FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ABC-CLIO Schools Announces New
Professional Development Series:
Historical Inquiry for 21st Century Students

Innovative Program Gives History Teachers a Model for
Implementing Inquiry-Based Learning in the Classroom

Santa Barbara, CA — October 16, 2006 — ABC-CLIO Schools, the award-winning history reference publisher, announces a new series of professional development workshops for history teachers: Historical Inquiry for 21st Century Students. The program advocates a greater focus on developing students' historical thinking skills and gives teachers a framework for promoting in-depth, student-centered learning.

“This new workshop series builds on ABC-CLIO's half-century commitment to improving the teaching, learning, and researching of history,” said Becky Snyder, President and Publisher. “We are pleased to offer this unique program, which incorporates both theoretical and practical issues related to education and social studies.”

ABC-CLIO Schools has arranged for presenters such as Chris Mullin, who received the prestigious California Teacher of the Year award in 2003, to speak about how ABC-CLIO Schools' five-step inquiry method can transform the learning environment in a classroom and prepare students for the challenges they will face in life and in work.

ABC-CLIO Schools' Presenters

• Chris Mullin teaches U.S. and European history at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in California. He received his B.A. in classical Greek and Latin from the University of California at Berkeley and his Masters in education from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Chris is a facilitator for the California History Social Science Project and the Cold War Institute at UCSB and is a regular presenter at state and national conferences.
  
• Dr. Lee Eysturlid teaches history at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and at Northwestern University. He received his B.A. in history from the Citadel and his Masters and Ph.D. in history from Purdue. A published military history expert, Lee is a member of the Citadel Historical Association, the National History Project Summer Institute, and the Purdue Research Foundation.
  
• Jeremy Gypton graduated from the University of Arizona's College of Education, where he majored in Social Studies. He also holds a Master of Military Studies degree from American Military University, with a focus on Land Warfare. He currently teaches American history, American government, and a World War II/Holocaust elective at Empire High School in Vail, Arizona, where he also serves as the Social Studies department head.
  
• Brett Piersma received his B.A. in history and his Master's of Education and teaching credential at UC Santa Barbara. He teaches AP European History, AP American Government, and College Preparatory World Cultures at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School. He has facilitated the California History-Social Sciences Project at UCSB and is a MetLife Fellow for the Teachers Network Leadership Institute. Brett has also co-written several award-winning classroom activities.
  
• Renae Elert has taught World History, World Cultures, and French at Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, Minnesota, since 1996. She graduated with a B.S. in Education and French from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1995 and then added a Broadfield Social Studies major and certification through the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 2005.
  
• Dean Graziano has an undergraduate degree (B.S.) in history from Fitchburg State College and an MEd. in history from Westfield State College. Currently working on his A.L.M. in government at Harvard University, Dean has been teaching for over 20 years, and teaches United States History and AP United States History at Somers High School in Somers, Connecticut.
  
• Charlie Newhall received a Master's in History at Boston College, and his undergraduate AP United States History at St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts. He has written and given talks on Supreme Court associate justice Joseph Story, lexicographer John Pickering, capital migration, American literary societies, and the Atlantic world.
  
• Karen Sedoti received her B.A. in Elementary Education from Kent State University in 1992 and her Master's in the Art of Teaching from Grand Canyon University in 2001. Leading projects in social studies curriculum and professional development for grades 4-12, Karen currently works for the school district in Clark County, Nevada. She is also president-elect of the Southern Nevada Council for the Social Studies, and is a passionate advocate for civic education and involvement.

Benefits of Attending the Workshop
Participants will leave the workshop with a firm grasp of how to incorporate this inquiry method into their own classrooms, learning:

• which questioning strategies, primary sources, and assignments lead students to independent thought and a deeper understanding of history
  
• how best to address standards-based content and still support in-depth, student-centered learning
  
• what critical thinking skills students need most, and why social studies is ideally suited to prepare the next generation of students for life and work in the 21st century.
  

The workshop is free, and attendees will receive a complimentary two-month subscription to ABC-CLIO Schools' social studies subscription databases, which together have won an unprecedented 45 prestigious educational awards. The databases are easy-to-use, authoritative online resources that integrate thousands of relevant primary and secondary sources with lessons, activities, and current events articles.

In addition to the database subscriptions, participants will receive a free 150-page resource book to share with their social studies faculty. Developed in partnership with the National History Day Organization, the Triumph and Tragedy in History series seeks to challenge students with historical material that both celebrates and complicates their conceptions of our national heritage.

The workshops will be held in conjunction with state social studies conferences throughout the year. History teachers who are interested in the program can register by sending an email to: shollabaugh@abc-clio.com.

About ABC-CLIO Schools
ABC-CLIO Schools is an award-winning print and electronic publisher of social studies and reference products for students in grades 6-12. ABC-CLIO Schools is a division of ABC-CLIO, a premier history publisher for over 50 years. Established in 1955, ABC-CLIO is a privately held publisher with an international reputation for high quality and innovation. As an educational reference publisher, ABC-CLIO has received critical acclaim for its abstracting and indexing databases, award-winning book program, and progressive online resources.