Todd Gragg

Todd Gragg is an Educator, Leader, and Visionary. He is currently part of the Administrative team at John Marshall Enterprise High School in Oklahoma City, where among his various responsibilities, he supervises the Social Studies Department and serves as the AP Coordinator. Previously Todd taught U.S. History and AP U.S. History at Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City. Prior to this, Todd served as Director of Instructional Technology for Seminole Public Schools in Seminole Oklahoma, where he also created the district’s first-ever virtual school as well as taught AP Government and AP U.S. History. Before this Todd worked for the Oklahoma State Department of Education as the Director of Financial and Business Education. Todd began his education career teaching at Midwest City High School in Midwest City where he taught U.S. History, World History, AP World History, AP U.S. History, and AP Macroeconomics.

Todd has served on the Economic Education Advisory Council for the Oklahoma City Branch of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, the Board of Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies, various committees for National Council for the Social Studies, and as a member of the iCivics Educator Network. In 2022 Todd received the Charles Redd Center Teaching Western History Award from the Western History Association, in 2018 Todd received the Clara Luper Memorial Rising Star Award from the Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies, and in 2017 Todd was named a National Teacher Innovator by Next Gen Personal Finance. Todd has previously presented at the College Board Forum, the Western History Association Annual Conference, the NCSS Annual Conference, the NCSS On-Demand Webinar Series, the Oklahoma Council for History Education Fall Conference, the Financial Literacy in Oklahoma Conference, the Oklahoma Summer Social Studies Conference, and the Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. Todd has also been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal about teaching in the face of controversial laws presenting free speech in the classroom as well as being featured as a guest on several podcasts. In 2017 Todd was privileged to be a Summer Scholar through the National Endowment for the Humanities Rethinking the Gilded Age & Progressive Era Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Todd is a graduate of both Oklahoma Baptist University and Southeastern Oklahoma State University. When not working, Todd likes to spend time with his 4 children, go for a run, watch his beloved Chicago Cubs, listen to Mariah Carey, enjoy a cup of coffee, or eat some spicy food.

10 - Some really great students

cOURSES tAUGHT

  • AP® United States History – A two-semester introductory college equivalent United States history course in which students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes within United States history during nine separate historical periods from 1491CE to the present.
  • AP® United States Government & Politics – A two-semester introductory college equivalent introductory Government or Political Science course in which students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes within 5 broad units while developing and using the skills, practices, and methods employed by political scientists.
  • AP® Macroeconomics – A two-semester introductory college equivalent macroeconomics course in which students investigate basic economic concepts, measurement of economic performance, national income and price determination, the financial sector, stabilization, economic growth and international trade.
  • AP® World History – A two-semester introductory college equivalent world history course in which students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in six historical periods from approximately 8000 B.C.E. to the present.
  • U.S History 1865-Present – A broad picture study of American Heritage following the Civil War to now. Taught to the Oklahoma Academic Standards.
  • U.S. Government – A study of the foundation and function of the U.S. Constitution. Taught to the Oklahoma Academic Standards.
  • World History – A broad picture study of the history of the world from Greco-Roman days until now. Taught to the Oklahoma Academic Standards.
  • World Human Geography – A broad picture worldwide study of the geographical topics, including solving problems from a spatial perspective, population, culture, politics, economics, agriculture, and urban development. Taught to the Oklahoma Academic Standards.
  • Oklahoma History – A broad picture study of the history of the area now compromising the State of Oklahoma. Taught to the Oklahoma Academic Standards.
  • Personal Financial Literacy – A study of the financial concepts to help students make better money-related decisions through the scope of their life.
  • Eastern Geography – A broad picture worldwide study of the geographical topics, including solving problems from a spatial perspective, population, culture, politics, economics, agriculture, and urban development. Taught to the Oklahoma Academic Standards.
  • Western Geography – A broad picture study of the geographical topics, including solving problems from a spatial perspective, population, culture, politics, economics, agriculture, and urban development focused on the Western Hemisphere. Taught to the Oklahoma Academic Standards.

Educational Background, Honors, Awards, & Affiliations

Education

  • BA – Interdisciplinary
    • Oklahoma Baptist University
    • Shawnee, OK
    • December 2013
  • M.Ed. – Educational Leadership
    • Southeastern Oklahoma State University
    • Durant, OK
    • December 2022
  • Additional Course Work:
    • Southern Baptist Theological Seminary – Louisville, KY
    • University of San Diego – San Diego, CA

Affiliations

  • Member & Former Board Member – Oklahoma Council for Social Studies
  • Member – Oklahoma Council for History Education
  • Member – National Council for the Social Studies
  • Member – Oklahoma Social Studies Supervisors Association
  • Member – National Social Studies Supervisors Association
  • Member – House of Delegates Resolutions Committee for NCSS
  • Member – iCivics Educator Network
  • Former Member – Economic Education Advisory Council – Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank; Oklahoma City Branch
  • Member – OKSDE – Economics/Personal Financial Literacy Standard Revision Writing Team – 2018-2019

Presentations

  • Presenter – History Alive: Using Project-Based Lessons to Increase Student Outcomes in the AP History Classroom – APUSH Best Practices Night – APUSH Reading – June 2024
  • Presenter – Equity Grading as a Pathway to Diverse Learner Success in the AP Classroom – College Board Forum – November 2023
  • Presenter – The Battle for Hetch Hetchy – WHA Annual Conference – October 2022
  • Presenter – Through Their Eyes: Using Soldier’s Perspectives to Teach the World Wars – Oklahoma Council on History Education Annual Conference – October 2022
  • Presenter – Teach Broadly, Engage Locally; Using Project-Based Pedagogy to Encourage Civic Involvement – CivicsCon – June 2022
  • Presenter – The Historical Inquiry Method Poster Presentation – NCSS Annual Conference – November 2021
  • Presenter – Washington’s Legacy of Leadership – Oklahoma Council on History Education Annual Conference – October 2021
  • Keynote Speaker – The State of Financial Literacy in Oklahoma – Financial Literacy in Oklahoma Conference – November 2019
  • Presenter – Oklahoma Digital Resource Library – Oklahoma Summer Social Studies Conference – July 2019
  • Presenter – Teaching Financial Literacy in Social Studies – July 2019
  • Presenter – The Historical Inquiry Method – Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference – November 2018
  • Co-Presenter – Crucial Conversations in the Classroom – Summer Social Studies Conference – July 2018
  • Presenter – Primary & Secondary Sourcing in the Digital Age Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference – October 2017
  • Presenter – Oklahoma Jump$tart Coalition – December 2016

Conferences

  • Oklahoma History – OU Summer Institute – June 2022
  • George Washington Leadership & Legacy – George Washington Teacher Institute – June 2021
  • Lincoln Speaks: Words That Transformed a Nation – Gilder Lehrman Seminar – June 2019
  • Presidents and the Constitution: Abraham Lincoln – Liberty Fund Weekend – October 2018
  • AP Summer Institute – U.S. History – July 2018
  • Teaching American History Seminar – Roosevelt, Wilson, and Progressive Reform – March 2018
  • EdCampOKC – March 2018
  • Arab-Israeli Conflict Workshop – February 2018
  • Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit – December 2017
  • Jump$tart National Educator Conference – November 2017
  • Summer Scholar – NEH Institute – Rethinking GAPE – University of Illinois Chicago – June-July 2017
  • Jump$tart National Educator Conference – November 2016
  • AP Summer Institute – U.S. History – July 2016
  • OCEE Train The Writers Conference – June 2016

Awards

  • Charles Redd Center Teaching Western History Award from the Western History Association – 2022
  • Clara Luper Memorial Rising Star Award – Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies – 2018
  • Scholarship Recipient – National History Day – Legacies of World War I Graduate Course – 2018
  • Professional Development Champion – Midwest City High School – 2017-2018
  • Oklahoma Alternate – James Madison Scholarship – 2018
  • National Teacher Innovator Award – May 2017 – Presented by Next Gen Personal Finance

Mr. Gragg Image Essay