Teachers' Institute

  • Location: Main Building
  • Dates: July 14 through July 16, 2026
  • Admission: Free to in-service K-12 teachers
    • Limited to 20 participants, accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis

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This three-day summer professional development series is open to in-service K-12 teachers across all subject areas. The Museum has offered this professional development program since 2007. Participants will produce a theme-based lesson with the help of Museum staff and special guests for use in their classrooms for presentation before departure on the last day. Participants will also receive classroom resource materials, a certificate of participation, and a $100 stipend upon completion of all institute activities and assignments. Daily lunches are provided.

The Teachers’ Institute is limited to 20 participants. Participants are accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis. Applicants should be actively engaged in the teaching profession. 


Teachers’ Institute 2026

The Declaration of Independence and the Meaning of “All Men are Created Equal” from 1776 – 2026


The West Baton Rouge Museum is pleased to announce that registration is now open for our annual Teachers’ Institute, a professional development series that has been offered since 2007.  This year’s program is set for set for July 14 - 16, 2026. In celebration of America 250, Teachers’ Institute will accompany the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History exhibit that will be on display, Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy. 

In keeping with the exhibit’s theme, we will cover The Declaration of Independence and the Meaning of “All Men are Created Equal” from 1776 – 2026. When it was written, the idea that “all men are created equal” was revolutionary. Through lectures, lessons, and interactive experiences, Teachers’ Institute participants will explore our country’s revolutionary ideals and examine one of the most powerful and influential documents in US and world history in ways suitable for a wide range of grade levels and subject matters. Discover what the Declaration boldly promised and how each new generation over the course of 250 years has revisited this cornerstone of civil and human rights.

Planned events for this three-day program include scholarly lectures, living history, writing, reviewing primary sources, a field trip, tours of West Baton Rouge Museum, and interactive group activities.  Teachers’ Institute will culminate with time for the creation of classroom lesson plans.

Teachers’ Institute is open to in-service K-12 teachers across all subject areas actively engaged in the teaching profession. Participants will produce a theme-based lesson with the help of museum staff and special guests for use in their classrooms for presentation before departure on the last day. Participants will also receive daily lunches, resource materials, a certificate of participation, and a $100 stipend upon completion of all institute activities and assignments.

Space is limited. Participants are accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Teachers’ Institute is sponsored in part by the West Baton Rouge Historical Association and the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board.

West Baton Rouge Historical AssociationWest Baton Rouge Schools