Civic Education Professional Development Opportunities

The Indiana Bar Foundation is proud to offer a range of civic education and professional development opportunities for educators across Indiana at various stages of their careers. These programs are delivered in multiple formats—including in-person sessions, virtual learning, and events hosted at locations throughout the state—making it easy for educators to participate in ways that fit their schedules.

The opportunities below are designed to help educators engage with and bring to life two of the Foundation’s signature civic education programs: We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution and High School Mock Trial.

Explore the upcoming opportunities below and find the ones that best support your classroom and professional goals.

We the People & CREATE250 Summer Institute

FREE
Date: July 13-16, 2026
Location: University of Indianapolis

Join educators from across Indiana for the We the People & CREATE250 Summer Institute, a multi-day, seminar-style professional learning experience for K-12 educators designed to advance teacher capacity in American history, civics, and democratic engagement in connection with the nation’s Semiquincentennial. This year, the Institute brings together the established tradition and educator-centered structure of the annual We the People Summer Institute with the vision of Ball State University’s CREATE250 Initiative to advance high-quality civic education as Indiana celebrates America250. All Summer Institute attendees will:

Choose their own learning experience by selecting from a variety of sessions throughout the Institute (strategies for teaching the core principles and historical foundations of American constitutional democracy, primary source analysis and historical inquiry, civil discourse and ethical deliberation, teacher leadership and instructional design, classroom implementation and civic inquiry projects, and more)

Participate in place-based and Indiana-centered experiential civic learning

Receive lodging and meals, session materials, 30 hours of Professional Growth Points (PGPs), and a $1,000 stipend

This year’s Summer Institute offers two participation tracks designed to meet educators where they are. [Note: ANY educator may sign up for EITHER track, regardless of membership in the CREATE250 Community of Practice or past involvement with We the People.]

Track 1: CREATE250 Civic Learning Lab

The CREATE250 Civic Learning Lab Track is designed for educators wanting to bring civics to life in their classrooms through a focus on inquiry, discourse, and instructional design.

Track 2: We the People Deep Dive

The We the People Deep Dive Track is designed for educators ready to fully engage with or deepen their use of the We the People program and its culminating activity and who are looking for sustained support and hands-on experience.

Space is limited to the first 60 educators who sign up! Registration closes on June 26. Cancellation (or no show) after July 3 will result in the assessment of a $100 cancellation fee for unrecoverable expenses.

Register Today