Fund for Teachers

Through a Fund for Teachers fellowship, former board member Scott Glew investigated the impact of war on people and societies in Europe. In summer 2015, he traveled to the cities of London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Dresden, and Prague, and the battlefields and cemeteries of Flanders and Normandy to explore the causes and consequences of the World Wars and the idea of democratic citizenship in relation to war.

Fund for Teachers awards grants to educators (up to $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for groups) to allow them to pursue self-designed learning experiences.  The application deadline is January 30, 2020. Information about previous years' fellowship and the application process can be found on the Fund for Teachers website.

Goethe Institut Transatlantic Outreach Program

MCSS board members Scott Noet, Ashley Roth and Jessica Ellison have participated in the Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP), a summer study tour of Germany.

The TOP study tour of Germany was launched in 2002 to give American and Canadian educators the opportunity to experience modern Germany in person, traveling throughout the country for two weeks on a variety of tours. Travel, lodging and most dining expenses are covered, and participating teachers must create a lesson and deliver a workshop upon their return. 

Application deadline is January 27, 2020. Visit the TOP website for more information.

Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute

Board member Jessica Ellison participated in the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute in the summer of 2014. The Teacher Institute is a tremendous opportunity to learn about colonial and revolutionary America, civics education, and teaching with primary sources.

The Teacher Institute, which just celebrated its 25th year, is available in specific sessions for elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Teachers stay in residence at Colonial Williamsburg, meet historical characters, visit other historic sites, receive resources, discuss teaching strategies, and learn from other teachers. 

Generous donors have made scholarships available for Minnesota teachers. Visit the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute website for information about the program and the scholarships. Application deadline has passed for 2019.

Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminars

Board member Jessica Ellison and former board member Diane Munson have participated in Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminars, sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. 

Diane traveled to George Washington's Mount Vernon in the summer of 2012 to attend a weeklong seminar on "The Era of George Washington." Led by Gordon Wood, renowned historian and winner of a Pulitzer Prize, this seminar investigated Washington's contributions to the creation of the American Republic. 

Each summer, Gilder Lehrman offers 25 programs for K-12 educators, completely subsidized. Institute locations and topics vary. 2016 seminars include "The Great Depression and WWII" at Stanford, "Colonial Encounters" at Yale, "The Age of Lincoln" at Oxford, and many more. 

Seminars are posted on the Gilder Lehrman website. Application deadline is February 18, 2020. Please note that these seminars are highly competitive, and teachers may not attend seminars in back-to-back years.

National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Programs

Each summer, the National Endowment for the Humanities offers many summer programs for school and college teachers. The programs come with a travel stipend and vary in location, topic and length.

In summer 2012, board member Scott Noet participated in an NEH Institute to South Africa and Swaziland, where he studied geography, history, and the social institutions of the region. The field studies included Cape Town, Soweto, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Eddo Elephant Park, and Johannesburg.

NEH programs are one to five weeks in duration. Visit the NEH website for more information. Application deadline is March 1, 2020.