In total, the George C. Marshall Foundation Teachers Institute had 23 participants this summer. They expect to teach more than 2,000 students in the 2024–25 school year.
Participants spent their mornings with outstanding guest lecturers and their afternoons preparing lesson plans for use in their classrooms. The topic this summer was George C. Marshall’s pivotal role in Alied victory in World War II. This being the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, they also took an afternoon trip to the National D-Day Memorial in nearby Bedford, Virginia.
Overall, the participants rated their experience very highly.
The surveys provide a wealth of data for future iterations of the Teachers Institute.
“My favorite part of the week was twofold: 1) the overall experience of meeting and exchanging ideas with social studies teachers from around the state 2) learning about the remarkable character of George C. Marshall and the immeasurable impact he had on the world I (and my students) live in.”
“In 21 years of teaching and attending to my continuing education, the George C. Marshall Foundation Teachers Institute ranks easily in the top five professional development experiences I have ever had.”
“This was my second time at the Marshall Foundation Teachers Institute and it was as good if not better than the first time. The Institute comprises fantastic and in-depth content knowledge from experts in the field, dedicated work from the members of the Foundation to ensure a fantastic experience, and a desire to always improve and adapt to meet the needs of teachers in the classroom.”
Out of the numerous survey questions, four suggest just how enthusiastic the participants were and how well designed the program was. The first asks for an overall rating of the program. On a scale of 1 to 10, the program rated a 9.8.
A second question asked participants their likelihood to recommend the program to a colleague. On a scale of 1 to 10, the program rated a 9.7.
On a third question, that asked participants to rate the Teachers Institute compared to other professional development programs they had attended (Better, Same, Worse), 20 teachers rated it “Better,” and 3 rated it “Same.”
And finally, when asked their likelihood to incorporate what they had learned and done at the Teachers Institute into their classroom (on a scale of 1 to 10) the program rated a 9.33.
“Other seminars should be learning from you.”
