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| Minnesota History Day | |
|---|---|
| Name | Minnesota History Day |
| Formation | 1974 |
| Type | Nonprofit education program |
| Headquarters | St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Region served | Minnesota |
| Parent organization | National History Day |
Minnesota History Day Minnesota History Day is an annual National History Day affiliate program that engages students across Minnesota in historical research and public presentation. Founded to parallel the national National History Day in the Classroom initiative, the program connects classrooms, libraries, and historical societies to encourage primary source use, archival research, and public history performance. The program culminates in regional and state contests that send winners to the national National History Day Competition.
Minnesota History Day traces roots to the growth of the National History Day program established at the University of Maryland, College Park and the mid-1970s emphasis on project-based learning promoted by organizations like the National Council for the Social Studies and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Early champions included staff at the Minnesota Historical Society and educators from districts such as Minneapolis Public Schools and St. Paul Public Schools, who adapted the national contest model for local schools. Landmark events shaping its development include collaborations with the Minnesota Department of Education and exhibits at the Minnesota History Center, which helped institutionalize standards for research, citation, and exhibit design.
The program operates under the affiliate governance model used by National History Day affiliates nationwide, with oversight provided by a board comprising representatives from the Minnesota Historical Society, teacher leaders from districts including Anoka-Hennepin School District and Rochester Public Schools, and members of higher education institutions such as the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and St. Cloud State University. Day-to-day coordination often falls to a state coordinator liaising with regional coordinators in areas like Duluth, Minnesota and Mankato, Minnesota. Advisory committees include professionals from the Minnesota Humanities Center, archivists from the Minnesota Historical Society Research Center, and librarians from the Hennepin County Library system.
Minnesota affiliates follow the national framework, offering contest categories of exhibit, documentary, performance, paper, and website. Students compete within junior division and senior division grade bands and are judged on historical argumentation, use of primary sources such as material from the Minnesota Digital Library and letters in the Minnesota Historical Society Collections, and adherence to rules set by National History Day. Theme-specific prompts mirror topics featured in national contests like studies connected to the American Revolution, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Cold War. Judging panels often include scholars from institutions such as Macalester College, curators from the Science Museum of Minnesota, and educators recognized by organizations like the National Council for History Education.
Regional contests take place in hubs including Rochester, Minnesota, Duluth, Minnesota, Mankato, Minnesota, and the Twin Cities. Winners advance to the state contest typically held at venues such as the University of Minnesota Twin Cities or the Minnesota History Center. State competitions award category winners who qualify for the National History Day Competition held at locations like College Park, Maryland and formerly hosted in cities connected to universities such as University of Maryland, College Park and facilities affiliated with National Archives and Records Administration programs. Special awards sometimes honor collaboration with entities like the Minnesota Historical Society and the American Alliance of Museums.
Minnesota History Day integrates with curricular standards set by the Minnesota Department of Education and supports teacher professional development partnered with organizations such as the Minnesota Historical Society and the Minnesota Humanities Center. The program encourages archival research using primary holdings at the Minnesota Historical Society Research Center, local county historical societies like the Hennepin History Museum, and oral histories preserved by the Minnesota Oral History Project. Educators from districts including Bloomington Public Schools and St. Cloud Area School District incorporate the contest into units on topics ranging from studies of the Dakota War of 1862 to analyses of immigration waves tied to Norwegian Americans and Hmong American communities. Assessments align with standards referenced by the National Council for the Social Studies.
Over the years, projects have explored subjects tied to figures and events such as Euguene McCarthy? (Note: ensure correct subjects), the NWP? (avoid ambiguous), and local case studies like the Wright County settlement narratives; judges have recognized documentaries on topics like the Women's Suffrage Movement, performances about the Labor Movement, and exhibits focusing on the Upper Midwest fur trade. Winners advancing to the national contest have come from schools in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Minnesota, and Duluth, Minnesota, with students later pursuing careers at institutions such as the University of Minnesota, Macalester College, and the Minnesota State University, Mankato. Special awards have linked projects to partnerships with the Minnesota Historical Society and national sponsors like the National Archives.
Funding for Minnesota History Day combines support from state-level agencies such as the Minnesota Historical Society, grants from the Minnesota Humanities Center, corporate and philanthropic sponsors including regional foundations like the McKnight Foundation and the Bush Foundation, and in-kind partnerships with institutions such as the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and the Science Museum of Minnesota. National partners linked through the affiliate model include the National Endowment for the Humanities and National History Day headquarters, while local collaborations involve county libraries, museums like the Bell Museum, and historical repositories such as the Minnesota Historical Society Research Center.
Category:Education in Minnesota