Current Special Projects

Scholars Online is a new digital initiative that brings scholars who have participated in the development of teaching resources into the classroom via the internet. Resources will include interviews with scholars tailored for use in classrooms, for homework, and for professional development for teachers; digitized primary sources such as documents, photographs, and other visuals; interactive maps and timelines with scholars acting as guides describing the historical significance of locations on the map and exploring related primary source materials; online discussions with scholars; and lesson plans that highlight a range of skills and engage students with these online resources.  
The Capitol Forum on America's Future is an experiential civic education initiative that gives high school students a voice in public consideration of current international issues. The program is run on a statewide basis in participating states and involves students both within the social studies classroom and beyond the classroom at their state capitol. Alternative models take place on a classroom, school, district, or regional basis and allow for any content topics that fit the curriculum and inform the ultimate question of the role of the United States in the world.  
Critical Turning Points in the History of American Foreign Policy engages teachers at the secondary level in professional development under a program funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Teaching American History program. The goals of the program are to strengthen secondary level instruction in U.S. history and to increase the international content in the core U.S. history curriculum.  

Integrating International and Civic Education—The Civic Mission of Schools Building on its work in civic and international education, the Choices Program is working with the state departments of education and key civic and international education organizations in Indiana and Maine to join international and civic education and integrate it into the core curriculum. This three-year initiative draws on curriculum resources and educational programming that are content-rich and include authentic decision-making experiences. The program is associated with the Civic Mission of Schools Campaign.

The U.S. Role in a Changing World: Youth Speak Out provides an opportunity for students to have their views heard beyond the classroom.

The Slave Trade and Slavery in New England: The Choices Program developed A Forgotten History: The Slave Trade and Slavery in New England in collaboration with the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. Choices continues to offer a variety of workshops and institutes to introduce theis subject to teachers in New England and around the country. See Choices Program Conducts Nationwide Outreach on Slavery in the North on the Watson Institute web site.

Teacher's Guide for The Fog of War provides lesson plans to accompany Errol Morris' Academy Award winning feature-length documentary, The Fog of War. These resources include a Teacher's Guide and accompanying online resources. The Teacher's Guide is available from the Choices Program and online resources are available free on the Choices web site.

International Education Internship This full-time internship enables one recent college graduate each year to spend a year working as part of a team focused on strengthening international content and civic learning within the core curriculum at the secondary level in the United States.

See Special Projects Archive for previous programs.