The Southwest Michigan Consortium on Teaching American History has offered a unique opportunity for American History teachers to participate in Summer Institutes coordinated by Kalamazoo RESA, Western Michigan University, the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, and the Henry Ford Museum. Testing.

The focus of the Middle School Institute is the Constitution through Reconstruction (1754-1877) while the focus of the High School Institute is the period from the Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877) through Contemporary United States (1968-Present). Teams consisting of professors, historians, and high school teachers analyzed student performance, available resources, and strategies to improve instruction and student learning. The teachers had opportunities to develop and share lesson plans and instructional strategies. The focus of the grant was on improving instruction and student learning.