*Note: listed event times may not be accurate

Join teachers from across the country and engage with ideologically diverse scholars during an in-person weeklong institute on the First Amendment with the National Constitution Center.

During the institute, educators work with content experts to deepen their understanding of the First Amendment and its historical impact . With teacher facilitators and the education team from the National Constitution Center, participants discover and develop innovative, nonpartisan ways to make the study of the First Amendment 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 and exploring how the First Amendment and the rights it includes 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 teacher facilitators in collaborative classroom application sessions and engaging directly with the text of the Constitution.

Finally, we review civil dialogue 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 institute will emphasize the National Constitution Center’s Interactive Constitution, the Constitution 101 curriculum, and other resources from the Center to explore changing historical and constitutional examples of First Amendment rights.

This in-person 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. Funding is available to cover a significant portion of travel and lodging expenses.

Applications for this Institute are now closed. Notification regarding application status will be sent by Friday, March 24, 2023.

Questions can be sent to Sarah Harris at sharris@constitutioncenter.org.