The ABA is excited to partner with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to host the Judge John F. Grady Virtual Summer Teachers Institute and Court Field Trips, sponsored by the Honorable John F. Grady Endowment. The endowment is named for the late Judge Grady, who passed away in December 2019 after 39 years of distinguished service as a judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Join an enriching day to look at how stare decisis and precedent works in theory and in day-to-day practice, as well as study some historic moments when courts have overturned precedent. Participants will also be challenged to come up with their own assessments of when, how, and why courts can or should overturn precedent. This Institute will equip teachers to answers students’ difficult questions on issues recently and currently before the U.S. Supreme Court and provide broad insight into this important legal concept.

The 2025 Grady Institute will be at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago. Meals and materials are included. Participants will be reimbursed for parking and train or bus fare.

Date: July 16, 202

Location: Dirksen Federal Building, Chicago, IL

Click here for more information



Join the Constitutional Democracy Project and the ABA Division for Public Education for an exciting professional development opportunity to empower educators in Illinois, particularly those serving in underserved communities as well as prospective teachers, with dynamic and inclusive resources on American government, history, and civic engagement. Access the tools and knowledge to not only meet but exceed Illinois' inclusive history and civics instruction requirements. Become a part of this program to make a real impact in the classroom and shape the next generation of informed, active citizens!

SAVE THE DATES FOR AN INSPIRING SUMMER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT!

CHICAGO: JULY 7-11, 2025

CHAMPAIGN: JULY 21-25, 2025  

BENEFITS:

 Professional Development integrated into current standards

 Ready to use classroom resources

 Innovative Curriculum

 Expert Instructors

 Numerous Networking Opportunities

 $2,500 stipend for teachers

 $1,000 stipend for pre-service teachers

 30+ CPDU credits

 Complimentary hotel accommodations provided

TEACHER COMMITMENT:

 Attend scheduled professional development in Chicago OR Champaign

 Participate in all surveys, reflections, & evaluations

 Participate in 2-3 workshops post PD (either on ZOOM or in-person)

 Bring 10 student delegates to Student Constitutional Convention

 Participate in culminating Student Constitutional Convention in Spring 2026

APPLY HERE 



Facing History & Ourselves invites you and your educators to join us this summer! Below are our in-person professional learning opportunities. For questions please email Chicago@facinghistory.org. 

Teaching Democracy and Freedom

Facing History’s Approach to US History

June 17 - 18, 2025

9:00am - 3:00pm 

Erikson Institute, 451 N LaSalle, Chicago, Il

Facing History & Ourselves supports educators in creating learning environments where students are able to grapple with the complex histories, choices, and actions of individuals, groups, and institutions in the past and present. Facing History's new US History Curriculum Collection focuses on themes of democracy and freedom, and provides resources for historical inquiry-based learning while developing students' civic agency skills using a range of sources that can both shape and supplement existing curricula. 

Who should take this workshop: 10th grade US history educators from Chicago Public Schools; Educators from outside CPS who teach upper middle school social studies or humanities and high school educators

Register Here

Confronting a Violent Past: Red Summer in Chicago

July 23 - 24, 2025

9:00am - 3:00pm 

Erikson Institute, 451 N La Salle Chicago, Il

About the workshop: Red Summer was part of a nationwide wave of racist violence against African Americans that occurred from April to November of 1919. This watershed event is part of our shared American past and its legacy's impact today. Join Facing History to engage in discussions about Red Summer in Chicago and how to bring this history to high school classrooms.

Who should take this workshop: 9th–12th grade US history, civics, humanities, ethnic studies, and African American history teachers and curriculum specialists

Register Here

Identity and Community: An Introduction to 6th Grade Social Studies

August 7, 2025

9:00am - 3:00pm 

Erikson Institute, 451 N La Salle Chicago, Il

About the workshop: This Facing History curriculum and professional learning will support educators as they engage students in thinking critically about issues of identity and community in history and in their own lives. The activities in the unit have been designed to develop a sense of community and belonging that promotes learning and encourages students to share ideas, take risks, and help each other. 

Who should take this workshop: 6th grade social studies and humanities teachers from Chicago Public Schools and middle school humanities teachers from outside CPS

Register Here



May is a month to commemorate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, and Memorial Day. The Illinois Inclusive History Calendar provides a plethora of resources to help classrooms celebrate.

The Library of Congress has joined with other federal agencies to curate resources around these events as well.

• Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month
• Jewish Heritage Month
• Mental Health Awareness Month
• Resources to Commemorate Memorial Day



Join the Bill of Rights Institute and the Lou Frey Institute for their latest webinar with the Lou Frey Institute, Term Limits and the Presidency: Teaching the 22nd Amendment on Thursday, May 1. Choose between the 4:00 PM CT and 6:00 PM CT webinar options.

Explore questions around the 22nd Amendment such as:

• What did the Founders think of presidential term limits?
• How did the 22nd Amendment come to be?
• Is it possible for a two-term elected president to serve a third term?
• Is there a difference between being 'elected' and 'serving' as president?
• Is the 12th Amendment a safeguard?
• Is the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 a factor?
• How can we appropriately teach about it to help our students understand the nuances associated with constitutional interpretation?

Register for the 4PM CT/ 5PM ET or 6:00 PM CT/7 PM ET webinar



The Teacher Advisory Council (TAC) supports the Education Programs of the National Humanities Center for a one-year term of service (August 1, 2025–July 31, 2026). Chosen to represent multiple disciplines in the humanities, these educators accept an active role in developing, evaluating, and promoting NHC materials and projects. TAC members are compensated with a modest stipend, have access to consultant opportunities on special projects and other professional opportunities, and attend an orientation at the Center.

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. ET, May 15, 2025. For more information and to apply, please visit the link below.

Become A Council Member



• June 9-11, 2025
• Registration Cost: FREE 
• In-Person Event | Normal, IL | Illinois State University
• All social studies educators are welcome to attend

Engage in inquiry using the C3 Framework and the Library of Congress’ digital primary sources at this special free professional learning institute at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Attendees will receive a certificate of completion for their time.

Event is sponsored through a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program, and hosted by Teaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region, coordinated by Illinois State University Bloomington-Normal, in support of Inquiry and Teaching to Prepare for Career, College, and Civic Life.

Learn More and Register



The Illinois Geographic Alliance (IGA), is planning a virtual teacher meet-up for AP Human Geography teachers. The goal of the meet-up is to provide a venue for AP Human Geography teachers in Illinois to network with each other and to share tips and strategies. IGA envisions a 1 ½ hour event that will include time for short presentations by AP Human Geography teachers, a panel discussion, and time for discussion. 

IGA aims to hold the event in mid-May 2025 after the AP Human Geography exam. IGA would appreciate it if you could please take this short survey by Wednesday, April 30, 2025, which will help select an optimal date. 



Two new resources are available as Sphere begins to build a Science and Technology collection. Check them out: 

• Fostering Civil Discourse in STEM Classrooms: Tips and Tricks - A general resource with guidance and ideas.
• Examining Regulation and Environmental Policy Through the Chevron Deference Reversal - A lesson aligning with AP Environmental Science or also suitable for economics, government, or other advanced subjects to help students identify interdisciplinary connections.

Explore All Science and Tech Resources 



Are you in the thick of AP U.S. Government and Politics exam prep? Street Law can help!  The Street Law Resource Library is rich with resources to help teachers prepare students for the exam.  

Top Recommended Resources 

1. Required Cases for AP U.S. Government & Politics: Street Law case summaries of all 14 required cases, combined into a convenient single document.
2. Comparison Cases for AP U.S. Government & Politics: A list of Street Law case summaries and other resources to help prepare students for FRQ#3: the SCOTUS Comparison question.
3. Using Case Studies in the Classroom: A range of Street Law-endorsed case study strategies for teaching court cases.
4. Federalism, Presidential Powers, and Students' Rights Timelines on LegalTimelines.org, plus accompanying Inquiry Packs to facilitate a deeper dive into the topics.
5. LandmarkCases.org is home to classroom-ready activities for teaching about many of the required cases.



May is Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM), an opportunity highlight Jewish perseverance and resistance in the face of antisemitism. To honor this important month, Echoes and Refelctions webinars feature experts in the field and offer an exploration of personal narratives and legacies from the Holocaust and beyond to expand students' understanding of the ongoing impact of this historical event.

• A Blessing, Not a Burden Featuring Dr. Alex Kor: The son of Mickey and Eva Mozes Kor, two Holocaust survivors, Dr. Alex Kor’s life has been an incredible journey. Join Dr. Kor, author of A Blessing, Not a Burden, who will speak about his book based on his parents’ legacies in a world still fraught with antisemitism, and learn how to bring testimony from second generation survivors into your classroom to help students understand how the Holocaust continues to shape the present and future. May 6, 2025 at 4 PM ET
• German Big Business in the Nazi Economy & the Holocaust:  Join renowned Holocaust researcher and author of Profits & Persecution Peter Hayes, Emeritus professor at Northwestern University and the former chair of the academic committee at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, who will discuss his book that traces how the German corporate world became deeply implicated in the Nazi regime’s persecution, exploitation, and murder of Europe’s Jews and how few of these individuals later paid any price for their actions. May 8, 2025 at 3 PM ET
• Traces of Jewish Life & the Memory of the Holocaust in Poland: What happened to the thousands of abandoned Jewish cemeteries and places of worship that remained in Poland after the Holocaust? Join author Chilik Weizman of Unsettled Heritage to discuss the afterlives of the thousands of Jewish communal heritage sites scattered throughout Poland’s postwar landscape and examine how they have been perceived, experienced, and interacted with by Polish society from 1945 to the present. May 20, 2025 at 3 PM ET
• The Colleyville, Texas Synagogue Hostage Crisis-  On the morning of Saturday, January 15, 2022, a terrorist stormed Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX during a live-streamed service, taking a group of innocent worshippers hostage. Join the courageous Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and award-winning writer-director Dani Menkin to discuss this incident, as well as the gripping film "Colleyville" that they made using footage from the live stream and security cameras. May 28, 2025 at 3 PM ET



In El Salvador, a Journalist Faces New Limits. ‘We Want to Continue Shedding Light.’ - In this new lesson, students will study the meaning of press freedom, compare press freedoms in various countries across the globe, and draw their own opinions about the importance of press freedom.

• Grade Level: 9-12
• Subjects: Government, Civics, Law, World History or Current Events

How Today’s Debates on Immigration Were Shaped by a 1980s Church-Led Refugee Network- Today’s debate on Sanctuary Cities have roots in the 1980s, when churches defied the law to shelter refugees fleeing civil wars in Guatemala and El Salvador. When the government refused to grant asylum to those escaping the violence, church leaders took matters into their own hands, smuggling families across the border, hiding them in churches and helping them resettle.

• Subjects: Social Studies: Civics and Government; U.S. History; English Language Arts
• Grade Level: 9-12

Would you like to develop and deliver news and media literacy education plans across your district in a way that’s sustainable, replicable, and has a lasting impact? 

Apply for the News Literacy Project News Literacy District Fellowship program!

Here are the basics:

• The fellowship requires a three-year commitment from districts.

• In return, the News Literacy Project provides districts with access to experts in the field, professional learning, implementation support and a stipend of $10,000 each year.

• During the first year, fellows work with us to lay the foundation and develop an action plan executing news literacy instruction in their district.

• During the second year, fellows pilot their implementation plans.

• During the third year, they continue this work and expand their impact.

• Participants will be part of a community of administrators, curriculum directors, instructional coaches, discipline leaders, and teachers who share expertise and collaborate with NLP on news and media literacy education issues.

Applications are now being accepted for our next cohort of fellows, so apply today. The submission deadline is May 16 at 11:59 p.m. CT.



Hometown is coming to Chicago this fall! The Supreme Court and My Hometown program is an immersive federal court learning experience from the Supreme Court Historical Society designed to teach high school students about the Judicial Branch through a Supreme Court case that originated in their hometown. This prestigious program allows students to engage with federal judges, attorneys, local professors, historians, and community members as they investigate cases and explore how a case moves through the federal (and state) court system.

More information and applications for each program can be found on the Society’s website.

Learn More



The OAV Civics Curriculum for Illinois Middle Schools (Illinois Civics Curriculum) was developed with the assistance of a grant made possible by the Illinois State Senate under the leadership of Senator Don Harmon. It is available free to all middle schools in Illinois.

The Illinois Civics Curriculum employs the ten OAV essential lessons fine-tuned to ensure alignment with Illinois middle school requirements for the content and process of implementation. As with the OAV Civics Curriculum, it includes implementation instructions and summative assessments. In addition, it provides examples of student civic engagement projects and a civic engagement planning template.

LEARN MORE



Join the AHA and thousands of people united by a shared passion for history at the 139th annual meeting of the AHA in Chicago from Thursday, January 8 to Sunday, January 11, 2026. The largest gathering of historians in the world, the conference brings together historians, including K-12 educators, working in a diverse array of settings to discuss professional issues, the latest research, new publications and resources, and much more. The AHA will partner with the Chicago History Museum to provide Illinois Professional Development credit for eligible attendees.

Registration will open mid-September, 2025. Sign up for news and updates from the AHA or join the AHA as a member to ensure you don’t miss important updates about the meeting.

K–12 teachers can register for the AHA conference at a significantly discounted rate of more than 50% off the regular cost of registration. Registration will open in mid-September 2025.

Dr. Frank W. Garmon Jr.

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

7pm CT (Zoom webinar)

Join ALPLM Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at 7pm CT, for an enlightening discussion with author Dr. Frank W. Garmon on his latest book A Wonderful Career in Crime: Charles Cowlam’s Masquerades in the Civil War Era and Gilded Age.

The book traces the career of Charles Cowlam, a Gilded Age swindler who received presidential pardons from Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis during the Civil War. His intrigues reveal how Americans built trust amidst the transience and anonymity of the nineteenth century and exposes the vulnerabilities of a political system built on personal connections. 

Frank W. Garmon Jr. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership and American Studies at Christopher Newport University, specializing in American political economy. Garmon received the Provost’s Award for Faculty Excellence in Teaching Student Writing in 2023, and his first book, A Wonderful Career in Crime: Charles Cowlam’s Masquerades in the Civil War Era and Gilded Age, was published by Louisiana State University Press in the fall of 2024.

Register Here

Register for the Guardians of Democracy Courses HERE!



The first draft of the 2025 Summer Social Studies Professional Development opportunities spreadsheet is now available. As you take a peek, anything that is NOT highlighted is currently open.

There are SO many great opportunities for next summer!

Many thanks to Stefanie Wager at the Iowa Department of Education for creating this calendar and updating the spreadsheet as more opportunities open.