2022 EDUCATION IMPACT REPORT
OPENING PATHWAYS TO NEW KNOWLEDGE
National Museum of American History educators helped develop the Girlhood (It’s complicated) exhibition to explore how American girls have changed history.
PHOTO Stephen Voss
Dear Smithsonian friends and supporters,
Iam pleased to share the Office of the Under Secretary for Education’s first Impact Report detailing our educational initiatives for FY 2022 (October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022). This work closely aligns with a new Smithsonian-wide strategic plan, Smithsonian 2027: Our Shared Future. Through this plan, the Smithsonian aspires to bring communities together to confront collective challenges and develop solutions that will benefit generations to come.
The Smithsonian is one of the nation’s—and the world’s—most powerful resources to support and enhance learning. Our 21 museums, two cultural centers, 21 libraries and archives, six research centers, six education centers, and the National Zoo encompass every part of the human experience—art, history, culture, science—and make connections between artistic expression and scientific discovery, future and historic research, individuals and communities.
I had the good fortune to join the Smithsonian in June 2021 as the first Under Secretary for Education, charged with developing a comprehensive strategy for the Institution’s educational mission, which builds internal and external partnerships to strengthen the Smithsonian’s role as a leading education resource. Since the Smithsonian was established, education has been at the core of our identity, building on founding donor James Smithson’s vision for an institution dedicated to “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”
Today, the Smithsonian has evolved into one of the foremost education organizations in the country. Our 300+ educators enlighten, inspire, and engage people of all ages, backgrounds, and regions— locally, nationally, and globally—with rich and diverse programs.
Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III has set an ambitious goal for the Institution to reach every classroom across the United States, as well as internationally in places like Panama, which is home to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. To realize this vision, we are developing a robust network of external partnerships with government agencies, State Education Agencies, education associations, educators, school districts, and community organizations across America and beyond to engage teachers and students in the classroom and during out-of-school time.
The initiatives reflected in this report offer immense potential to empower teachers, boost student achievement, and broaden horizons for all young Americans. They employ new strategies to place the Smithsonian within communities to codesign instructional resources and implement programs to enhance academic outcomes.
My sincerest thanks to our many talented educators and collaborators across the Smithsonian. I hope you enjoy learning more about our work.
Warmest regards,
Monique M. Chism, Ph.D. Under Secretary for Education
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Education Outreach
by the Numbers FY 2022
4,295,989 people participated in Smithsonian education programming
152,175 students and 4,672 teachers utilized the Smithsonian Science for the Classroom curriculum
10,043,850 Smithsonian educator-created publications distributed
210 Smithsonian Affiliate museum members in 46 states, Puerto Rico, and Panama reached 30 million visitors
522,522 educators and students from across the globe engaged with digital collections, lessons, and interactives offered for free through the Smithsonian Learning Lab portal
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Smithsonian traveling exhibitions reached 156 communities in 41 states
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Smithsonian poster exhibitions were sent to 4,136 schools, museums, and libraries in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 20 countries across every continent except Antarctica
Table of Contents
1,154 Smithsonian interns hailed from 47 states and 26 countries outside of the United States
6 Smithsonian in the Classroom
10 Beyond the Bell: Learning Outside the Classroom
14 Supporting Pre-K-12 Educators
16 Leveraging Digital Learning Channels
18 Interns & Fellows: Mentoring the Next Generation
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Together We Thrive: Grants to Create Change
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Smithsonian in the Classroom
Charged with reaching every classroom in the nation with Smithsonian education resources, the Office of the Under Secretary for Education is developing a national strategy to work with State Education Agencies, districts, and schools to support and enhance learning experiences.
Nebraska: Supporting Multicultural Education
A new multicultural education curriculum in Nebraska is helping students think about bias, stereotypes, how to examine historical events from different angles, and how to appreciate classmates’ backgrounds and experiences.
At the request of the Nebraska Department of Education, the Smithsonian is supporting implementation of this new curriculum through the co-development of social studies resources for grades K-3.
For five months, Nebraska teachers worked with education experts from a number of Smithsonian museums and research centers to craft lessons and activities to help students explore and understand cultural experiences and backgrounds different from their own.
The Nebraska project will inform next steps toward an ambitious vision: bringing the Smithsonian into every classroom in the United States. Already, it has helped build and nourish community among Smithsonian educators.
“So much has been asked of teachers in the last couple of years,” said Tiffany McGettigan, head of education at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. “This project showed that the Smithsonian can back them up and help serve their students, even in challenging environments.”
Modules created through the Nebraska project are now available for educators and learners everywhere to use and adapt. Visit s.si.edu/NMEI22
LEFT A teacher in Arlington, Virginia, reviews Native Knowledge 360° learning modules, designed by educators at the National Museum of the American Indian. PHOTO National Museum of the American Indian RIGHT Teachers in Nebraska consult on the state’s multicultural curriculum. PHOTO Ashley Naranjo
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Strengthening African American Studies
A new pilot course in AP African American Studies draws on the Smithsonian’s collections to bring African American history and culture to life.
A cross-disciplinary working group of Smithsonian educators collaborated with the College Board to create rich, multidisciplinary learning experiences for the course.
Smithsonian educators selected 100 objects and artworks from across museum collections, connecting the history of peoples and cultures of Africa prior to 1619 to modern-day African American culture. Higher education faculty and high school teachers then refined the list during curriculum-writing workshops. Smithsonian educators facilitated professional development workshops to help teachers incorporate object-based learning into their lessons.
To view select objects related to the pilot AP African American Studies course, visit the Smithsonian Learning Lab at: s.si.edu/APAfricanAmericanStudies
Teaching Students to Solve Global Issues
Launched in 2016, the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project provides youth around the globe, ages 8-17, with the knowledge and skills to understand the world’s most pressing issues—environmental justice, biodiversity loss, pandemics, and more—and to become agents for change in their own communities.
Through a series of free community research guides, young people use their communities as laboratories to investigate the science that underlies the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center in collaboration with the InterAcademy Partnership, the project prepares young people to define and implement their own sustainable actions to help solve big challenges. In 2022, the guides reached 2.3 million students and 10,590 educators in 23 countries.
Cumulatively, the Science for Global Goals project has reached 4.7 million students and 40,590 teachers in 88 countries since 2016.
Learn more: ssec.si.edu/global-goals
“In utilizing the community resource guides, differences in background became a resource for accomplishing the tasks. Students appreciated science as a tool to understand and serve the community.”
—Science educator in the Philippines
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RIGHT A pilot AP African American Studies course draws on objects in Smithsonian collections such as this portrait of Henrietta Lacks. IMAGE Kadir Nelson, Henrietta Lacks, 2017. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and National Portrait Gallery, gift from Kadir Nelson and the JKBN Group, LLC
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“The True Leaders in Equity Institute is a lifechanging experience for both our youth and adult attendees. The institute offers so many opportunities, but one of the highlights this year was the chance to have curated tours at the Smithsonian. Because of the partnership, more youth will experience D.C., as a living, breathing classroom at one of our most iconic and historical institutions.”
—Andrea Harris-Lyons, director, extension
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engagement, National 4-H Council
Beyond the Bell: Learning Outside the Classroom
In an effort to boost student learning outside of the classroom, the Smithsonian is embarking on new partnerships with trusted national organizations to reach millions of youth across the country.
Partnering with Community Organizations
In 2022, the Smithsonian initiated new partnerships with the National 4-H Council and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to complement student learning outside of the classroom. These trusted organizations reach millions of youth annually; 4-H has a presence in every U.S. county, and the Boys & Girls Clubs host nearly 5,000 clubs nationwide.
A new multiphased program with the National 4-H Council kicked off in summer 2022. With the goal of inspiring civic engagement among young leaders, the Smithsonian offered curated tours designed specifically for 4-H students who were visiting Washington, D.C., as part of a weeklong summit to learn about leadership, social justice, and democracy.
Several hundred students from 23 states enjoyed tours at the National Museum of American History; the National Museum of the American Latino’s inaugural exhibition, ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States; National Portrait
DID YOU KNOW?
About 90% of students participating in the Smithsonian/National 4-H Council program said the experience enabled them to learn more about cultures and people different than them.
Gallery; Smithsonian American Art Museum; and the FUTURES exhibition at the Arts and Industries Building.
A project-based activity component, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s Museum on Main Street program, will be added to the program in 2023, encouraging students to explore and document their own communities’ rich heritage and notable contributions to the American story.
The Smithsonian/National 4-H Council partnership is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Seedlings Foundation and FedEx.
LEFT A young visitor takes inspiration from the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History. PHOTO Tony Powell
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Designing Educational Activity Guides
To provide learning experiences to students across the country who may never visit the National Mall, Smithsonian educators created a series of interactive and educational activity guides featuring content drawn from across our collections and exhibitions. These guides were distributed in print format through community organizations nationwide and as USA TODAY supplements.
We are grateful for partners at USA TODAY, FedEx, the Ford Motor Company, and Nancy Pasternack, who helped share these resources with a national audience.
Look, Talk, Play / Mira, Habla, Juega
Distributed to 46 communities in the United States and Canada by FedEx, these 24-page activity booklets in English and Spanish feature content from a range of Smithsonian museums and cultural centers to help young learners build skills in literacy, creativity, and communication while using everyday materials and exploring interesting topics. The booklets have reached approximately 23,000 children. s.si.edu/LookTalkPlay
We Built This: How Women Innovators Shaped the World
A collaboration with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, this 12-page guide celebrates pioneering women visionaries and their life-changing innovations through stories, objects, puzzles, and activities. s.si.edu/WeBuiltThis
¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States
A collaboration with the National Museum of the American Latino, this educational activity guide enables learners of all ages to engage with inspirational and informative stories that explore the American Latino experience. Activities challenge readers to think about the causes of immigration, design a mural that tells a story about community, and explore profiles of Latinas and Latinos who have made a difference for the country. s.si.edu/PresenteGuide
As of late 2022, almost 5 million household subscribers and learners in school districts, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Affiliate museums across the country had received the guides, expanding the Smithsonian’s reach and educational impact.
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BELOW AND RIGHT Smithsonian educational activity guides are designed as low-tech, high-touch resources to engage K-12 learners on their own time. PHOTO Julissa Marenco
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Supporting Pre-K-12 Educators
3,714,000
The number of educators the Smithsonian directly engaged in FY 2022
National Education Summit: Celebrating Educators
In July 2022, more than 4,000 educators registered for the second annual Smithsonian National Education Summit, which honored U.S. educators while highlighting instructional strategies and resources to help students thrive inside and outside of the classroom. In addition to robust participation online and in person, the two-day event generated close to 57 million impressions on social media.
Featured speakers included No. 1 New York Times bestselling children’s book author and poet Jason Reynolds; award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author, and philanthropist Soledad O’Brien; 2022 National Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell along with eight State Teachers of the Year; and Dr. Aaliyah Samuel of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.
Smithsonian experts presented on effective learning strategies, together with collaborators at PBS LearningMedia; Harvard’s Project Zero; the Collaborative
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for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning; the Library of Congress; and the U.S. Department of Education.
In a plenary discussion titled Let’s Talk: Our Shared Future Through Education, journalist Soledad O’Brien and leadership from the National Council for the Social Studies, National Council of Teachers of English, National Science Teaching Association, and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics discussed the chilling effects of state actions limiting instruction focused on race, gender, and identity.
The 2023 Smithsonian National Education Summit will be held July 18-20. Updated program offerings and keynote speakers will be posted at s.si.edu/ EducationSummit2023.
the Smithsonian National Education Summit
“Still poring over notes from
and cannot believe it was only two days. There were so many moments of excellence, equity, and access underpinning all they did that every conference should have. Bravo to the whole team!”
—National
Education Summit attendee
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LEFT AND ABOVE The annual Smithsonian National Education Summit honors educators from across the country. PHOTOS Joyce Boghosian
BELOW Rachel Page, behavioral ecologist, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, is featured in a digital toolkit on women in science.
PHOTO Sean Mattson, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
RIGHT Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit is one of thousands of objects available for study through the Smithsonian Learning Lab portal.
IMAGE Smithsonian Digitization Program Office
Leveraging Digital Learning Channels
Spotlighting Women in Science
Teachers looking for resources on the impact of women in science can now access an inspirational new toolkit.
The How to Be a Scientist: Smithsonian Women as Career Role Models project presents the work of contemporary Smithsonian scientists working in fields ranging from biology to astronomy and ocean science. The project features three multimedia kits, which include online interactives, games, classroom activities, and biographical videos.
The kits are used in workshops for teachers in District of Columbia Public Schools and are available on the Smithsonian YouTube Channel and the PBS LearningMedia websites.
To explore the toolkit, visit: s.si.edu/htbas
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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Version 2.0
As the Smithsonian seeks to reach every classroom in the nation, we are rethinking how the Institution makes available, and invites adaptation of, its rich usercreated collections, resources, and other targeted learning experiences in the Smithsonian Learning Lab.
A planned redesign of the Smithsonian Learning Lab—Learning Lab 2.0— will transform this well-used online portal into a one-stop, easy-to-use learning platform that is uniquely transdisciplinary, readily accessible, and indispensable to a wide range of teachers.
Smithsonian educators and technology experts have teamed up with a nationwide cohort of classroom educators, education technology and design industry leaders, and school technology professionals to develop a strategy to make Smithsonian resources, collections, and other learning resources more readily discoverable and usable by pre-K–12 educators.
To explore the Smithsonian Learning Lab, visit learninglab.si.edu
—K-12 School Technology Coordinator, Jericho, Vermont
“It’s evident that the Smithsonian worked with teachers when designing the Learning Lab. The flexibility, feature set, search capabilities, and social aspects make it great for learning.”
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“My summer internship at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History was an amazing opportunity for me to gain career skills, understand more about the vast range of museum career options, and gain confidence in my work. My Smithsonian museum mentors and fellow Emerson interns helped me to make many career connections that I was able to speak with and learn from.”
—Emerson Collective intern
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Interns & Fellows: Mentoring the Next Generation Leadership
for Change
Thanks to the generous support of the Emerson Collective, in the summer of 2022, the Smithsonian offered paid eight-week immersive learning opportunities for undergraduate students passionate about social justice and driven to make positive change in the world.
The Smithsonian welcomed 100 interns— working across our museums and with Smithsonian Affiliate organizations around the country—who focused on how museums and cultural organizations can provide platforms to discuss, understand, and solve the world’s biggest challenges.
We recruited intern candidates from more than 650 colleges and universities across the United States, with a focus on first-generation college students from historically Black colleges and universities, Latino-serving and Tribal institutions, and small colleges and universities in rural and underserved areas. This resulted in an exceptionally diverse intern corps, with students from 31 states/territories and three countries beyond the United States, representing 60 schools and 53 different areas of study.
DID YOU KNOW?
Only 75% of Smithsonian internships are currently paid. We are committed to making 100% of our internships paid by January 2025.
Interns learned from the breadth and depth of Smithsonian and Affiliate resources, met with Smithsonian leaders, and participated in enrichment programming with the Emerson Collective and partners. Each intern completed a project to help learners explore and understand topics related to Smithsonian priorities, including women’s history, racial justice, climate change, and the changing American narrative.
Through the internship experience, students developed leadership capacity, built professional networks, and learned how to lead community engagement and make change.
The Emerson Collective: Leadership for Change internship program will be offered again in 2023. To learn more, visit internships.si.edu
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A National Museum of Natural History intern studies lichens. PHOTO National Museum of Natural History
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Together We Thrive: Grants to Create Change
The Office of the Under Secretary for Education established the Together We Thrive initiative to support pan-institutional efforts to reach educators, students, and families, in classrooms across the nation. In FY 2022, 10 grants were funded totaling more than $2.5 million. Funded projects included:
Museum on Wheels/Museo Móvil to support a “museum on wheels,” bringing inquiry-based, interdisciplinary STEAM activities for K-12 schools to local museums across the country. The program will build science skills and enhance cultural awareness for Latinos and other audiences. This program is implemented by the National Museum of the American Latino and Smithsonian Affiliations.
Breathing Easier: Supporting Teen Air Quality Investigations to support teens in observing air pollutants over North America and provide publicly accessible data on air quality hourly, neighborhood by neighborhood. The project will help communities better understand their local air quality and advocate for improvements. This program is implemented by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Smithsonian Affiliations.
DID YOU KNOW?
In total, 18 Smithsonian museums and research centers received grants for their innovative and impactful education programs.
Bridging the Americas/Unidos por las Aves to support a cross-cultural conservation education program for under-resourced schools in Virginia and Panama, using migratory birds of the Americas as an integrating theme. The program will fund the creation of STEAM-based instructional materials and also aims to attract and retain teachers in participating communities.
This program is implemented by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
The Smithsonian remains grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Jeff Bezos for their visionary investments in these programs.
RIGHT A Smithsonian education program on bird conservation connects students in Virginia and Panama.
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PHOTO RIGHT Mary Deinlein PHOTO BELOW Roshan Patel
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Educators Across the Smithsonian
The Office of the Under Secretary for Education works with 300+ educators across the Smithsonian who represent the following museums, cultural centers, and research centers:
• Anacostia Community Museum
• Archives of American Art
• Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
• Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
• National Air and Space Museum
• National Museum of African American History and Culture
• National Museum of African Art
• National Museum of American History
• National Museum of the American Indian
• National Museum of the American Latino
• National Museum of Asian Art
• National Museum of Natural History
• National Portrait Gallery
• National Postal Museum
• Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery
• Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum
• Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
• Smithsonian Associates
• Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
• Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations
• Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
• Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
• Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology
• Smithsonian Science Education Center
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Make a difference for education.
If you would like to help the nation’s 50 million pre-K-12 students learn in engaging ways; provide valuable mentorship opportunities; and support more than 3.2 million American teachers, please contact Mark Mills, Associate Director of Advancement, at 202-633-7122 or MillsMR@Si.edu.
Gifts of every size make a difference. Visit s.si.edu/SupportEdu to make a gift today. Thank you!
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Smithsonian Libraries and Archives’ Traveling Trunks program sends multimedia library kits to middle schools nationwide. PHOTO Charles Cattel-Killick
To stay up-to-date on the latest Smithsonian education news, programs, and resources, sign up for our e-newsletter at s.si.edu/EduNews.
OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION
COVER PHOTOS (clockwise from top left) Mark Gulezian, National Portrait Gallery; Mary Tait, Smithsonian American Art Museum; Conner Prairie Museum; Kate Warren, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; Clara Sousa-Silva, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian; National Museum of the American Indian
