Summer Educator Institutes

Join teachers from across the country and engage with constitutional scholars during a weeklong institute at the National Constitution Center in July 2024.

During each institute, educators will work with content experts to deepen their knowledge of the history and modern understandings of the Constitution, the structural Constitution, and the amendment process. With teacher facilitators and the education team from the National Constitution Center, participants will discover and develop innovative, nonpartisan ways to make the content relevant to their students.

Our approach has three main components: (1) building a historical foundation through storytelling; (2) learning how to interpret the Constitution like a constitutional lawyer; and (3) developing the skills of civil dialogue and reflection.

• We build a strong foundation by telling the Constitution’s founding stories and exploring how courts have interpreted these rights over time.
• We explore how to help your students separate their political views from their constitutional views—asking not what the government should do, but what it constitutionally may do.
• We review civil dialogue protocols and resources developed by the Center—by presenting the best arguments on all sides of each constitutional issue and providing helpful educational resources.

These institutes are open to educators working with grades 5–12 at public, charter, independent, parochial, and other schools. The institute is free to attend, but a successful application is required. Funding is available to cover a significant portion of travel and lodging expenses. Applications are now closed. Notification regarding application status will be sent by Friday, April 5, 2024.

Questions can be sent to the education team at [email protected].