Middle and high school American history teachers in Lake County, Illinois, use an innovative model of professional development created through collaboration between higher education institutions and public school districts. Goals of McRAH (Model Collaboration: Rethinking American History) are to (1) raise student achievement and engagement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, teaching strategies, and appreciation of American history and (2) develop, evaluate, and disseminate a high quality, cohesive model of inservice professional development for grade 6-12 American history teachers, including collaboration with history professors and teacher educators at scholarly institutions. McRAH was precisely tailored to the needs of participating teachers based on work with the first cohort of fellows. Planners determined that teachers needed professional development to improve instruction, raise student achievement and engagement, and improve teacher status and engagement. Data gathered before and after the summer institute indicated that pre-intervention, teachers' practices were heavily teacher-centered, lecture-based, and focused on covering and retaining factual material. However, the institute successfully met teachers' concerns and needs, with teachers becoming more student-centered and reflective. Six appendixes include the McRAH grant table B (participant activities), McRAH grant table A (McRAH design); phase one needs assessment; McRAH strategies; McRAH Peer Observation Team Observation/Conversation Strategy Checklist; and participant survey on use and concerns regarding McRAH strategies. (SM)