“To Inspire Curiosity and Connection”

Under Secretary for Education touts new programs in line with a newly refined mission.

Expanded teacher outreach, the lessons of the pandemic and improving digital access to collections all figure in the Smithsonian’s recent innovative strides forward in education.

The guiding light for this work? A newly recast mission statement co-developed by more than 300 educators across the Smithsonian: “to inspire curiosity and connection in a changing word,” notes Monique Chism, PhD, Under Secretary for Education and a former teacher herself.

Smithsonian educators “are not just pontificating on ideas, but offering resources that lead to improved educational outcomes for students across the nation,” she says.

Teacher-oriented “packages” that incorporate multiple modalities and content – such as digital versions of Museum of Natural History exhibits, supplemented with on-demand videos that delve more deeply into collections plus Zoom meetings with curators to explore additional ways to present classroom material – are one example.

“You can’t just put [material] on a website and expect teachers to use it,” she observes.

For teachers—and for everyone else—“virtual has been a great way to accelerate our reach,” Chism went on. “There are millions of people who will never be able to come to DC to see Dorothy’s ruby slippers, but we can digitize them and make them available for 3D printing. There are lots of things we can do to make [the collections] more real for people.”

Just as imperative: “that we maintain the Smithsonian’s status as a trusted source” of reliable, trusted and sound information.

Dr. Monique Chism (center) and staff at the 2023 National Education Summit. (Smithsonian Institution photo)

Back to In-Person

The COVID-19 pandemic – particularly over the long months when museums and other facilities were closed to the public – only intensified the need to enhance and expand distance learning opportunities. (Which, by the way, were already well underway pre-pandemic, says Chism.)

As the pandemic has loosened its grip, in-person activities such as SAAM’s Summer Institutes resumed in 2023. Officials from the U.S. Department of Education were on hand to document participants’ feedback, with many observing that the most effective teachers are often learners in their own right.

“I think we can be the best teachers when we’re the best learners, and so finding an opportunity like this to come spend the week in Washington, D.C. and learn at the Smithsonian has really reignited my passion,” said one. “I return to work in just three short days for a new school year, fresh off of this learning and growing, that I can now take immediately back to my students.” More teacher comments are available here.

Dr Monique Chism

Another event that took place this summer, at DC’s Gallaudet University was Zero Barriers in STEM Education: Accessibility and Inclusion Summit. At the gathering, sponsored by Smithsonian Science Education Center [SSEC], participants ­focused on dismantling obstacles to learning STEM topics experienced by students with disabilities. Read more about this and related events in a recent article Cody Coltharp in Chism’s office penned.

Whether it’s high schoolers in Dubuque or middle-school teachers in Phoenix, “we try to meet people where they are,” notes Chism.

“We’re not here to superimpose our ideas, but to provide a complete and factual a story to allow people to understand history, science, culture and art from multiple perspectives. At the heart of this [approach] is analysis, inquiry, objectivity and contrast—strategies people can apply to anything at all.”

In this ongoing effort, the “pivotal role teachers have” cannot be underestimated.

Interested in learning more about education at the Smithsonian?

Welcome to SmartBrief for Education, an ongoing series of posts by Smithsonian staff on hot topics in education, sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary for Education and originally published by SmartBrief, which publishes more than 250 industry-focused newsletters.

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