2025 Intensive Session Concludes

The Yale National Initiative's 2025 Intensive Session was held between July 7 and 18 at Yale University. Fifty-seven K-12 public school teachers from nine participating locations and four Teachers Institutes participated in the Session as Yale National Fellows.

During the Session, Fellows lived on campus, attended their national seminars daily, and worked on a first draft of their curriculum unit. The five national seminars were:

• "Art, Design, and Biology," led by Timothy Barringer, Paul Mellon Professor in the History of Art
• "The Art of Writing and Revision," led by Jessica Brantley, Frederick W. Hilles Professor of English, and Kim Shirkhani, Senior Lecturer in English
• "Graphic Narratives as Teaching Tools," led by Marta Figlerowicz, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature
• "Infectious Respiratory Diseases," led by Jordan Peccia, Thomas E. Golden, Jr. Professor of Environmental Engineering
• "Teaching with and through Maps," led by Ayesha Ramachandran, Professor of Comparative Literature

In addition to seminar meetings, Fellows also attended a series of talks on seminar topics and events including visits to the Yale Center for British Art, the Peabody Museum, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Sterling Memorial Library, Marx Library, and the New Haven Museum.

The Intensive Session also included a four-day program for visiting faculty from existing Teachers Institutes and participating locations. Visiting faculty learned about the Teachers Institute approach to content-based professional development through partnerships between high-need public school districts and local colleges and universities. They also had the opportunity to observe two national seminars and see the collegiality between faculty and teachers that is central to the Teachers Institute approach.

By participating in the Yale National Initiative, Fellows improve their content knowledge and develop their pedagogy. The Initiative provides an opportunity for teachers to work with Yale faculty and re-engage with their profession, fellow teachers, and their students. They leave the program reinvigorated in their love of teaching and their commitment to developing professionally as educators.