BRI Storms The Country In April

Springtime provides ample opportunities for educators to grow their skill set through conferences and professional development workshops nationwide. The Bill of Rights Institute was at the forefront of those conferences throughout April.

BRI also finished the month strong, with its staff participating in conferences held by the state Council for the Social Studies for Michigan and North Carolina and conducting a professional development workshop for teachers at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Grand Rapids workshop introduced teachers to BRI’s newest curriculum, Government and Politics: Civics for the American Experiment. Lori Rech, BRI’s regional programs manager, and Dr. Jon Schaff, a political science professor at Northern State University in South Dakota, delved into the constitutional principles that underpin our representative government and examined how those shaped the operation of our political system. The workshop also discussed topics related to America’s 250th birthday next year.

A teacher who attended the workshop said they appreciated combining hands-on resources with Schaff’s expertise on the subject matter. They added, “I enjoy continuing to learn about history and government, as well as discovering resources to use with students.”

BRI’s appearance at the Michigan Council for the Social Studies conference included sessions on liberty from Rech and Joe Schmidt, BRI’s senior director of programs, and an overview of political cartoons. About 140 teachers also toured the Gerald Ford Museum and Foundation and heard from speakers, including President Ford’s daughter, as part of an evening of networking and exploring the museum. Some teachers also took home some signed books that the museum made available.

One teacher said they “found so many resources I plan on adding to multiple social studies prep curricula in the upcoming year.”

Schmidt and the BRI Programs team conducted multiple sessions at the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies conference. The team shared information about BRI and our resources with teachers during the workshops. The sessions focused on standards alignment for civics literacy standards, which addressed North Carolina’s state civics standards.

The second session discussed managing multiple perspectives, and the last workshop centered on bridging American history with North Carolina’s Teacher-Selected Standards Aligned Resources. The workshops also included an overview of BRI’s standards alignment tool for North Carolina.

BRI also received the NCCSS “Vendor of the Year” award and sponsored the conference’s Wi-Fi service. A teacher who attended the workshops said they enjoyed learning about resources specific to North Carolina “because it can be overwhelming!”

“I learned about a resource I was totally unaware [of] and [now] excited to use!” said another teacher.

Visit the Events page on BRI’s website for more information on our upcoming workshops and conferences.