Upcoming opportunities for educators
Looking for new ways to engage students in WWI and its enduring impact? The National WWI Museum and Memorial provides professional development opportunities to K-12+ teachers with free webinars and in-person PD events, all including Professional Development certificates for event participation.
Please email us at education@theworldwar.org for questions regarding Professional Development.
February-November 2026
Educator Professional Development Series
America 250: Founding Ideals and WWI
World War I reshaped the United States – and the way the nation understood its Founding Ideals. Throughout America’s 250th commemoration, the National WWI Museum and Memorial invites teachers to explore how the Great War – a moment whose debates, divisions, and aspirations echo powerfully in our own time - challenged, expanded, and redefined the principles on which the nation was founded and that continue to shape our democracy today.
Across five webinars – a cohesive series with each program designed to work alone – each session focuses on a Founding Ideal, drawn from the nation’s Revolutionary-era documents (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights). Educators will explore strategies for using World War I as an era to illuminate America’s ongoing commitment to and pursuit of that "more perfect union.”
Webinars
Opportunity and WWI
April 19, 2026 | 7 p.m. | Online
Explore how wartime opened new doors for some Americans – while closing others – reshaping work, mobility, and social possibility. From industrial labor to military service, World War I created pathways for advancement and inequality. Teachers will examine narratives and primary sources that reveal individuals' experiences with shifting opportunities on the home front and in uniform.
Freedom and WWI
Sept. 27, 2026 | 7 p.m. | Online
Consider how the nation balanced the need for a modern fighting force with the individual freedoms of its citizens. The session explores debates around conscription, civil liberties, and voluntary service, placing students at the center of this historic decision-making. Educators will learn strategies for helping students analyze how Americans defined – and defended – freedom in a moment of global crisis.
Equality and WWI
Oct. 4, 2026 | 7 p.m. | Online
Investigate the broad experiences of Americans in a time of upheaval and change during and post-World War I. Explore how laws and communities fulfilled or failed on the promise that “all men are created equal.”
Rights and WWI
Nov. 15, 2026 | 7 p.m. | Online
Join the Museum and Memorial and the National Constitution Center to analyze the rights expanded, challenged and restricted during wartime, and how upheaval reshaped civic life in the United States. From free speech to surveillance, World War I tested the limits of constitutional protections, sparked national debates about citizenship and, ultimately, marked a turning point in the nation’s ongoing efforts to fulfill the promises of its founding ideals. Participants will examine landmark cases, speeches towards voting and civic inclusion, and primary sources that that reveal how Americans navigated these shifting boundaries.
July 20-21, 2026
Digital Summer Educator Institute
Game Changers: Sports, Society and WWI
Digital Summer Institute for 4-12 Educators, July 2026
The National WWI Museum and Memorial is excited to offer a Summer 2026 digital professional learning opportunity to assist teachers in integrating stories of athletes and WWI – the courage, sacrifice, and social change spurred on by the Great War – in their classrooms. Spend two days with the Museum and Memorial online preparing to teach this pivotal historical period through a new lens.
Sessions will take place
- 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Central Time
- July 20-21, 2026
Sessions will include scholar lectures, live Q&A and classroom application activities.
About the Program
Check back later for more details!
Aug. 6, 2026
Cheers to 100 Years: A Teacher Appreciation Preview
Celebrate a century of educators who have used the National WWI Museum and Memorial as a place of learning and inspiration. Enjoy light refreshments and an exclusive look at the exhibit Story of the Memorial, plus exclusive teacher giveaways and updates on new one-hour field trips for K-12 learners for the 2026-27 school year.
- Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026
- 6 p.m.
- Museum and Memorial
Stay tuned for more information and registration.
Past Events
Educator Professional Development: Democracy and WWI
Forging a Nation: The Linked Legacies of 1776 and 1917
Teacher Advisory Council
The Teacher Advisory Council (TAC) is a collective of educators who provide invaluable insight into K-12 classrooms across the United States. During their two-year term, members will:
- Maintain and advance the Museum and Memorial’s mission of helping generations of students to understand the Great War and its enduring impact.
- Evaluate and revise the Museum and Memorial’s educational content.
- Inform Museum staff on current K-12 teaching trends, technology, and curricula relating to World War I.
2025 Teacher Advisory Council
Christopher Bobal, Lee's Summit High School
10th grade | World History, International Baccalaureate History
Lee's Summit, Missouri
John Heeg, Deer Park School District
8th grade | Social Studies
Mattituck, New York
Carol Huneycutt, Fayetteville Public Schools
5th-6th grade | Gifted Students
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Jane Keen, Fayetteville Public Schools
Gifted and Talented Facilitator
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Mary Kate Lonergan, Fayetteville-Manlius Central Schools
8th grade | Social Studies
Cazenovia, New York
Mackenzie Pichardo, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School
5th-6th grade | Social Studies
Tempe, Arizona
Ardyth Watson, Fayetteville-Manlius High School
10th-11th grade | AP U.S. history, AP World History
Camillus, New York
Christie Walker, Duxbury Middle School
7th grade | English Language Arts
Duxbury, Massachusetts