NW Missouri Times

Northwest Missouri State University has been awarded a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) grant, marking its first achievement of this kind. The grant, valued at nearly $100,000, was provided by the Library of Congress’s Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives Office last fall. It funds educational projects that utilize the Library's digitized materials for one year, with the possibility of extension for two additional years.

The TPS project at Northwest is titled "Amplifying Rural Histories through Inquiry and Primary Sources" and is managed by an assistant professor of education at the university. Workshops have commenced as part of this initiative, with educators from 14 districts in northwest Missouri attending the first session in December. A second workshop took place in January in Topeka, Kansas, involving teachers from 12 districts across Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. Another workshop is scheduled for April in Platte County, Missouri.

The workshops aim to help teachers incorporate primary sources into their curricula by using inquiry-based practices that highlight rural America. Ellsworth commented on the project's significance: “I was so thrilled that it put Northwest on the national map when it comes to teaching with primary sources,” adding that it provides exposure for both the university and local educators.

Ellsworth directs the project alongside Dr. Scott M. Waring from the University of Central Florida, who serves as associate director. Ellsworth noted that these efforts equip teachers to explore local histories beyond urban narratives: “It doesn’t have to just be what happened in big, more urban areas."

The program also includes ongoing professional development through various platforms such as webinars and conference presentations. An objective is to develop PK-16 coaches capable of offering professional development across northwest Missouri and neighboring regions.

Participating teachers are learning new ways to engage students with primary sources. Ellsworth emphasized this approach's role in fostering critical thinking: “When you teach kids how to critically analyze and evaluate evidence from the past, they can also transfer that skill to evidence that they’re seeing now.”

Ellsworth joined Northwest's faculty in 2021 and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas focusing on social studies education. Her research interests include pedagogical knowledge for history education.

For more details about Northwest’s program or access resources from the Library of Congress—recognized as the world’s largest library—visit their official website.

Since 2006, U.S. Congress appropriations have supported Teaching with Primary Sources initiatives nationwide by integrating digital collections into educational curricula.