Curriculum Intensives
Offered through the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Center for Teaching Democracy, these multi-session professional development opportunities engage classroom teachers in an examination of the evolution of democracy. Participants work together to consider how the ideals and realities of democracy played out in ancient Athens, at the founding of the United States, and in American political and social movements across time. By the end of the series, participants have a clearer understanding of how to enhance their civics curricula through the use of historical topics and resources, with a particular emphasis on making the past—even the ancient past—relevant to students. Participants build a community of peers as they dive deeply into history, political theory, and engaging pedagogy, leaving the program with a network of passionate peers upon whom they can rely as they return to the classroom.
Upcoming Sessions
- Teaching Democracy Summer Intensive 2026July 28, 2026 - July 30, 2026
Inspired by the Academy for American Democracy, this FREE three-day intensive will immerse teachers in an examination of the evolution of democracy with a focus on strengthening their skills as civics educators.
Participants will work together to consider how democracy evolved from its origins in ancient Athens to the founding of the United States, and through nearly two and a half centuries of American political and social movements. By the end of the three days, participants will have a clearer understanding of how to enhance their civics curricula through the use of historical topics and resources, with a particular emphasis on making the past—even the ancient past—relevant to students.
The Teaching Democracy summer intensive is intended for all K-12 teachers interested in the ancient world, U.S. History, and/or civics and democracy education. Our goal is to engage all participants as adult learners and help them prepare to bring this content back into their school communities.
The jam-packed schedule includes hands-on workshops with classroom-ready materials, guest scholar lectures, gallery tours, and a field trip to the Greek and Roman halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art! Participants will build a community of peers as they dive deeply into history, political theory, and engaging pedagogy.
This summer's intensive will meet across three consecutive days at The New York Historical:
- Day 1: Tuesday, July 28th, 2026, 10am – 5pm
- Day 2: Wednesday, July 29th, 2026, 10am – 5pm
- Day 3: Thursday, July 30th, 2026, 10am – 5pm
The program is free. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are provided daily. All participants will receive a certificate of completion documenting their hours of professional development, and teachers from New York State are eligible to earn 18 CTLE hours.
You can apply here. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and are due by Friday, May 29, 2026 at 8pm. Please note: in order to upload the required documents to this application form, you must be logged into a Google account.
Questions? Contact us at aad@nyhistory.org.
Curriculum Intensive FAQs
Learn more about these professional development opportunities inspired by The Academy for American Democracy!
Testimonials
“I really liked the dynamic form of teaching. We visited galleries, had open conversations, and group activities. It was a great experience. Very engaging!”
“I loved all the information and activities! They were engaging and full of great ideas.”
“Great personalities of presenters, awesome lectures, incredible primary sources (not dry at all!)”
“There were many opportunities for meaningful engagement. Great range of activities that provided useful resources.”
“I really loved my time. Was wonderful to learn and be a student again. Great colleagues and learning from peers. This museum is a gem.”
“Everything—from the sources, discussions, the guest professors—was well organized and planned.”