2026 Intensive Session Concludes

National Fellows and Yale professor Tim Barringer at the Yale Center for British Art — 2026 Yale National Fellows and Seminar Leaders at the end of the Intensive Session

The Yale National Initiative's 2026 Intensive Session was held between July 6 and 17 at Yale University. Sixty-two K-12 public school teachers from eighteen school districts in twelve states, the Bureau of Indian Education, and the District of Columbia participated in the Session as Yale National Fellows.

SEMINARS

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

"Asian American History and the Making of the US Immigration System," led by Mary Lui, Professor of American Studies and of History
"Asking Questions in Biology," led by Paul Turner, Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
"Chemistry of Cooking," led by Gary Brudvig, Benjamin Silliman Professor of Chemistry
"Latinx Histories, Cultures, and Communities," led by Albert Laguna, Associate Professor of Ethnicity, Race & Migration and of American Studies
"The Kids are not the Threat,"" led by Rod Ferguson, William Robertson Coe Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Professor of American Studies
"Resistance from Aristotle to Star Wars," led by Feisal Mohamed, Professor of English

In addition to seminar meetings, Fellows also attended a series of talks on seminar topics and events including visits to the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, the Peabody Museum, Sterling Memorial Library, and more.

National Fellows in Sterling Memorial Library.

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.

National Fellows from the District of Columbia and Visiting Faculty from Howard University

National Fellows from Richmond, VA, and Visiting Faculty from Virginia Commonwealth University

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.