Dialogue 250 (D250) is a one-year cohort-based professional learning fellowship that brings together secondary educators to sharpen their civic inquiry instructional skills through a partnership between LDC, Purdue University's College of Education, and Purdue's James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship.
The 2026-27 cohort application is now open to secondary Social Studies and ELA teachers from selected school districts in Indiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina.
If you are a school of district leader interested in exploring making this opportunity available to your educators, please contact us.
If you are a teacher who is interested in receiving priority consideration for the fellowship, please complete the application below by Friday, March 27th!
| FUNDING: | Dialogue 250 is funded through a U.S. Department of Education American History/Civics, Seminars (AHC-Seminars) grant |
| ELIGIBILITY: | LDC is in the process of recruiting high-need rural and urban school districts in Indiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina who are willing to make this opportunity available to their secondary social studies and/or ELA teachers. If you are a district leader interested in potentially interested in making this opportunity available to your teachers, please contact us. |
| STIPENDS: | Each teacher accepted into the 2026-27 cohort is eligible for $2,000 in stipend funding, paid directly to the teacher in multiple installments over the year, provided that they are completing program requirements. |
| PD COMMITMENT: | 2 day-long in-person PD sessions (on July 29, 2026 and on a TBD Saturday in May 2027 on the campus of Purdue University -- basic travel expenses are paid by LDC), 3 two-hour virtual PD sessions, and 10 hours of online, asynchronous PD; all PD focused on supporting teachers to engage their students in civic dialogue around primary sources |
| CURRICULAR WORK: |
Implement four Dialogue 250 student seminar experiences (2-4 days in length) and one D250 curricular module (7-10 days in length) -- all curricular experiences are anchored around primary sources and civic discussion Teachers will select from hundreds of available curricular resources to find ones that fit into their existing curriculum maps (see a list of such curricular resources here; see here for samples: 3-4 day student seminar; 7-10 day curricular module) |
| PROGRAM ONE-PAGER: | Click here to view/download a one-pager summarizing the program. |
Through in-person and virtual Teacher Seminars conducted by experts at Purdue University, participants will improve their ability to leverage primary sources in a way that drives civic learning and discourse in their classrooms.
Teachers will choose from a wide range of Student Seminar and curricular resources that guide students in closely reading, analyzing, discussing, and writing about key Social Studies topics and primary sources.
Teachers become part of a community of practice of educators and experts who can truly help one another understand how to teach C3 inquiry skills, resulting in increased student civic literacy, helping students effectively navigate civic life.
"Nobody else is providing civic literacy training for educators that has this much depth and rigor. Everything else is just surface. LDC effectively develops teachers, and in turn, students. The work is invaluable.”
“My Social Studies students loved LDC's curricular modules, which provide rigor for civic literacy not previously seen in education. ”
“LDC's civic literacy curricular work speaks to my students! They are well-planned, responsive, and engaging. I will definitely continue to use them in the upcoming school year.”
By Spring 2026, LDC will have identified high-need rural and urban districts that agree to make D250 available to their teachers.
By Summer 2026, teachers are fully onboarded, have access to program materials, and launch the core work of the program.
Teachers enact 2-3 cycles of D250 content with their students, and continue engaging in Teacher Seminars.
Teachers complete D250 by enacting 2-3 cycles of D250 content with their students and by participating in Teacher Seminars.
| LCL Module | LDC CoreTools Link | PDF Version |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd-5th Grade SS Infographic: Voting | LDC CoreTools Link | PDF Version |
| 6th-8th Grade SS Historical Analysis: Bill of Rights/Declaration of Independence | LDC CoreTools Link | PDF Version |
| 9th-10th Grade SS Op-Ed: Free Speech in Schools | LDC CoreTools Link | PDF Version |
| 11th-12th Grade SS Policy Analysis: The Senate Filibuster | LDC CoreTools Link | PDF Version |
Complete the application by March 27th!
Reach out to us to discuss!
