Summer & Fall Online Student Programs and Professional Development Webinars for Educators

Join us online for interactive learning programs! In partnership with the Presidential Primary Sources Project, we’re offering programs for students in grades K-12, and for educators looking for professional development.

UPDATE: You can access recordings of past programs on YouTube.

Sign up here for summer or fall programs for students and families, or professional development webinars for educators!

Programs will take place at 2pm ET unless otherwise noted.

Summer Student Programs

• July 28, Documents & Artifacts from the Reagan Library, Grades 3-6
• July 30, Rock-n-Roll at Bush 41, Grades K-2
• August 4, The Potsdam Conference and the Atomic Bomb, Grades 7-12
• August 6, Presidential Transportation, Grades 2-6
• August 11, The Little Rock 9 with former student Dr. Terrence Roberts, Grades 6-12
• August 13, Who’s in Public Service?, Grades 2-5
• August 18, American Women and the Vote, Grades 3-6
• August 20, What’s in a Museum Collection?, Grades 2-6
• August 25, Amendments to the Constitution: You Do the Math, Grades 6-12

Webinars for Educators

What Makes a Winning Presidential Campaign?

• July 21 – 23, three 90-minute sessions at 2pm ET each day
• This three-day mini-series is focused on ideas and resources for teaching secondary students (grades 6-12) about presidential campaigns.
• Explore the factors – strategy, technology, personality, the state of the Union, financial support, and voter turnout – that determine if a presidential campaign is successful.  All sessions will be a collaborative presentation with experts from the FDR, Truman, Reagan, Clinton, and Hoover libraries.

Presidential Powers and Precedents: What’s the Limit?

• September 22, one 90-minute session at 4pm ET
• Five case studies will examine the limits of Presidential Power in this webinar for secondary school educators (grades 6-12).
• The Hoover Library will examine the Bonus March. In 1932, Hoover used the military to clear protesters out of Washington, DC — but does the President have the power to do that? The intersection of Constitutional rights, legislative process, and presidential precedent makes this topic extremely valuable in the classroom.
• The Truman Library will look at the Steel Crisis. The United States faced a major steel strike while U.S. soldiers were in Korea in 1952. President Truman issued Executive Order No. 10340 to take possession of privately owned steel mills and keep them running. He felt this posed a grave threat to our national defense. Do presidents have the power to take private property when American is at war?
• The Carter Library will examine the Antiquities Act. The Antiquities Act of 1906 gives the President the power to circumvent Congress when they feel decisive action is needed to protect cultural and scientific resources. In 1980, President Carter used it as leverage to bring Congress to the table and pass the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), protecting over 150 million acres of public land and expediting implementation of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. In response, Alaskans would burn him in effigy next to the Ayatollah. Was he justified or did he exceed his Constitutional authority?
• The Reagan Library will go back to 1981 and ask the question, “Who is in charge when the President is shot and rushed to emergency surgery?” Join in the discussion as we look at historical documents, precedents, and the Constitution as we work to answer this question.
• The Clinton Library will examine the Kosovo crisis. Congress passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973 to limit the ability of the President to engage in military conflict without seeking a declaration of war from Congress. Did President Clinton overstep his authority by conducting strategic air strikes in Kosovo? How does this compare to other administrations?

Fall Student Programs

• September 8, Understanding the Great Depression, Grades 7-12
• September 10, Laura Ingalls Wilder at the Hoover Library, Grades 3-8
• September 14, 16, or 18, “George to George”: Examples of the Constitution from George Washington to George Bush, Grades 4-8 (11am ET)
• September 15, Camp David & Beyond: The Middle East Peace Process from Carter to Clinton, Grades 9-12
• September 17 – Constitution Day, The Charters of Freedom: Building a More Perfect Union, Grades 3-6
• September 24, Growing Up an Eisenhower, Grades K-5
• September 29, Understanding Tribal Sovereignty, Native Lands, and the Importance of Repatriation, Grades 7-12
• October 1, Georgia on my Mind: President Carter
• October 6, Tinker v. Des Moines: Constitutional Rights at School, with Mary Beth Tinker, Grades 7-12
• October 8, Red Scare, Spies Among Us?, Grades 7-12
• October 13, Bootleggers, Flappers, and Gangsters – Prohibition, The Noble Experiment, Grades 6-12
• October 15, Use it Up! Sacrifices on the WWII Home Front, Grades 6-8
• October 22, Chemistry Roadshow, Grades 3-8 (11am ET)
• October 27, Truman’s Life Through Objects, Grades 3-8
• October 29, Attic Artifacts, Grades 4-8
• November 3, Symbols of the Presidency, Grades 1-4
• November 5, Unofficial Roles of the President, Grades 6-8
• November 10, Choosing a President’s Cabinet, Grades 9-12

Find full program descriptions and sign up for student programs or professional development webinars here!

Program links will be provided following registration. Sessions will also be live-streamed on Facebook from the Presidential Primary Sources Project.