The AHA’s “History Gateways” project grows out of data from the Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education showing that, in multiple introductory history courses, first year, first-generation, low-income, and racially/ethnically underrepresented students experience alarmingly high rates of D/F/W/I grades -- leading to problems in failure, retention, and completion. In other words, courses designed as "gateways" to college-level learning too often act as "roadblocks" to higher education and degrees. History Gateways encourages faculty to critically reexamine their introductory courses to better serve students from all backgrounds.

But what do K-12 teachers think of our work? In December 2023, Gateways faculty from Houston and Chicago described the AHA’s project to teachers at the annual meeting of the National Council for the Social Studies. We asked the audience to draw on their experience with students transitioning to post-secondary education to help guide our efforts to reframe introductory history courses in support of success, retention, and completion among historically underserved groups. Teachers responded to five questions we posed about their students and our own course revisions. Our panel will report on what teachers told us.

Dan McInerney will explain the presentations we made to the NCSS -- and review what teachers want us to recognize about our entering students.

Amy Powers will discuss what teachers said about the learning and skills that new students bring to our courses

Kelly Hopkins will share what we learned about the expectations our entering students bring to their college work.

Theresa Jach will highlight how teachers view the best ways to engage new students in college-level studies.

Together, the panelists will review teachers’ comments on the strengths and weaknesses of our own introductory course revisions.