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Smithsonian Education

Teacher Kurt Russell sits at a square table in the school's library with five students, smiling and in conversation.

In Conversation with 2022 National Teacher of the Year, Kurt Russell

High school history teacher Kurt Russell offers a peek into his teaching approach, his new role as National Teacher of the Year, and what has sustained him as he recommits to the profession each year.

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You're Invited to the Smithsonian National Education Summit!

This summer, educators from across the Smithsonian community will provide a series of engaging online sessions, in-person workshops, and panels to inspire a nationwide network of teachers, librarians, curriculum specialists across the education ecosystem.

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Diverse and Inclusive Educational Resources for the Music Classroom and Beyond

While music has often been relegated to the edges of the curriculum in the U.S., there are many inspiring examples of how learning about, appreciating, playing, and creating music enhances children’s lives, and helps them navigate the complex world around them.

Students cluster in groups and individually around a sandy area, adding and refining the community map they are building out of sand, leaves, and sticks.

Education to Create a Sustainable Future

When thinking about the ultimate goal of learning, a Smithsonian educator and researcher suggests that at the core of education, is a goal to create a better future for learners and for us all. Through her work, she maps the journey to help students develop the skills and knowledge needed to become active participants in creating a more sustainable world.

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Museum Mentors Enable a Future-Ready Generation of Young Environmental Leaders

A nationwide network of mentors demonstrates the power to challenge and guide youth to be the transformational leaders that they can be, and that the planet needs them to be.

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Equipping the Next Generation of Radical Optimists in an Era of Uncertainty

A new series of creativity and critical thinking exercises from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum offers educators prompts, visuals, and big ideas to support student reflection and speculative thinking.

The Smithsonian's Under Secretary for Education welcomes teachers and students back to a new school year and highlights the ways the Smithsonian plans to build and enrich a national culture of learning. (Getty Images)

Back to School With the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian is committed to playing a role as one of the foremost education organizations in the country, offering innovative programming and resources for teachers and supporting a high quality, well-rounded education for all students.

Local Washington, D.C. based chef Jerome Grant was one of 12 presenters in the DCPS Career Ready Internship program for students interested in hospitality careers. Grant shared his philosophy around creating unforgettable dining experiences as a former chef in Smithsonian spaces including the Mitsitam Café at the National Museum of the American Indian and Sweet Home Café at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Marvin Joseph, The Washington Post via Getty Images)

From Museum Chef to Zoo Educator, Careers Come to Life for Local Students

This summer, local students explored careers in hospitality with Smithsonian mentors and advisors' support.

The Anacostia Community Museum was able to serve incarcerated audiences through use of newly issued tablets at the D.C. Jail. (Anacostia Community Museum)

Reaching Out to Those Behind Bars

Learn how the Anacostia Community Museum redesigned its acclaimed exhibition "Men of Change" as a digital offering for incarcerated audiences

Moments that highlight the joy and excitement of scientific inquiry—such as this student using a Van de Graaff generator—can spark interest in a STEM-related career. Here are some career-focused resources that can supplement that interest. (National Air and Space Museum)

Sparking Excitement About STEM Through Exposure to Career Pathways

Ask a child to draw a scientist, and research says they’ll often draw the typical stereotype of a “mad scientist”—– an older, usually white, man, with wild hair, wearing a lab coat and goggles. This mental image perpetuates myths about who can and can’t work in STEM careers. The reality is that anyone can do science. Five educators at the Smithsonian share insights and ideas on inspiring the next generation.

Through co-creation efforts with K-12 educators and Asian American community partners, the National Veterans Network, elementary and middle school educators, Asian Pacific American Center interns and National Museum of American History staff, learn more about the stories behind objects. (Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center)

What's Missing from Classrooms When Asian American and Pacific Islander Voices Aren't Included?

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have been present throughout America’s past through migration, labor, activism, science innovation, art, literature, community organizing, and so much more. When AAPI stories and voices are missing from what students learn, grappling with our current moment of increased hate and violence, and thoughtfully discussing this with students runs the risk of becoming even more difficult without support and resources to contextualize what we are witnessing today.

Through Smithsonian programs, like ARTLAB and the National Youth Summit, museum educators demonstrate how adult mentors can elevate the voices of teens in their communities. (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden)

How Educators Can Boost and Activate Teen Voices

Smithsonian educators, dedicated to amplifying the voices of teens, share their suggestions on how to support young leaders’ efforts without disrupting their individual agency.

A participant from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum's

Understanding the Power of Primary Sources through Home, Hand, and Heart

Primary sources provide learners of all ages with opportunities for deep engagement. Staff from across the Smithsonian share memorable moments in their work that have helped audiences activate their senses, make deep connections to people of the past and see their own home in new ways.

Children participate in a hands-on science activity with the Smithsonian Latino Center for a Dia del Niño festival hosted by LA Plaza de Cultura y Arte in Los Angeles, California. (Smithsonian Latino Center)

Bringing the Smithsonian to Learners Beyond the Museum

Educators can make a big difference in the lives of young students who have never met a scientist, seen a microscope, or been to a museum.

Bioimplantable device. Developed by Ellis Developments Ltd., manufactured by Pearsalls Ltd., designed by Prof. Simon Frostick, Dr. Lars Neumann, Prof. W. Angus Wallace, and Dr. Alan McLeod between 1997 and 2003, textile designed by Peter Butcher in 2004. Polyester. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Gift of Ellis Developments, Ltd., 2004-15-1. Photo: Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

The Unexpected Connections that Fuel Remarkable Innovations

Learn how to train the brain to be ready to generate new ideas everyday and find great ideas that strike a meaningful balance between inevitable and unexpected.

Elisa Hough interviews Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/San Juan Pueblo/Santee Dakota), a cultural specialist at the National Museum of the American Indian. (Daniel Martinez, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives.)

Learning through Listening

The pandemic has provided the rare opportunity for many of us to slow down and listen to the world around us. At the Smithsonian, listening is an essential part of our work. Listening to individuals, communities, and organizations helps us better understand and serve the public as well as document and preserve our nation’s history.

At the Smithsonian, educators have used the pedagogy of game-based learning to create innovative programs and activities that open the door to vast content and collections for learners of all ages. (National Museum of Natural History)

Changing the Game with Game-Based Learning

Learn how museum educators at the Smithsonian are going all in with game mechanics for learning and embracing the playful, experimental side of education through the structure of familiar games.

How Museums Can Be Spaces for Reflection and Connection (Even with Their Doors Closed)

The pandemic has shown that museums have an important role to play as integral members of their communities.

When abstract concepts, such as fairness, race and differences, are explored with picture books, spoken about during play or introduced in activities like art-making, they are accessible to children and better understood. (Jaclyn Nash, National Museum of African American History and Culture)

Starting Conversations that Support Children Before Traumatic Events Happen

Several events over the last year have left caregivers and educators asking, “What do we tell children now?" But, it’s time to ask ourselves what we are going to say and do before the next time this happens. Our conversations with children need to shift from being reactive to being proactive.

Learning about a major news event as it transpires can be stressful for families to navigate and process together. (Getty Images)

Talking to Children After a Traumatic Event

As details about traumatic events unfold in the news, it is important for families to navigate these conversations with young children with care.

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