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Educator Professional Development

Practical, ready-to-use professional development that helps Texas teachers strengthen history instruction with TEKS-aligned strategies, primary sources, and trusted TSHA resources.

Use this form to request professional development programs for educators from the Texas State Historical Association Education Department. Requests may be submitted by school districts, education service centers, and partner organizations.
Request a TSHA Professional Development Program →

Connection to Education

TSHA's educator workshops are built in close connection with our education mission: supporting teachers with high-quality historical content, proven instructional strategies, and ready-to-use classroom materials. Each workshop emphasizes inquiry, evidence-based analysis, and meaningful connections between Texas history and student learning. Participants leave with practical tools they can immediately implement—whether they teach middle school, high school, or advanced courses.

TEKS-Aligned Resources

All TSHA educator workshops are aligned with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards and emphasize skills such as historical inquiry, evidence analysis, and critical thinking. Workshops integrate trusted TSHA resources alongside nationally recognized instructional frameworks, ensuring content is both rigorous and classroom-appropriate.

Educator Workshops

TSHA currently offers three core educator workshop tracks, each designed to meet different instructional needs while remaining flexible for classroom use:

Texas History Day & Junior Historians Workshop

This educator workshop empowers teachers to confidently support students participating in Texas History Day. The session provides practical guidance for mentoring students through research, project development, and competition preparation across all contest categories.

What Educators Will Learn

  • Best practices for guiding student research and project development
  • How to help students locate and evaluate high-quality primary sources
  • Strategies for integrating Texas History Day projects into existing curriculum
  • An overview of support opportunities through TSHA’s Junior Historians program, including stipends and funding opportunities

Classroom Impact

Educators leave better equipped to foster student independence, curiosity, and confidence while supporting rigorous, standards-aligned historical inquiry.

Teaching with Primary Sources Using the Handbook of Texas

This workshop helps educators strengthen history instruction through TEKS-aligned lessons that incorporate primary sources from the Handbook of Texas and instructional methods from the Library of Congress’s Teaching with Primary Sources framework.

Workshop Focus Areas

Participants explore practical strategies for helping students analyze evidence and build strong historical thinking skills using curated, classroom-ready resources. Topics may include:

  • The Texas Revolution
  • The Mexican American War
  • The U.S. Civil War
  • Key Texas court cases

What Educators Receive

  • Ready-to-use lesson plans
  • Curated primary source sets
  • Strategies for inquiry-based instruction aligned with TEKS
  • Classroom resources adaptable for diverse learners

Teaching with the Texas Almanac Workshop

This workshop introduces educators to practical, classroom-ready strategies for bringing the Texas Almanac to life. Participants explore real Almanac data, engage with hands-on activities, and learn how to integrate this trusted reference into meaningful instruction.

What Educators Will Explore

  • Strategies for analyzing charts, tables, and historical information
  • Approaches for differentiating lessons to support diverse learners
  • Ways to integrate both print and digital Almanac resources into instruction
  • Classroom-ready activities using Texas Almanac data

Takeaways

Participants leave with fresh ideas, digital and print resources, and the confidence to integrate the Texas Almanac into meaningful, TEKS-aligned instruction.

Want to bring a workshop to your district or campus or stay up to date with education initiaives in Texas history?

Reach out to learn more about scheduling, formats, and workshop options and subscribe to our education newsletter list.

Contact the TSHA Education Department Signup for our newsletter →
Join us for a weekend of history, heritage, and community at the iconic Menger Hotel—just steps from the Alamo. Join us for a weekend of history, heritage, and community at the iconic Menger Hotel—just steps from the Alamo.

Commemorating 250 years of American independence through the stories, people, and places that shaped Texas and the nation.

Texas America 250 logo

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Texans have a unique opportunity to reflect on the state’s role in the American story. Through exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and community events across Texas, Texas America250 encourages celebration, reflection, and commemoration at both local and statewide levels. At the Texas State Historical Association, we are proud to support this important moment through our mission-driven work in history education and public engagement, including Texas History Day, and we invite students, educators, and communities to explore this milestone in meaningful ways.

“

On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Long may these ideals live in the heart of every Texan and every American. May God bless all who have defended our freedoms that we enjoy each day. And God bless the United States of America.

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

Commemorating 250 years of American independence through the stories, people, and places that shaped Texas and the nation.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Texans have a unique opportunity to reflect on the state’s role in the American story. Through exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and community events across Texas, Texas America250 encourages celebration, reflection, and commemoration at both local and statewide levels. At the Texas State Historical Association, we are proud to support this important moment through our mission-driven work in history education and public engagement, including Texas History Day, and we invite students, educators, and communities to explore this milestone in meaningful ways.

“

On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Long may these ideals live in the heart of every Texan and every American. May God bless all who have defended our freedoms that we enjoy each day. And God bless the United States of America.

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

Find Events

Discover commemorative events across Texas

Explore local and statewide programs, exhibitions, and public events connected to the semiquincentennial and the many stories that shape our shared history.

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Get Involved

Participate through education and community engagement

Learn how students, teachers, families, and local communities can take part in Texas America250 through activities, programs, and opportunities tied to Texas History Day and beyond.

Get Involved

Learn More

Explore the initiative and its broader purpose

Learn more about Texas America250 and the effort to promote deeper understanding of the nation’s founding and the contributions of Texans past and present.

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