In our commitment to support history education, we are currently offering FREE professional development for teachers online. One-hour interactive PD workshops take place every Wednesday at 5 pm EST. Think & Drink, an informal conversation between teachers and a guest scholar, happens every Thursday at 6 pm EST. We hope to see you online soon!

September

Discipline and Racism in New York City Classrooms: How to Create Safe Schools
Wednesday, September 30, 4–5:30 pm
Participants will Receive 1.5 CTLE hours
In this special collaboration between Facing History and Ourselves, the New-York Historical Society, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, explore and consider the history of racism in school discipline, and how it has impacted the experiences of Black and Brown students in New York City public schools. Through analysis of primary sources, a conversation with historian and former NYCDOE educator Dr. Clarence Taylor, and a consideration of the position of educators in this narrative, discover how this history impacts the work of schools today and how teachers can create safe and brave spaces for students in the virtual and physical classroom. FREE!
Register here >

October

Unpacking Settler Colonialism
Wednesday, October 7, 5-6 pm EST
Participants will receive 1 CTLE hour
"Settler colonialism" is a term historians use to describe the system of intentionally colonizing a place and a people. Using materials from our Women & the American Story and New World–New Netherland–New York curricula, consider how this framework can be applied to the experiences of European and indigenous people in North America in the 17th and 18th centuries. FREE!
Register here >

Think & Drink: Voting Rights and Intersectionality with Valerie Paley
Thursday, October 8, 6-7 pm EST
Participants will receive 1 CTLE hour
How can educators help students navigate the tremendous inequities of women’s voting rights while also acknowledging the remarkable achievement of the 19th amendment? We’ll discuss the challenges of the suffrage centennial with Valerie Paley, chief historian, and director of the Center for Women’s History at the New-York Historical Society. FREE!
Register here >

Campaigning for the Presidency
Wednesday, October 14, 5-6 pm EST
Participants will receive 1 CTLE hour
How is visual and digital messaging used in presidential campaigns, and how does this messaging influence voters? Gear up for Election Day using materials from the exhibition I Approve this Message to explore the rise of TV campaign ads and discuss ways to help your students think critically about what makes these political strategies effective. FREE!
Register here >

We the People: America’s Evolving Democracy
Wednesday, October 21, 5-6 pm EST
Participants will receive 1 CTLE hour
How can we help our students better understand the principles of democracy? In collaboration with New-York Historical Society’s Academy for American Democracy, learn how the founding of the United States was inspired by ancient Athenian ideals, and how democracy has been reshaped by diverse groups in the United States in the centuries since. FREE!
Register here >

November

Women & the American Story: Black Women Abolitionists
Wednesday, November 11, 5-6:30pm EST
Participants will receive 1.5 CTLE hours
Free Black and enslaved women played a critical role in advocating for the end of slavery in the United States. Learn about Phillis Wheatley, Elizabeth Freeman, Sojourner Truth, and the countless other Black women who garnered support for the abolitionist movement through poetry, speeches, legal efforts, and more. FREE!
Register here >

Immigration and the Progressive Era 
Wednesday, November 18, 5-6 pm EST
Participants will receive 1 CTLE hour
While the Progressive Era brought meaningful reform, a rise in nativism also led to discriminatory policies against immigrants. Using our Women & the American Story and Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion curricula, discover the experiences of immigrants who fought back against xenophobia, created new communities, and expanded opportunities. FREE!
Register here >

December

Art as Activism
Wednesday, December 2, 5-6pm EST
Participants will receive 1 CTLE hour
Whether raising awareness or expressing diverse perspectives, art has been used as a powerful agent for change throughout U.S. history. Using materials and arts integration activities from our Women & the American Story and Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow curricula, discover how artists of the 20th century used their art as a form of activism. FREE!
Register here > 

Women & the American Story: Women in STEM
Wednesday, December 9, 5-6:30 pm EST
Participants will receive 1.5 CTLE hours
Despite today’s gender gap, women have long participated in the sciences. Learn about the critical contributions of women in STEM and the challenges they faced from the colonial era through the 20th century. By examining patents, photographs, documents, and more, discover female role models that will inspire today’s young women to pursue STEM interests. FREE!
Register here >

Women & the American Story: Coverture
Wednesday, December 16, 5-6 pm EST
Participants will receive 1 CTLE hour
Coverture, a legal principle brought to the American colonies as part of English common law, shaped women’s legal rights as well as societal expectations of their behavior—and still does today. Using our Women & the American Story curriculum, learn how women over the centuries have experienced and subverted the principles and vestiges of coverture. FREE!
Register here >