DPI and the Bill of Rights Institute Curriculum Study

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, in partnership with the Bill of Rights Institute, would like to invite you to participate in an exciting, ground-breaking curriculum study. We have partnered with the Institute in order to develop new teaching materials and professional development for North Carolina educators on founding principles. These principles will be evidenced in multiple courses, including American History and Civics. All participating teachers will receive a free class set of Pocket Constitutions.

Many of you may know the Bill of Rights Institute, a Virginia-based 501(c)3 non-profit, through their curriculum or from attending one of their teacher Workshops. The Institute focuses on helping educators teach about the Constitution and founding era. These brand-new materials on the founding principles are being designed specifically to help North Carolina teachers teach the new course required by the Founding Principles Act.

All of the Institute’s curricula are written by teachers and tested by educators in the classroom before they are finalized. That’s where you come in – we need pilot teachers to present draft lessons to students during the spring, and send feedback to the Bill of Rights Institute with suggestions for improvement. As a pilot teacher, your name and school will be acknowledged in the final materials, and you will receive a free class set of pocket Constitutions with our thanks. What’s more, your participation provides an opportunity for professional growth, as well as to become a leader in your content area.

If you would be interested in testing lessons or would like more information please click here or feel free to reach out to Veronica Burchard at the Institute if you have any questions at vburchard@billofrightsinstitute.org. Veronica and I will be working together to ensure these new materials are adequately tested throughout our eight State Board of Education Districts.

Sincerely,
Maria Pitre-Martin, Ph.D.
Director, Division of K-12 Curriculum and Instruction