Research Triangle Park, N.C.  The National Humanities Center (NHC) and the California Department of Education have announced a new partnership to provide free online training to history and social science teachers throughout California.

In a letter to school superintendents and administrators, Jack O'Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, encouraged teachers to apply for the scholarship program. Scholarships allow selected teachers to participate in the National Humanities Center's high-quality, standards-based online professional development workshops led by Center Fellows and other scholars from universities around the United States. Training includes in-depth exploration of specific historical topics, such as Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and the Civil Rights Movement as well as an introduction to the NHC's online archive of texts and teaching tools.

Teachers will be chosen for the program as representatives of California based on their track record for classroom performance and ability to share their newly gained knowledge with other teachers.

Fifty teachers will receive scholarships this year as part of the program and will be able to choose from among the many diverse workshop offerings from the National Humanities Center.

The NHC offers these courses on an ongoing basis. The latest schedules and information are available at nationalhumanitiescenter.org/ows/. Teachers interested in participating should contact Caryn Koplik, at ckoplik@nationalhumanitiescenter.org.