About

TeachArchives.org is an innovative resource for teachers, administrators, librarians, archivists, and museum educators. It offers sample exercises and informative articles based on a new approach to teaching in the archives.

TeachArchives.org is the result of Students and Faculty in the Archives (SAFA), a three-year grant at Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) which partnered with 18 faculty at 3 colleges within walking distance of the archives: Long Island University Brooklyn, New York City College of Technology (City Tech), and Saint Francis College.

From 2011 to 2013, SAFA brought over 1,100 students to BHS to analyze original documents. Independent evaluators have found that SAFA students are more engaged and perform better than their peers in non-SAFA classes. This site includes extensive SAFA project documentation. BHS continues to serve local students and faculty. Learn more about visiting BHS with your class here.

SAFA and TeachArchives.org were generously supported by the U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE)*. Additional funding was provided by JP Morgan Chase.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to BHS staff for their tireless work on and support of SAFA. We are deeply appreciative of the support and guidance of participating staff and administrators at City Tech, LIU Brooklyn, and St. Francis College.

Thank you to our independent evaluators at Educational Development Center, Inc. for their unfailing guidance, and to the project’s national partners for learning about and implementing our pedagogical model.

Most importantly, a special thank you to the 1,100 students we had the honor of working with over the past three years.

– Julie Golia and Robin M. Katz, SAFA Co-Directors

Participants

Project Staff

Brooklyn Historical Society
Julie Golia, Co-Director
Robin M. Katz, Co-Director
Dorian Onifer

Independent Evaluators

Educational Development Center, Inc.
William Tally
Alice Anderson
Tim Reitzes

New York City College of Technology
Peter Catapano
M. Justin Davis
Matthew K. Gold
Robin Michals
Barbara Mishara
Jody R. Rosen
Geoff D. Zylstra

St. Francis College
Athena Devlin
Alexandria M. Egler
Sara Haviland
Eric Platt
Jennifer Wingate

National Partners

Burlington, VT
Chris Burns, The University of Vermont
Prudence Doherty, The University of Vermont
Elizabeth Fenton, The University of Vermont

New Bedford, MA
James Lopes,New Bedford Whaling Museum
Laurie Robertson-Lorant, Bridgewater State University

Philadelphia, PA
Jason Allen, Camden County Historical Society
Beth Twiss Houting, Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Jeff Hyson, St. Joseph’s University
Randall Miller, St. Joseph’s University

Providence, RI
Elisa Miller, Rhode Island College
Holly Synder, Brown University

^{*Students and Faculty in the Archives is supported by grant #P116B100331 from the U.S. Department of Education. However, this website does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.}