Troy School District

This initiative  the "Beyond the Textbook" initiative successfully enhanced the capacity of K-12 educators in the Troy School District to teach a more inclusive and complete history of American life during World War II. By partnering with external experts from Oakland University, Michigan State University, and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the district established a rigorous professional-learning model that blended historical scholarship with anti-oppressive pedagogy and object-based inquiry. The project directly addressed traditional curriculum gaps by connecting national wartime narratives to local Detroit history such as racial tensions, labor struggles, and the incarceration of Japanese Americans. Through a multi-phase implementation that included a summer symposium, collaborative curriculum adaptation, and professional conference attendance, educators developed comprehensive, cross-grade C3 Inquiries and interdisciplinary resources. Evaluation data demonstrated substantial growth in teacher confidence regarding culturally responsive practices and local history integration.

Partners

Higher Education and Museums:

District Leadership and Organizational Support:

  • Dr. David Recker - Director of Teaching and Learning (from Spring 2025-present)
  • Natalie Haezebrouck - Director of Teaching and Learning (until Sping 2025)
  • Dr. Chantelle Yancy - Wellness and Community Engagement Supervisor
  • Evan Rokicki - Curriculum & Instructional Specialist, K-12 Social Studies
  • Ryan Werenka - Lead C3 Facilitator
  • Kara Beal - Manager of Federal and State Grants, Data, and Assessments
  • Michelle Ketterman - Grant Accountant and Compliance Specialist
  • Aurel Malutan - Finance Director, Business Services
  • Rhoda Hall - Executive Assistant, Department Teaching & Learning
  • Sherry Rose - Executive Assistant, Department Teaching & Learning
  • Lisa McDonald - Curriculum and Instructional Specalists for Literacy, K-5.
  • 4th grade Troy teachers

Texts that informed this project

K-12 Non-Fiction:

  • Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss and Yuko Shimizu
  • Write to Me by Cynthia Grady and Amiko Hirao
  • Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
  • Love Is Loud: How Diane Nash Led the Civil Rights Movement by Sandra Neil Wallace and Bryan Collier
  • The Apollo 11 Moon Landing: A Day That Changed America: Amy Maranville 
  • This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson
  • Books about "women who changed the world."
  • I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941

K-12 Fiction

  • Sylvia and Aki by Winifred Conkling
  • Abby Takes a Stand by Patricia McKissak
  • Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine

Texts for Teachers:

Lesson plans coming soon!