State Archives Partnership Trust Receives $100,000 Grant from the Robert D.L. Gardiner Foundation to Expand State Archives Educator Resources

The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation awarded the New York State Archives Partnership Trust (APT), the non-profit arm of the New York State Archives, a $100,000 matching grant for Consider the Source Online: Teaching with Historical Records Project. The project will create an online platform that enables local, regional and statewide collaborations among teachers, cultural organizations and content specialists. In addition, the National Council for History Education designated the APT to head a new council for New York State.

“Primary sources – whether it’s a historical document, an audio recording, or a video – are one of the best ways to teach students about the past,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “Thanks to the Gardiner Foundation’s grant, the Archives Partnership Trust will create an interactive online resource to help educators incorporate primary sources and historical records into their classroom curriculum.”

“Teachers encourage students to make discoveries every day and teaching with primary sources is an excellent way to spark discovery in the classroom,” said Beth Berlin, Acting Commissioner of the State Education Department. “The new Consider the Source Online website will bring together educators and cultural institutions to develop an online network of learning communities and introduce teachers to the how and why of using historical documents in the classroom. There’s no better way to start the Trust’s new leadership of the New York Council for History Education than the launch of this project.”

Funded in part by the Gardiner Foundation’s grant, the APT’s Consider the Source Online website will feature: digitized primary sources selected by educators and connected to the New York State Learning Standards; teacher-developed primary source lesson plans; training modules and videos on incorporating historical records into the classroom; a calendar of professional learning opportunities; and an online support community where teachers and cultural organizations can ask questions and share ideas. The APT and its regional partners will provide tailored professional development opportunities for teachers to create their own primary source-based educational lessons. Work is expected to begin on the project in September with an anticipated completion in August 2021.

The APT also recently partnered with the National Council for History Education to form a state council – the New York Council for History Education (NYCHE). This partnership further enhances the Trust’s ability to promote historical literacy by strengthening regional networks of educators, historians and cultural organizations and providing locally focused professional development and outreach activities. The NYCHE will be chaired by The College of Saint Rose Professor, Kristi Fragnoli, Ed.D. and a team of educators from nine regions around New York State. Recruitment is ongoing to form regional networks of educators to serve as advisors to strengthen the work of NYCHE and provide professional development.

Kathryn M. Curran, Executive Director of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, said, “The priority of a historical society’s mission of stewardship is in overseeing its archives. These documents are the most valuable pieces in their collections. Though often overlooked and utilized, these resources offer a personal voice and as such a true reflection of a time and place. The Gardiner Foundation is delighted to partner with the State Archives Partnership Trust to advance the use of these primary resources in bringing these narratives to life and to celebrate our historic societies as important educational resources.”

Laura Wakefield, Interim Executive Director of the National Council for History Education, said, “NCHE is thrilled with the collaboration of the New York State Archives Partnership Trust to build and support the New York Council for History Education. With the help of the Archives Partnership Trust’s leadership and network, the New York Council for History Education will reach history educators, libraries and cultural organizations with opportunities to connect through conferences, receive professional development, stay informed, and advocate for history education. We look forward to growing and serving NCHE’s members across the state of New York through the work of this new state council.”

The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, established in 1987, primarily supports the study of New York State history. Robert David Lion Gardiner was, until his death in August 2004, the 16^th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner’s Island, NY. The Gardiner Family and their descendants have owned Gardiner’s Island since 1639, obtained as part of a royal grant from King Charles I of England. The Foundation is inspired by Robert David Lion Gardiner’s personal passion for New York history.

The New York State Archives Partnership Trust is a statewide non-profit whose mission is to keep over 350 years of New York’s rich documentary heritage within the New York State Archives accessible and alive though education, preservation, and outreach programs. The New York State Archives is the largest repository of state government records in the nation, holding over 250 million records of state and colonial governments dating back to the Dutch colonial period in 1630. The New York State Archives is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education.