PROGRAMS
For High School Teachers
Coming Soon!
The School of Civic Leadership is pleased to announce the launch of a statewide initiative supported by a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Awarded through the American History and Civics-Seminars program, this funding enables SCL to move beyond the Forty Acres to support the K-12 teaching corps entrusted with transmitting the principles of American constitutional self-government. The program addresses a critical national priority: genuine civic renewal begins with well-prepared educators. Over the next three years, SCL faculty will Iead a series of content-rich professional development programs, including multi-day summer seminars, regional workshops, and virtual programming in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. These sessions are designed to provide teachers with a coherent sequence of instruction anchored in the close study of primary sources and the practice of Socratic pedagogy. Stay tuned for details!
Past Events
Dwight Eisenhower on Technology and Philosophy in the Cold War
November 8, 2025 at the Littlefield Home
UT Austin’s School of Civic Leadership and the Jack Miller Center hosted area middle and high school teachers for a Saturday symposium on Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Cold War. SCL Assistant Professor John Kitch led teachers through a textual analysis of two Eisenhower speeches, “A Chance for Peace” from 1953 and “Our Future Security” from 1957. Participants asked questions of the texts on how technological changes affected the American experience, debated underlying philosophical issues, and shared tips for teaching complex material related to American history.
Summer Symposium: The American Civic Tradition
July 28 – 30, 2025 at the Littlefield Home
The School of Civic Leadership and the Jack Miller Center hosted area middle and high school teachers for a summer institute on the American civic tradition. This professional development seminar led by SCL Assistant Professor Matthew Reising, SCL Visiting Professor Benjamin Kleinerman, and Baylor University’s Shane Leary introduced teachers to primary source texts and speeches from sources including the American Founders, the Federalists, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Teachers participated in lively discussions, enjoyed a social lunch hour in the Littlefield Dining room, and considered sample teaching materials.
