology. He developed the My Family, My Community initiative at Esperanza, which he will present at the institute. 

Alan Kraut, Scholar - Alan M. Kraut is a university professor of history and an affiliate member of the School of International Service. He is also a non-resident Fellow of the Migration Policy Institute. Currently, he is the President of the Organization of American Historians, the largest professional organization of American historians. He specializes in U.S. immigration and ethnic history, the history of medicine in the U.S. and the American Civil War.

Dr. Faye Allard-Glass, Facilitator- Dr. Allard-Glass is an assistant professor of sociology at the Community College of Philadelphia where her primary areas of research and expertise are U.S. race and ethnic relations and education. A native of England and a newly naturalized U.S. citizen, she earned her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Katie Clark, Project Assistant - Katie is a former education intern at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and is currently serving as project assistant to different grant projects at HSP. She earned her B.A. in History and Political Science at Gettysburg College.

 *The schedule might be subject to change before the start of the Institute.