BUILDING FUTURE LEADERS
2024-25 EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Welcome back to another exciting school year of education and achievement!
The TRU Education team at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum is committed to partnering with you to ensure your students’ success. As part of the National Archives, the Truman Library offers authentic learning experiences that meet state and national standards, fostering a deep understanding of our nation’s history, government and democratic ideals.
This guide highlights our most popular programs and details our 2024-2025 offerings. For the most comprehensive and current education news, we recommend subscribing to our e-newsletter.
The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum is thrilled to announce our newest education team member. Dr. Matt Reeves is our new White House Decision Center Director. We can’t wait to connect with you to create a memorable experience for your students! Thank you for choosing us as your TRU education partner. We are committed to making this a rewarding journey for you and your students.
SADIE TROY Education Director
SAVE THESE DATES
OCTOBER 21, 2024 High School Trivia Contest
MATT REEVES White House Decision Center Director
MARCH 1, 2025 Greater Kansas City National History Day Contest: Rights and Responsibilities in History
JULY 14-18, 2025 Summer Teacher Conference
2025
We are thrilled to partner with you to kick off the school year packed with extraordinary experiences.
We invite you to: We are:
Tour the award-winning Museum
Experience the nationally acclaimed
White House Decision Center
Explore digital resources in your classroom
Engage in professional development opportunities
American History
Government Studies
Literacy Skills
Leadership Opportunities
Real World Application
Team Building
Active Civic Engagement
Connections to Today
Advanced Communications
Critical Thinking Implementation
Geography Skills
Inquiry-Based Programming
Truman History
Hands-on Fun
The Harry S. Truman Library & Museum is one of 15 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported, in part, by the Truman Library Institute, its nonprofit partner.
TrumanLibraryInstitute.org TrumanLibrary.gov NARA.gov
GUIDED MUSEUM TOURS
Grades K-12 Program Cost: FREE
Check out the once-in-a-generation museum transformation! Designed to engage and excite students, each gallery offers hands-on learning experiences and focuses on our nation’s most dramatic stories, from the Great War and World War II to Civil Rights and the Cold War, offering critical insights into moments that continue to shape our world today.
Our guided school tours are inquiry-based to keep student learning and engagement high. Each tour includes a comprehensive curriculum guide and one adult admission for every 10 students.
Sample themes include:
How did changes in technology influence Truman’s life and presidency?
How did Truman’s past prepare him for the presidency and the decisions he made?
How did wars and conflicts affect Truman’s life and presidency?
You can make your bookings online or call us at 816-268-8221. We’re here to assist you every step of the way.
THE BUS STOPS HERE!
Your school may qualify for a field trip grant. Learn more on page 13.
« WHITE HOUSE DECISION CENTER
Grades 6-12
Program Cost: $12/student
An exclusive program of experiential and collaborative learning, the White House Decision Center (WHDC) challenges students to step into the roles of President Truman and his advisors to tackle some of the greatest challenges ever faced by a world leader:
Ending WWII
Addressing Postwar Civil Rights
Reacting to the Soviet Blockade of Berlin
Addressing the End of the British Mandate in Palestine
Responding to the Communist Invasion of South Korea
The White House Decision Center can accommodate up to 72 students per session. Program and transportation assistance are available through our “Bus Stops Here” Field Trip Grants.
What teachers are saying:
Students amaze me each time we go to the WHDC. Some students that rarely participate in class show advanced communication and leadership skills and rise to the role they are playing.
It really pushes students to think differently and collaborate.
A high-engagement, highreward activity that pushes students out of their comfort zone and requires them to use the skills we’ve been teaching them in new ways.
The civic engagement piece forces students to dialogue over complex issues.
The WHDC experience is one that inspires students and grows life skills.
The program takes one of the most difficult lessons to generate engagement (document-based problem solving) and makes it engaging through role play.
This program is extremely valuable. It is difficult to get 8th grade students to see differing points of view. This exercise requires it and being off campus is a huge benefit as well.
New to the WHDC? Check out this video!
Think BIG at the White House Decision Center
Grounded in historical documents, the WHDC provides a setting to practice historical methods, including:
Primary source analysis
Comparing and contrasting points of view
Group cooperation and communication
Synthesizing complex information
Speech writing and public speaking
Crafting evidence-based solutions for a complex problem
All simulations align with Missouri and Kansas curriculum standards in government, history, English Language Arts (ELA) and geography.
Book your WHDC sessions today!
WHDC Director Dr. Matt Reeves
Email TheWhiteHouseDecisionCenter@gmail.com
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY
Greater Kansas City National History Day Program Grades 6-12 Program Cost: FREE 2025 Theme: Rights and Responsibilities in History
The Truman Library is your partner for all things National History Day, from preliminary workshops to advanced training for national champions. Please contact us for resources, sample student entries and workshops to help your students.
NHD Workshop: October 15, 2024
NHD Regional Contest: March 1, 2025
« HIGH SCHOOL TRIVIA CONTEST
Grades 9-12
Registration Fee: FREE October 21, 2024, 6:00-7:30 PM
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum
Contact Sadie.Troy@nara.gov to register your team of six!
What students and teachers are saying:
NHD has changed the way my students approach history!
A life-changing experience.
It creates a young generation of historians who are going to go out and make a difference in our world.
It’s such a cool experience to be surrounded by so many people who love history!
It fostered an interest in history I didn’t know I had!
Learn more about National History Day!
Join us for an epic night of intense battles and fierce matchups down to the last round! Kansas and Missouri students flex their brains each October for honor and prizes in the Truman Library’s High School Trivia Contest. Join us for the 2024 challenge and a guaranteed night of trivia fun!
SUMMER TEACHER CONFERENCE
July 14-18, 2025
Exploring the U.S. Presidency and Democracy: 250 Years of Igniting and Impeding Access
Registration opens January 2025
Reinvigorate your classroom teaching by learning with like-minded colleagues from across the United States! Hosted every summer, the Truman Library Teacher Conference is a five-day professional development workshop designed to help teachers create a deeper understanding of content knowledge, strengthen classroom best practices and connect historical relevance. Open to K-12 classroom teachers, this workshop also features sessions with education teams from various presidential libraries and sites. This fantastic week includes complimentary breakfast and lunch daily, and teachers outside the Kansas City metropolitan area are provided a free private hotel room for five nights. Applications available January 2025. Space is limited. Apply early!
Other Professional Learning Opportunities
Onsite Professional Development
Our team of educators is available to make school-based presentations on historical inquiry methods, original source materials and Truman-era content. Or, let us customize a session to meet your needs!
White House Decision Center Workshops
Let the White House Decision Center host your professional development! Step into President Truman’s West Wing with your colleagues to examine how experiential learning, role-playing and primary sources can be combined to elevate your instructional practice.
Schedule your session today! Contact Sadie Troy, Education Director, Sadie.Troy@nara.gov
Sign up for our Educator Newsletter to stay updated about the Summer Teacher Conference and all professional development opportunities!
FIELD TRIP GRANTS
As a leading institution in museum education, the Truman Library Institute is proud to offer our “The Bus Stops Here” Field Trip Grant Program. In order to encourage and support field trips, this program increases access by underwriting museum admission, White House Decision Center fees as well as bus and substitute teacher expenses for qualifying schools. To learn more, contact Sadie.Troy@nara.gov.
THE BUS STOPS HERE!
TRU Education programs are made possible by the Truman Library Institute and generous donations from our Community Partners in Education.
Atterbury Family Foundation
Ann Baum / G. Kenneth and Ann Baum Philanthropic Fund
Merilyn and Dr. Loren Berenbom
Katherine and J.R. Berger
Bonnie and Herb Buchbinder
Stanley J. Bushman and Ann Canfield
JE Dunn Construction Company
The Evans Family
J. Scott Francis and Susan Gordon / Francis Family Foundation
Holland 1916
Jan and Tom Kreamer
Madeleine McDonough and Cyd Slayton
Oppenstein Brothers Foundation
Karen and Steven Pack
Sarah Rowland
Marny and John Sherman
Ursula Terrasi and Jim Miller
Marylou Turner
STUDENT PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE
TRU Education programs are not limited to history. Many offer cross-curricular combinations of History (H), Civics (C), English/Language Arts (ELA) and
SCHOOL PROGRAMS
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Digital Resources
Explore the life and times of Truman without leaving your school. Visit TrumanLibrary.gov/education.
Online Source Collections
Utilize our vast collections of original documents, photographs, videos, maps, speeches and more!
Student-Ready Resources
Access thematically organized collections of some of the most-requested topics.
Teacher Lesson Plans
Download complete lesson plans created by experienced educators with primary sources and supporting materials on topics.
Virtual Exhibits
Explore online exhibits created by the National Archives highlighting essential aspects of Truman’s administration. TrumanLibraryInstitute.org/education/virtual-exhibits/
Membership has its rewards.
Annual Teacher memberships are only $25 and include these year-long benefits:
• Free Museum admission at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum
• Free Museum admission at all Presidential Libraries managed by the National Archives
• Museum Store discounts
• Invitations to Member-only events
• Complimentary subscription to TRU Magazine
• Free or discounted tickets to the annual Howard and Virginia Bennett Forum on the Presidency
Sign up for education alerts.
CATCH ALL THE 2024-25 WORKSHOPS, PROGRAM REMINDERS, MUSEUM UPDATES AND MORE. SIGN UP TODAY!
What teachers are saying:
It’s one of the best handson learning experiences I’ve done with my students. A
What an engaging way to bring history to life!
This has been the best field trip I have ever taken students on and the best program I’ve ever had my Civic Leadership students do.
We are so fortunate to have this experience for our students in Kansas City! It is a real-life social studies laboratory.