2026 Annual Conference

Raising the Standards: Teaching History for the Future

November 13, 2026
Sarah Simpson Professional Development Center
Knoxville, TN

Agenda

7:30 – 8:00 a.m. Registration and Exhibit Hall Open
8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Opening Remarks 
8:45 – 9:45 a.m. Breakout Session 1
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Breakout Session 2
11:15 – 11:45 a.m. Poster Session
11:45 – 12:30 p.m. Lunch 
12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Breakout Session 3
2:00 – 2:15 p.m. Presentation of Gilder Lehrman Teacher of the Year Award
2:15 – 3:15 p.m. Keynote: Dr. Scott Waring
3:15 – 3:30 p.m. Give-aways!

Waring

Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Scott Waring

Professor and Coordinator of Social Science Education, Associate Director for Internationalization and Research for the School of Teacher Education Director of the Teaching with Primary Sources Program at UCF, Editor of Social Studies and the Young Learner, Editor of Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium Journal

Promoting Authentic Engagement in the History Classroom

History educators across the nation continue to grapple with how best to engage students in authentic historical inquiry that incorporates a range of History’s Habits of Mind. The presenter of this session will explore practical, research-informed strategies for transforming history classrooms into spaces of inquiry, relevance, and active participation.

Special Evening Event

November 12, 2026
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Josh Dunn web 1 scaled

Dr. Josh Dunn

Professor and Executive Director of Institute of American Civics

Is Democracy Enough? Preserving Freedom in an Egalitarian Age

Special evening event sponsored by the Institute of American Civics Institute Of American Civics Centeredlogo (cmyk)