Teacher Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships
The Teaching About the 2026 Elections Conference is an exciting opportunity for K-12 teachers and administrators to:
- Learn about important election-related issues
- Access resources that support instruction and enhance student learning
- Be introduced to national civic education programs and their curricula
Politics can be divisive, confusing, and challenging to approach. This conference will help educators find ways to ensure their students can discuss these sensitive and important topics with care, knowledge, and facts.
Registration includes breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and a conference t-shirt!
There will be a one-hour virtual follow-up session to this symposium later in the fall. Participants who attend the follow-up session will receive an additional $100 stipend.
Creating space for students to discuss difficult and sensitive topics, from historical injustices to current political divisions, is one of the most important and challenging aspects of teaching today. These conversations have the potential to build students’ capacity for civic engagement and meaningful dialogue across differences and strengthen our democracy. However, they also present real challenges and risks for educators.
Our upcoming virtual course, taught by Stanford professor Meira Levinson, equips you with proven pedagogical strategies for facilitating civil discourse and building classroom environments where respectful disagreement becomes a model for healthy democracy.
You will leave this course with:
Proven Facilitation Strategies: We’ll share specific techniques for managing difficult conversations as they arise, de-escalating hot moments, and planning intentional discussions that are focused and productive.
Experience with Ethical Case Studies: You will explore the factors that make discussions about controversial issues challenging through a case study, and learn how case studies can support your capacity to identify and respond to dilemmas in your own context.
A Personalized Action Plan: You’ll develop a concrete implementation plan grounded in the resources from the course, and leave prepared to decide when, whether, and how to engage with controversial topics based on your values, your learners, and your specific context.
The Wisconsin Civic Educators Summit brings together K–12 teachers, curriculum leaders, and civic education partners from across the state to explore the enduring significance of the United States Constitution and its role in American self-government. Participants will examine how constitutional principles shaped the American founding, consider how those principles continue to influence contemporary civic life, and share effective strategies for teaching constitutional government in today’s classrooms.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- $150 stipend for participants, breakfast and lunch provided
- Keynote address exploring the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
- Plenary discussion on teaching constitutionalism across K-12 grade levels
- Interactive breakout sessions led by Jack Miller Center and Sphere Education
- Free classroom resources and materials
- Opportunities to connect with educators from across Wisconsin
This one-day seminar invites K-12 social studies educators to examine the nation’s first framework of government through close study of the Articles of Confederation and the debates surrounding its creation and implementation. Participants will investigate both the successes and shortcomings of the Articles while analyzing letters, speeches, and other primary sources that reveal competing views of national authority, state sovereignty, and the challenges of governing a new republic. Through discussion and historical inquiry guided by expert scholars, educators will gain a deeper understanding of how the Confederation era shaped the development of the U.S. Constitution.
Program Highlights:
$250 stipend for participants
Scholar-led content sessions exploring the Articles of Confederation
Primary source analysis featuring letters and debates on national authority
Classroom-ready content connected to the founding era and constitutional development
Complete this application by October 9th. Decisions will be shared mid-October.
Part of Teaching the Founding, a seminar series for Wisconsin K–12 Social Studies Teachers, 100% supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s American History and Civics Seminars for America’s 250th.
Offered in partnership with the Jack Miller Center’s Founding Civics Initiative.
The News Literacy Project advances the development and teaching of news literacy in K-12 education. Applications are now being accepted for our next cohort of fellows. You will need to engage the right people in your district’s administration to support your application, so we encourage you to begin your application early. The submission deadline is Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Individual scholarships are available each year for educators who work in or support social studies instruction in any public school in the United States.
This resource shares many free or low cost Social Studies Summer PD opportunities. A huge shout out to Stefanie Wager for managing this database. Questions, comments, or to add programs to the list, email Stephanie at stefanie.rosenbergwager@gmail.com.