BRI Enjoys An Event-Filled March
<p>From conferences to summits to remote trainings, Bill of Rights Institute staff were hard at work last month with spreading the message of civic engagement.</p>
<p>The Institute was present at multiple state social studies council conferences in March, specifically in Alabama, California, Colorado, New York, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.</p>
<p>BRI staff offered sessions on several topics throughout the conferences, including American history, strategies for interpreting primary sources, civic harmony, and various BRI resources and initiatives, including <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/my-impact-challenge/">MyImpact Challenge</a> and the <a href="https://civicstarchallenge.org/">Civics Star Challenge</a>, which is a collaboration with iCivics and included hosting a breakfast for participants at the California Council for the Social Studies conference.</p>
<p>Lori Rech, BRI’s regional programs manager, and BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams each attended Regent University’s conference entitled “Carry the Torch: Reigniting American Patriotism for the next 250 Year!” Rech highlighted BRI’s efforts during a panel discussion, while Williams led various sessions. Rech also presented at the National Council of History Education (NCHE) conference in Montgomery, Ala.</p>
<p>BRI also attended the first MiCivics Coalition Summit at Eastern Michigan University, which was part of a statewide Civic Learning Week initiative. Shaenlynn Farnsworth, manager of program partnerships, presented about <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/curricula/elementary/">BRI Jr.</a>, the Institute’s curriculum for elementary students.</p>
<p>As part of our partnership with Utah Valley University, Rachel Davison Humphries, BRI’s senior director of civic learning, led sessions for Utah educators, with a future session at UVU scheduled for June 8, 2026.</p>
<p>In addition to virtual training sessions on civic harmony and civil discourse, BRI also held a workshop for teachers at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma, Wash. Farnsworth and Don Jenkins, program partnerships manager at BRI, introduced teachers to Institute resources that could <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/state-specific-standards-alignment-tool/">align with the state’s civics education standards</a>.</p>
<p>BRI rounded out the month of March with professional development sessions for teachers in Corpus Christi, Tex, and Loudon County, Virginia. Shawn McCusker, director of teacher programs at BRI, led four sessions for Loudon County teachers on teaching strategies to build research and <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/curricula/supreme-court-document-based-questions/">document-based question (DBQ) skills</a>, as well as strategies to foster civil discourse in the classroom.</p>
<p>Visit the <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/events/">Events page</a> on our website for more information on upcoming workshops!</p>