This fall, educators participating in the inaugural DC Declaration of Learning (DC DOL) gathered in the Kiplinger Research Library, one of several touch-points in this year-long teacher training program. The D.C. Declaration of Learning is a DC History Center partnership with the White House Historical Association , DC Public Library, and DC Public Schools. This exciting opportunity expands the reach of the DC History Center by bringing collections that tell local stories into classrooms, through lesson plans and civic engagement projects spearheaded by local educators.
Some background: The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms started the program in 2015, kicking off the Declaration of Learning in Arkansas, where it continues today. Then the initiative expanded, with the DC DOL and the Virginia DOL holding their first teacher training summits in summer 2021. Each cohort received access to historical objects, object-based activity training, and mentorship from experienced teachers, all while building relationships with other area educators.
Each partner organization chose objects from their collections that the participants then incorporate into unit and lesson plans; while the topics ran the gamut, the objects from the DC History Center most explicitly support study of compensated emancipation, DC home rule, the fight for DC statehood, transportation developments, neighborhood politics, urban renewal, and the DC public school system.
The pandemic required a pivot to a virtual summit this past July rather than the planned in-person experience, but the DC History Center was nonetheless thrilled to support the 22 teachers and librarians selected to participate. This inaugural year included applicants from several counties in Maryland and Virginia, as well DC educators representing Bancroft Elementary School, Capitol Hill Montessori@Logan, Charles H. Houston Elementary School, Edmund Burke School, McKinley Tech High School, Plummer Elementary School, Randle Highlands Elementary School, Seaton Elementary School, Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School, and Tyler Elementary School.
Since the July summit, the teachers have Zoomed with their DC DOL mentors, continued to collaborate with DC History Center staff, and developed unit and lesson plans incorporating historical objects from each of the partner organizations. Once those lesson plans are implemented, the teachers will guide their students through civic engagement projects addressing an issue facing their community. We so look forward to seeing these projects develop as the year continues. Stay tuned!