Meet Your BRI Team: Programs

<p>Even though the Bill of Rights Institute offers support and resources for history and civics education to teachers and students, that support doesn’t end when the school year is over.</p>

<p>Throughout the year, members of BRI’s Programs travel the country to bring high-quality resources directly to teachers through workshops, professional development, and social studies conferences. Educators are equipped through both in-person and virtual trainings with nonpartisan, primary-source-rich materials grounded in our Founding principles and civic virtues.</p>

<p>The Programs team also models practical instructional strategies – including civil discourse routines and literacy supports – and partners with BRI’s Content team to present our resources and help students engage with history, think critically, and grow into informed, lifelong learners and citizens.</p>

<p>In the first three months of this year, the Programs team delivered 66 programs in 25 states, attended by more than 1,600 teachers. In 2025, BRI delivered more than 300 programs, including workshops connecting BRI resources to meet state-specific standards. Check out our <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/state-specific-standards-alignment-tool/">state-specific standards alignment tool</a>.</p>

<p>The Institute’s programs often start with fielding requests from teachers and districts for workshops and professional development. We also target areas where their local education funding supports programming, and we submit proposals to state and national conferences to build new relationships and expand our network.</p>

<p>BRI’s session content is typically customized to a school or district’s goals, drawing from our resources and high-impact instructional strategies. We are also actively expanding services to new schools and partnerships to broaden our reach and serve more educators.</p>

<p>Educators routinely provide feedback after completing BRI’s professional development sessions, which range from their evaluation of the session itself to their favorite BRI resources, to how they will apply what they learned from the session and how they will apply a certain resource to their classroom.</p>

<p>Here are some examples of educator feedback on BRI’s professional development:</p>

<p><em>“I anticipate that my students will benefit from today’s program by experiencing more structured and purposeful inquiry in the classroom. Using the BRI framework will help me guide their thinking more effectively, encouraging deeper reasoning and reflection rather than surface-level responses. Additionally, integrating AI thoughtfully into lessons will allow students to explore creative problem-solving while developing critical thinking skills. Overall, I expect that these strategies will foster greater engagement, independent thinking, and a stronger connection between student questions and meaningful learning outcomes.”</em></p>

<p><em>“I’m once again excited to try new things in the classroom. When I’m excited, some of them get excited. Also, they love games and relating content to modern times.”</em></p>

<p><em>“I think my students will benefit from my renewed passion and excitement, as well as the games and resources we will now be using.”</em></p>

<p><em>“ I gained a lot of ideas- just ones I would have to change for what I teach. I think kids definitely do benefit from the activities and lessons that are created on this site.”</em></p>

<p><em>“I think that my students will receive a refreshed teacher. Attending PDs always makes me excited and motivated to come back and challenge myself. Even if not applicable to my content.”</em></p>

<p>“It has been an incredible experience working alongside such dedicated colleagues who share my passion for teachers, civics, and history rooted in founding principles and civic virtues,” said Lori Rech, BRI’s regional programs manager. “Over the past four years on the Programs team, I have had the privilege of collaborating with my teammates and working with teachers and districts nationwide—sharing high-quality, user-friendly, nonpartisan, and free resources that bring civics and history to life for students.”</p>

<p>The excitement about the BRI Programs team’s work never ends for Shawn McCusker, director of teacher programs. Serving teachers, students, and school communities is “incredibly rewarding,” he said, and added “that work is especially important because we support educators who step into classrooms every day to teach about our government and prepare students to navigate a world filled with conflicting information.</p>

<p>“Through our programs and resources, we help make that challenge more manageable while empowering students to think critically, engage thoughtfully, and become informed citizens,” McCusker said. Visit <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/events/">the BRI website</a> for more information on our professional development opportunities, and when we will host an in-person session near you!</p>