Educator Institutes

The National Constitution Center hosts Educator Institutes at the Center in Philadelphia and at locations nationwide, providing teachers opportunities to learn from leading constitutional scholars and pedagogical experts while also connecting with fellow educators.

During each institute, educators work with content experts to deepen their knowledge of the history and contemporary relevance of the Constitution, the structural Constitution, and the amendment process. The Center’s Education team works closely with teacher facilitators, providing participants with the tools to discover and develop innovative, nonpartisan ways to make the content relevant to their students.

Our approach has three main components: build a historical foundation through storytelling; learn how to interpret the Constitution like a constitutional lawyer; and develop the skills of civil dialogue and reflection.

During the institutes, we:

• Build a strong foundation by exploring the Constitution’s text and history with a focus on telling stories from the founding to present day
• 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
• Review civil dialogue protocols and resources focused on embedding non-partisan civil dialogue practices in the classroom

Institutes are open to educators working with grades 5–12 at public, charter, independent, parochial, and other schools. Institutes are free to attend, but a successful application is required.

Applications for institutes in the summer of 2026 will open in December.