College of William and Mary
04/09/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/09/2026 13:16
William & Mary names 100 teachers from across the nation to inaugural ‘We the Teachers’ fellowship
William & Mary names 100 teachers from across the nation to inaugural 'We the Teachers' fellowship
Educator delegates from across the nation to convene in Historic Triangle for Congress of Educators in July 2026.
Published April 9, 2026
William & Mary today announced the selection of 100 K-12 educators from all 50 states to serve as delegates to the inaugural "We the Teachers" national fellowship program, a landmark civic education initiative timed to the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Ria Christmas, high school social studies teacher in Nevada, champions student-centered learning and collaboration. (Courtesy photo)
Led by W&M's Strategic Cultural Partnerships and executed in partnership with the National Council for History Education (NCHE), "We the Teachers" is supported by a $2.89 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The selection reflects W&M's singular position at the intersection of American history and civic leadership. Founded in 1693, W&M is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the nation and has stood at the center of American civic life for more than three centuries.
For William & Mary, "We the Teachers" is a natural expression of its mission and a fitting contribution to the nation's 250th anniversary. The university educated five U.S. presidents and counts among its alumni some of the most consequential architects of the American republic, including Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler. No institution in the country has a deeper claim to the tradition of civic education - or a stronger foundation from which to renew it.
Delegates were selected through a competitive national application process and represent a diverse cross-section of grade levels, disciplines and communities from coast to coast.
Edwin Makini, an elementary school teacher from North Carolina, brings seven years of classroom experience both domestic and international, and currently serves as a Smithsonian National Education Summit Scholar and Teacher Ambassador. (Courtesy photo)
"Welcoming 100 teachers from across the nation to the Historic Triangle is a remarkable opportunity," said Mark Hofer, executive director of Strategic Cultural Partnerships and professor in the W&M School of Education. "These teacher-leaders will explore America's founding where it happened - walking the same ground as the founders, grappling with the same questions - and preparing them to lead this work back in their home states."
"The National Council for History Education's mission is to champion history education and uplift history education professionals," said Jessica Ellison, executive director of NCHE. "This 'We the Teachers' program does exactly that! We can't wait to convene these educators from across the country to learn with and from one another."
The 100 delegates will convene in July 2026 for the first Congress of Educators, a four-day residential institute hosted across the Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. Immersed in primary source analysis, historical inquiry, civil dialogue and evidence-based argumentation, delegates will connect America's founding principles to classroom-ready practice - at the very sites where that history unfolded.
Amy Rosenkrans, a middle school social studies educator in Baltimore City Public Schools, will represent Maryland at the Congress of Educators in Williamsburg. (Courtesy photo)
"This intensive professional development experience will change teachers," said Hofer. "And through them, how their students understand who we are as a nation - and who we will become."
The initiative is designed to generate a lasting national network of civic educators. Fellows will return to their schools equipped with professional video recordings, facilitator guides and classroom resources to launch local professional learning communities.
"We the Teachers" aims to establish at least 100 such communities nationwide, each engaging 15 or more educators - extending the program's reach well beyond the original cohort.
The announcement of the inaugural "We the Teachers" cohort coincides with the spring 2026 public beta launch of lilyPD: Professional Development powered by W&M, a new teacher professional development platform built by Strategic Cultural Partnerships at W&M.
Kelly Berry, an enrolled member of the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma and an NAS Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, brings years of experience teaching social studies to grades 5-12 in Oklahoma. (Courtesy photo)
Designed to make high-quality civic and historical learning accessible to educators everywhere, lilyPD hosts on-demand microcourses that teachers can complete at their own pace and earn digital credentials recognized by their schools and districts.
"We the Teachers" delegates will receive early access to the platform's flagship pathway, "Educating for the 250th," a curated sequence of microcourses connecting the founding era to contemporary civic education practice. The credential will be offered free to any educator in the country - not only Congress of Educators delegates - making lilyPD a key vehicle for scaling the program's impact well beyond Williamsburg.
"lilyPD is how 'We the Teachers' reaches the teacher who couldn't come to Williamsburg," said Hofer. "It's the infrastructure that turns a fellowship into a movement."
College of William and Mary published this content on April 09, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 09, 2026 at 19:16 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]