Teacher Institutes
In-Person and Virtual Professional Development Events for Educators
About Teacher Institutes
A pillar of the Trust’s education programming for the past two decades, the National Teacher Institute provides high-quality professional development to K-12 educators, administrators, and museum professionals from around the world, free of charge, enhancing their ability to bring history to life in and out of the classroom. This annual, in-person event brings teachers to historic locations, cultivating their connection to our nation’s past, while broadening their arsenal of resources to teach this vital subject in the classroom. Teachers attend a series of workshops, discussion sessions, lectures and tours led by leading experts in the history and education fields. Participants leave the event with resources and lesson plans for the classroom, as well as new teaching strategies, and a renewed passion to teach this critical subject to future generations of students. By taking teachers to battlefields and other historic sites, the National Teacher Institute achieves a key component of the Trust’s core mission: promoting place-based education in some of the best outdoor classrooms in America.
More recently, the annual Virtual Teacher Institute reaches thousands of educators worldwide, bringing professional development to the screen with breakout sessions sharing new ideas, nationally recognized keynote speakers, and inspiring topics. Free of charge, this professional development opportunity is a summer highlight, according to many teachers who "login and learn." Through virtual professional development, Virtual Teacher Institute aims to provide educators with new teaching tools, strategies, materials, and a reinvigorated passion for history. In turn these educators inspire new generations of students to care about our nation’s past, while preparing for their futures.
Learn more about each upcoming event and be inspired to take your professional development hours to the next level!
Upcoming Events
Learn about our upcoming in-person and virtual Teacher Institute events. Get event details, find answers to frequently asked questions and register to attend!"
National Teacher Institute 2025
Virtual Teacher Institute 2025
Past Events
Explore resources, session recordings and more from previous Virtual Teachers Institutes.
Testimonial Video
How does an American Battlefield Trust National Teacher Institute inspire?
Educators at the 2023 Baltimore National Teacher Institute share some of their favorite learning experiences and how attending an event is transformative for them and their classrooms.