Civics Professional Development

Project Community: Engaging All Students in Media Literacy Summer Institute

For Upper Elementary & Middle School Teachers

July 13–17, 2025 
Annapolis, Maryland

Join the Project Community 2025 Cohort! Beginning with the Summer Institute and continuing with multiple, one-day, or shorter professional development workshops during the academic year, selected Virginia teachers will collaborate with educators from Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Washington, D.C., in a dynamic training program. The Summer Institute will provide expert-led instruction from current classroom teachers, fostering a shared commitment to civic education and ensuring they are well-supported in bringing the curriculum to life in their classrooms.

Eligibility: Open to teachers from Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Priority is given to educators who teach social studies, government, civics, and similar subjects. All applicants must teach students in grades 4-8.

What's Included: 

• Free professional development! A total of 46 hours of professional development in a learning community with mentors and other teachers, including a 5-day, in-person summer institute and follow-ups throughout the academic-year.
• Training in the Center for Civic Education’s Project Citizen curriculum, which engages students in collaboratively proposing public policy solutions to problems in their communities.
• Presentations from expert scholars on public policy, media literacy, and political philosophy to deepen your content knowledge
• Resources for teaching media literacy, public policy, and Project Citizen, presented by classroom teachers
• Continued support and professional development throughout the 2025–26 school year, led by expert mentor teachers
• A $500 stipend for your time and meeting the research requirements

Civics Empowers All Students Program (CEAS)

For Upper Elementary & Middle School Teachers

July 23-27, 2025 
James Madison’s Montpelier in Orange, VA

Join the CEAS 2025 Cohort! Become part of the We the People network—a nationwide K-12 civic education professional development and implementation network, impacting more than 100,000 teachers and 30 million students since inception. 

CEAS Goals:

1. Increase underserved grades 4–8 students’ attainment of state civics standards, related literacy standards, and social and emotional learning competencies
2. Create inclusive and identity-safe learning environments for underserved students in grades 4–8
3. Support high-quality development for diverse teachers, and (4) to study the effectiveness of the updated and enhanced We the People blended-learning professional development program at improving teacher and student outcomes 
    

Eligibility: Teachers in grades 4–8 who work with classes of 30% or more high-need students (Title I schools, students of color, students with disabilities, English learners, or other underserved students) with no prior experience participating in professional development or teaching We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution

What's Included:

• Free professional development! A total of 52 hours of professional development in a learning community with mentors and other teachers in Virginia, including a 36-hour in-person summer institute and 16 hours of online academic-year follow up.
• Engaging pedagogy and academic content, centered on the highly-effective We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum
• A network of support and resources for engaging diverse student populations in the history, principles, and current application of the U.S. Constitution Scholar guest speakers
• Access to a library of professional development videos with noted scholars and practitioners cued to the curriculum
• Free set of We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution textbooks and teacher’s guide
• A stipend for completing program requirements

Civics & the Judiciary Teacher Institute

July 22, 2025 

Join the JMC and United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for "Civics & the Judiciary," a free teacher institute for civics and history teachers. This full-day program allows teachers a rare opportunity to interact directly with current judges, legal scholars, and civics experts!

Civics & the Judiciary begins at the VMHC with an introduction to Civics Connects, a new classroom-ready resource for middle school students. JMC staff and legal scholars will discuss the intersection of civics education and the legal world. In the afternoon, educators will tour the Lewis F. Powell Jr. U.S. Courthouse, and participate in discussions with Judges Barbara Milano Keenan, Roger Gregory & John Gibney about the Constitution, rule of law, and governmental checks and balances. The day will begin at 9:00 am and end at 5:00 pm. 

Questions? Contact Caroline Legros at clegros@virginiahistory.org.