Professional Development Opportunities

Whether in person or online, there are numerous opportunities to participate in high-quality, content-focused professional learning in civics.

Use this page to stay updated with the latest programs and find the right one for you. Don’t forget to subscribe to the PA Civics events calendar!

In Person

  • Learn more by visiting the event page.

  • Subscribe to the PA Civics Google Calendar to stay up to date with civics conferences in Pennsylvania as well as national events.

  • Jack Miller Center

    APPLY HERE (Deadline: March 8)

    The American Political Tradition Fellowship is the Jack Miller Center’s yearlong professional development fellowship for middle and high school social studies educators. The Fellowship consists of a weeklong in-person institute in the summer and monthly virtual meetings during the following academic year.

    This July, the APT Fellowship will kick off with a summer institute at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The institute will feature five leading scholars from the JMC network and include sessions on the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Lincoln and the Civil War, civil discourse, and America in the world.

    Following the in-person institute, participants will continue meeting with these scholars at six virtual sessions throughout the 2024-25 academic year.

    In addition to in-depth discussions of primary texts, teachers will develop lesson plans and curricular materials for the classroom.

    Most expenses related to attending the institute will be paid for by the Jack Miller Center, including travel, lodging, and most meals. Participants will receive a $1,000 stipend.

    If you have any questions about this program, contact Lauren Altobelli at laltobelli@gojmc.org.

  • National Constitution Center

    Deepen your knowledge of the First Amendment, engage with the Center’s nonpartisan educational materials, and collaborate with your peers from around the country during a First Amendment Weekend Workshop this fall. Weekend Workshops are held at the National Constitution Center, and take advantage of the Center’s exhibits and the surrounding history in Old City, Philadelphia. Apply now!

    During the weekend, participants can expect to:

    • Engage with leading constitutional, legal, and historical scholars on First Amendment topics.

    • Discover historical content through guided tours of the Center’s exhibitions.

    • Learn about the Center’s nonpartisan educational resources, such as the Interactive Constitution and the Constitution 101 curriculum.

    • Explore the Center’s educational framework, which includes historical foundations through storytelling, constitutional thinking skills, and civil dialogue and reflection.

    • Develop a sense of community and collaboration that will be fostered through quarterly check-ins after the weekend concludes.

    The Center covers the costs of all travel, lodging, and meals for those selected to participate, but space is limited to no more than 15 educators. After the workshop, participants have the opportunity to schedule professional learning sessions for their school or district during the 2024-2025 school year at no cost to them. These workshops are open to teachers who work in rural and underserved communities.

    Applications are open from May 1–31, with notifications sent no later than June 30.

    Applicants can only attend one weekend.

    Please send any questions about the workshops or application process to teacherprograms@constitutioncenter.org

  • Committee of Seventy

    C70 is an approved provider of Act 48 professional development for educators from the PA Department of Education.

    You can request a session by emailing Justin Villere, Director of Education at C70, at jvillere@seventy.org, or click to register for an upcoming Classroom Resources for American Democracy training session!

  • Center for Civic Education

    We the People: Civics that Empowers All Students is a federally funded project of the Center for Civic Education that supports effective educator development through our flagship curricular program: We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution.

    Research demonstrates that effective instruction in the We the People curriculum increases students’ analysis, problem-solving, decision-making, and communication skills. All are essential to academic success across disciplines and 21st-century work and civic life.

    Students gain a greater sense of belonging, understanding of their community and government, and English Language Arts skills as they engage in collaboration, dialogue, reading, writing, presentation, and reflection. View the year 1 preliminary report here.

Online

  • Subscribe to the PA Civics Google Calendar to stay up to date with online PD opportunities.

  • “PLCs” are a great way to learn in a community setting with other educators. Contact PA Civics Coordinator Sam Forman to add your PLC to the list below:

    • Writing Civic Histories Project

      • The Writing Civic Histories Project is an opportunity to collaborate and build an online professional learning community with other Philadelphia teachers around writing instruction in social studies. The group will meet each month on Zoom to investigate how we can make writing about social studies topics a transformative space for all students. Register to join here.

  • If you are interested in scheduling a civics content-specific professional development by PA Civics member organizations, email Sam Forman, PA Civics Coordinator.