Investing in Teachers to Transform Schools

Center for Inspired Teaching has spent nearly thirty years teaching teachers to nurture curiosity, in their students and themselves. 2024 was no exception:

• More than five dozen Teaching with Improvisation Fellows across cohorts connected with and learned from one another during the summer Institute and throughout each school year as part of the Fellowship program.

• Hundreds of local educators, and many more from around the world, joined Inspired Teaching online and in person for monthly professional development programming focused on cultivating curiosity.

• High school students from public, charter, and independent schools across Washington, DC joined Speak Truth sessions to explore the controversial and complex topics that matter to them.

• We highlighted the advice of education experts, advocates, and changemakers in Hooray For Monday, offering subscribers insight into creating curiosity-fueled classrooms and building school connectedness.

• Our digital resource library continued to grow, with new guidebooks and Inspired2Learn activities to spark curiosity, center student voice, and champion authentic engagement.

• And so much more!

In December, Inspired Teaching welcomed early childhood educators in Washington, DC, to join a program focused on the ABCDE of Learner Needs framework. Participants at the kick-off workshop tapped into their own curiosity and creativity while exploring activities they could take back to their students. They were equipped with strategies and resources they’ll need to lead professional learning sessions for their colleagues in 2025.

Inspired Teaching Institutes are interactive, joyful, and free professional development workshops, open to educators everywhere. Participants are given strategies and activities that spark curiosity, deepen relationships, and authentically engage all learners in the school experience.

The Inspired Teaching Institutes of 2024 covered a wide range of topics — from student-centered reflection tools and summer self-care to relationship building and social awareness — that equipped participants with research-backed activities that address curriculum standards, expert advice and insights from featured guests, and strategies for transforming their classrooms.