The National Constitution Center is focused on working with educators and scholars to empower classrooms throughout the country with the tools, knowledge, and pedagogical practice they need to understand the Constitution and its relevance to American’s lives.
Watch video recordings of past Educator Professional Development sessions on our YouTube channel.
Join or schedule a webinar to learn more about the National Constitution Center’s online resources, and how they support your teaching. These webinars can be accessed on a computer, tablet, or phone using Zoom.
Available at the National Constitution Center or at your school, our customized workshops help educators enhance their teaching of the Constitution. Come to the Center, or let us bring the workshop to your classroom, school, or district.
These full-day programs include exhibit tours, modelled classroom activities, and training in civil dialogue techniques.
Join teachers from across the country and constitutional scholars for virtual summer teacher programs with the National Constitution Center.
Webinar
Presented with the Los Angeles County Office of Education*
Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 3:30 to 5 p.m. PT/ 6:30 to 8 p.m. ET
In this session, educators will learn about the National Constitution Center’s educational framework and online resources to support student learning of the Second Amendment. Educators will explore different viewpoints and debates surrounding the Second Amendment by using the National Constitution Center’s Interactive Constitution.
*This session is open to all educators.
Register here.
Three-day virtual workshop
July 7 – 9, 2021
Join teachers from across the country and engage with ideologically diverse scholars during a virtual three-day workshop with the National Constitution Center on Constitutional Conversations and Civil Dialogue in July 2021.
During the virtual workshop, educators work with content experts to deepen their understanding of the importance of civil dialogue in the classroom, develop meaningful procedures to engage students, and understand the benefits of imbedding dialogue in their curricula. With master teachers and the education team from the National Constitution Center, participants discover and develop innovative, nonpartisan ways to make the practice of constitutional conversations and civil dialogue applicable to their classroom structure.
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.
First, we build a strong foundation by telling the Constitution’s founding stories—including the ways in which compromise and deliberation shaped the Constitutional Convention and ratification process—and exploring how courts have interpreted the Constitution over time.
Second, 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—by working with the Center’s master teachers in collaborative classroom application sessions and engaging directly with the text of the Constitution.
Finally, we review protocols and resources developed by the Center—by presenting the best arguments on all sides of each constitutional issue, providing helpful educational resources, and offering platforms to support civil discourse within the classroom and across the country.
Teachers will explore the importance of civil dialogue, both throughout history and in the classroom, and learn about resources and methods to engage in constitutional conversations and civil dialogue. The workshop will emphasize the National Constitution Center's Interactive Constitution and other resources from the Center to explore changing historical and constitutional examples of reasoned debate.
The virtual workshop is open to educators working with grades 5 – 12 at public, charter, independent, parochial, and other schools. The workshop is free to attend, but a successful application is required. The application deadline has passed. Notification regarding application status will be sent by Friday, March 26, 2021.
More information is available in the FAQ document found here. Questions can be sent to Sarah Harris at [email protected].
Weeklong virtual institute
July 11 – 16, 2021
Join teachers from across the country and engage with ideologically diverse constitutional scholars during a virtual weeklong institute with the National Constitution Center on Building the U.S. Constitution in July 2021.
During the institute, educators work with content experts to deepen their knowledge of the history and modern understandings of the creation of the Constitution, the structural Constitution, and the amendment process. With master teachers and the education team from the National Constitution Center, participants 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.
First, we build a strong foundation by telling the Constitution’s founding stories—by exploring the big idea of how America’s founding generation looked to establish a new government structure with varying levels of power and responsibilities—and evaluating how the roles of each branch of the government have changed over time.
Second, 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—by working with the Center’s master teachers in collaborative classroom application sessions and engaging directly with the text of the Constitution.
Finally, we review protocols and resources developed by the Center—by presenting the best arguments on all sides of each constitutional issue, providing helpful educational resources, and offering platforms to support civil discourse within the classroom and across the country.
Participating teachers will also explore the powers the Constitution grants to all three branches of the government, as well as the limits placed on each, and the process of amending the Constitution.
The virtual institute is 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. The application deadline has passed. Notification regarding application status will be sent by Friday, March 26, 2021.
More information is available in the FAQ document found here. Questions can be sent to Sarah Harris at [email protected].
Weeklong virtual institute
July 18 – 23, 2021
Join teachers from across the country and engage with ideologically diverse constitutional scholars during a weeklong virtual teacher institute with the National Constitution Center in July 2021.
During the institute, educators work with content experts to deepen their knowledge of the inequalities inherent in the Constitution of 1787, the lead-up to the Civil War, Reconstruction and its legacies, and the ratification and legacy of the 19th Amendment. With master teachers and the education team from the Center, participants 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.
First, we build a strong foundation by telling the Constitution’s founding stories—by exploring the role dissent played at the Constitutional Convention and throughout history—and exploring the historical movements that led to constitutional amendments promising more rights for all citizens.
Second, 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—by working with the Center’s master teachers in collaborative classroom application sessions and engaging directly with the text of the Constitution.
Finally, we review protocols and resources developed by the Center—by presenting the best arguments on all sides of each constitutional issue, providing tools to engage in difficult conversations in a civil manner, and offering platforms to support civil discourse within the classroom and across the country.
The virtual institute will emphasize the National Constitution Center's Interactive Constitution and other resources from the Center to explore changing historical and constitutional examples of the battles for freedom and equality.
The virtual institute is 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. The application deadline has passed. Notification regarding application status will be sent by Friday, March 26, 2021.
More information is available in the FAQ document found here. Questions can be sent to Sarah Harris at [email protected].
Three-day virtual workshop
July 26 – 28, 2021
Join teachers from across the country and engage with ideologically diverse constitutional scholars during a virtual three-day workshop on the Bill of Rights with the National Constitution Center in July 2021. This workshop is open exclusively to members of the Center’s Teacher Advisory Council.
During the virtual workshop, educators work with content experts to deepen their understanding of the influences on the creation of the Bill of Rights, the arguments around its necessity and ratification, and the way the Bill of Rights has been interpreted throughout history. With master teachers and the education team from the National Constitution Center, participants discover and develop innovative, nonpartisan ways to make the first 10 amendments to the Constitution applicable 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.
First, we build a strong foundation by telling the Constitution’s founding stories—including the debates around including a Bill of Rights in the Constitution—and exploring how courts have interpreted these rights over time.
Second, 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—by working with the Center’s master teachers in collaborative classroom application sessions and engaging directly with the text of the Constitution.
Finally, we review protocols and resources developed by the Center—by presenting the best arguments on all sides of each constitutional issue, providing helpful educational resources, and offering platforms to support civil discourse within the classroom and across the country.
The virtual workshop will emphasize the National Constitution Center's Interactive Constitution and other resources from the Center to explore changing historical and constitutional examples of the rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights.
The virtual workshop is open to educators working with grades 5 – 12 at public, charter, independent, parochial, and other schools, who are members of the Center’s Teacher Advisory Council. The workshop is free to attend, but a successful application is required. The application deadline has passed. Notification regarding application status will be sent by Friday, March 26, 2021.
More information is available in the FAQ document found here. Questions can be sent to Sarah Harris at [email protected].
Click here to learn more about the Teacher Advisory Council and apply for future cohorts.
The National Constitution Center’s Teacher Advisory Board is responsible for supporting the Center’s education team in development and evaluation of the materials on the Interactive Constitution: Classroom Edition, as well as presenting content created to support students using the National Constitution Center’s free, online Interactive Constitution.
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The National Constitution Center's Teacher Advisory Council supports the Center by sharing best practices for teaching constitutional and civic topics—looking at the intersection of U.S. history and current events—and advises the Center on programs and resources that would best support classroom instruction on constitutional fundamentals. Teachers on the advisory council are active and engaged educational professionals who advocate on behalf the National Constitution Center with outreach for programs like the Scholar Exchanges and professional development opportunities.
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Register your class to discuss a big constitutional question with a classroom elsewhere in the United States.
Participate in a daylong immersive experience in constitutional education and civil dialogue.
Join other educators for a variety of programs that enhance your teaching of the Constitution.
