Summer Seminars and Institutes for K-12 Educators

Overview

<p>Summer Seminars and Institutes for K-12 Educators provide school teachers across the nation the opportunity to broaden and deepen their engagement with the humanities. One- to four-week residential programs, led by scholars and K-12 professionals, allow participants to study a variety of humanities topics. Seminars and Institutes emphasize the intellectual quality of humanities education and address recent developments in scholarship, teaching, and/or curriculum.</p> <p>Summer Seminars and Institutes for K-12 Educators should:</p> <ul> <li>focus on the study and teaching of significant texts and other resources</li> <li>provide models of excellent scholarship and teaching</li> <li>contribute to the intellectual growth of the participants</li> <li>build lasting communities of inquiry</li> </ul> <p><strong>Program Formats and Participants</strong><br><strong>Seminars</strong> provide a focused environment in which sixteen participants study a specific humanities topic under the guidance of established scholars. Seminars have few, if any, visiting faculty. Seminars emphasize sustained interaction among the participants and project director(s) through discussion of common readings and conversations about teaching. Substantial time is made available for reflection, work on independent projects, and related advising.</p> <p><strong>Institutes</strong> allow twenty-five to thirty-six participants to study a humanities topic with a team of experienced scholars and K-12 professionals. Institutes typically have more meeting time than seminars. The participants and team of scholarly and K-12 professionals mutually explore connections between scholarship and teaching. Some time is reserved for work on individual or collaborative projects.</p> <p><strong>Project Team</strong><br>The project team for a seminar or institute should include the following individuals:</p> <ul> <li>Project Director(s)</li> <li>K-12 Leader</li> <li>Additional scholars and academic staff</li> <li>Project manager(s)</li> <li>Institutional grant administrator</li> </ul> <p><strong>Funding categories</strong><br>Summer Seminars and Institutes awards are made at two levels: </p> <ul> <li><strong>Level I:</strong> open only to projects that would take place for the first time, this level supports preparation for and execution of the seminar or institute, as well as moderate follow up and outreach after the summer program. Level I projects are generally not revisions of previously-funded projects. For a project led by previously-funded NEH summer project director(s) to be eligible for a Level I submission, the topic and subject matter must be significantly revised so as to be fundamentally new. Former directors who are unsure about the applicability of this criteria should consult with program staff.</li> <li><strong>Level II</strong>: required of previously-funded projects and optional for first-time projects, this level includes Level I activities along with a robust program of dissemination beyond the participant audience.</li> </ul> <p><strong>NEH Areas of Interest</strong><br>NEH is especially interested in supporting projects that advance humanities-related work in the following areas.</p> <ul> <li><strong>“A More Perfect Union”: NEH Special Initiative Advancing Civic Education and Commemorating the Nation’s 250th Anniversary:</strong> As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, NEH encourages projects that promote a deeper understanding of American history and culture and that advance civic education and knowledge of our core principles of government. The agency-wide “A More Perfect Union” initiative will help Americans better understand the world’s oldest constitutional democracy and how our founding ideals are met in a modern, pluralistic society. <br>NEH welcomes consideration of diverse topics in American history, from Native American culture to rural life to the rise of the industrial city, from the Civil War to the Cold War to the Civil Rights movement, etc. We also seek projects that examine foundational documents in U.S. history, as well as projects that examine historical objects, places, traditions, events, and individuals who collectively shaped our states and nation. Applications about the contributions of under-represented communities are highly encouraged.</li> <li><strong>Standing Together: </strong>In recognition of the importance of the humanities both in helping Americans to understand the experiences of service members and in assisting veterans as they return to civilian life, NEH has launched a special initiative titled <a href="https://www.neh.gov/grants/standing-together&quot; target="_blank">Standing Together: The Humanities and the Experience of War.</a> This special initiative draws on the power of the humanities 1) to support advanced research in the humanities that explores war and its aftermath; 2) to promote discussion and deepened understanding of the experiences of those Americans affiliated with the armed services, whether active duty or veterans; and 3) to support returning veterans and their families.</li> <li><strong>Protecting our Cultural Heritage: </strong>In response to the destruction of cultural heritage materials worldwide, NEH encourages applications for projects that study, document, or create digital representations of lost or imperiled cultural heritage materials. Proposed projects should be based on scholarly work and follow standards and best practices. Projects must demonstrate the capacity to be sustained and must be widely accessible to the public. Learn more about<a href="https://www.neh.gov/grants/protecting-our-cultural-heritage&quot; target="_blank"> Protecting our Cultural Heritage</a>.</li> </ul> <p>In addition, NEH especially encourages projects that include Native American organizations and communities as lead applicants and project partners.</p>