Schanewolf Participates in National Air and Space Museum’s Teacher Innovator Institute
Mar. 25, 2026
Traci Schanewolf has been selected to participate in the Teacher Innovator Institute at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Schanewolf is an Educational Leadership doctoral student who is also completing her principal certification with the COE.
The Teacher Innovator Institute will teach middle-school educators how to bring the museum experience into their classrooms by exploring connections between informal STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education and authentic learning. The two-week immersive program will welcome over 80 teachers from across the country in summer 2026, a returning cohort and a new cohort of 30.
The program will include hands-on activities, museum tours, behind-the-scenes museum experiences, visits to other museums and group work. Teachers will benefit from the expertise of museum educators and content experts and be able to use aerospace science, history and technology to shape their ideas about authentic learning and bring informal education techniques to their classrooms.
Educators in the program have committed two weeks each summer for two summers. During those two weeks, they will actively participate in sessions led by Smithsonian staff and guests and propose and complete a professional development plan.
To learn more, visit the National Air and Space Museum’s website: https://airandspace.si.edu/teacher-innovator-institute.
