PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Close Up’s exciting Washington Teacher Program runs parallel to our flagship student programs for high schools and middle schools so that teachers and their students can participate simultaneously. This gives educators the flexibility to gain professional development and bolster their classroom resources while experiencing the nation’s capital. Close Up's Washington Teacher Program truly is the only one of its kind!
Each year, over 1,000 educators from all 50 states and U.S. territories come to Washington, D.C. as part of Close Up. The goals of Close Up’s Teacher Program are to provide educators with opportunities for academic and professional development and to encourage a continued interest in citizenship education and the democratic process. During the program, teachers can choose from a series of fast-paced modules and electives led by our Curriculum Specialists, share best teaching practices and professional experiences, and return home with new tools and insights to help students better understand the government and their roles as active citizens.
Our innovative program has 3 cornerstones: 1) a dynamic curriculum that helps teachers develop aptitude in their field; 2) a peer-to-peer learning method in which teachers from every type of school setting share insights on how to make democracy come alive for students; and 3) use of the nation's capital as a learning lab. We draw on the expertise of our many partner institutions to provide guest speakers such as Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan and Newsweek columnist Eleanor Clift, as well as interactive demonstrations and hands-on simulations designed to give teachers excellent classroom-ready resources and their very own Close Up experience. This is experiential learning at its finest!
Close Up has also partnered with school districts from across the country to design and implement professional development programs for teachers, including those funded by Teach American History Grants. For more information about customizing a program for you or your teachers, please contact Rachel Talbert.
Program Video | Graduate Credits | Continuing Education Credits
High School Teacher Sample Schedule
High School Washington & Williamsburg Teacher Sample Schedule
"The program at the Archives for teachers was very useful for me to learn how to use their sources in the classroom."
