Crafting civic dialogue: College of Ed kicks off ‘Dialogue 250’ to build educator capacity
Dr. Chrystal Johnson introduces the Dialogue 250 fellowship training on July 29. (Purdue University photos/DeEtte Starr)
A Purdue University College of Education faculty member organized a kick-off training day for the inaugural cohort of Dialogue 250 (D250), a one-year professional learning fellowship that brings together secondary educators to sharpen their civic inquiry instructional skills.
The program is a partnership between Purdue’s College of Education, the College’s James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship, and the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC). The D250 program focuses on empowering 6th-8th grade social studies and/or English language arts (ELA) teachers to effectively use key primary source documents in their classrooms to cultivate civic literacy, inquiry, and dialogue.
In 2025, Purdue University and the LDC received U.S. Department of Education funding via an American History and Civics-National Activities (AHC) Seminars grant, Dialogue 250: Teacher and Student Engagement with Texts and Ideas Reflecting 250 Years of Self-Government. As part of the nation’s 250th celebration this year, the project provides professional development seminars primarily for Indiana secondary social studies teachers (Grades 6-12).
The fellowship includes in-person training (July 2026 and May 2027) at Purdue; travel funding; three two-hour virtual professional development sessions; ten hours of online, asynchronous professional development; help developing and implementing five two-to-four-day Dialogue 250 student seminar experiences; feedback from Purdue and LDC; and a stipend.
On July 29, the first cohort of participating teachers gathered at Purdue for a day-long training session to kick off the fellowship. Over 40 teachers from high-need public schools in Indiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina attended. Indiana teachers came from 18 schools, including Indianapolis Public Schools, Carmel Clay Schools, Circle City Schools, Evansville Vanderburgh Schools, Fort Wayne Community Schools, and others. Teachers from three Kentucky schools and two North Carolina schools also joined the cohort. Schools represented were 52.5% urban, 35% rural, and 12.5% suburban, and 82.5% had Title I affiliation.
Phillip J. VanFossen, the Suzi and Dale Gallagher Dean of Education, welcomed participants with a brief message about the importance of this work, especially during the USA’s 250th year as a nation. VanFossen told participants an apocryphal story from the original Constitution Day (September 17, 1787), when Franklin was asked, “What have you given us, Dr. Franklin?” and Franklin reportedly replied “A republic, if you can keep it.”
“Democracy is not a machine that will go of itself, and therefore you — and the civic education you facilitate — are all essential to keeping our constitutional republic,” VanFossen told participants. “Thank you for all you do.”
Chrystal S. Johnson, professor of social studies education and the Purdue manager of D250, led the training along with Purdue and LDC staff members.
“The kick-off showed us what this fellowship can be,” Johnson said. “More than forty teachers came together and practiced the craft of civic dialogue firsthand, analyzing Abigail Adams’s words to John Adams and rehearsing the questions of liberty and equality they will pose to their students. The aim is not consensus. It is cohesion, the capacity to hold disagreement without fracture. That may be the most civic thing a classroom can teach.”
Other Purdue-affiliated D250 team members included Purdue alumnus Godwin Gyimah (PhD Curriculum & Instruction ’24), assistant professor of education at the University of North Georgia; Purdue alumnus Harvey Hinton III, (PhD Curriculum & Instruction ’10 and MS ‘05), Chief Change Agent at Kuumba, LLC; and Tamecia Jones (PhD Engineering Education ’17), associate professor at North Carolina State University.
The LDC team included Sabrina Alicea, senior director curriculum development; Andrea Fullington, associate director, curriculum development; Rob Kasher, chief program officer; Jamie Keith, associate director, professional learning; Chadae McAnuff, manager, program development; and Jabari Sellars and Maya Welch, both associate directors of curriculum development.
At the kick-off, participants met each other and the staff; learned about the goal, purposes, components, and resources of D250; shared reflections; and discussed next steps. In small groups, participants practiced using source text to develop a teaching module by analyzing and discussing a 1776 letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams.
“What stood out most at the Dialogue 250 launch was the rigor of the professional learning and the enthusiasm of the teachers,” said Rob Kasher, chief program officer, Literacy Design Collaborative. “Dr. Chrystal Johnson and her team challenged this cohort of middle school educators to think deeply about how primary sources, inquiry, discussion, and writing can help students wrestle with important questions in American history and civic life. Teachers left with new knowledge and strategies, as well as connections to colleagues they’ll continue learning alongside throughout the year.”
“I am glad that I got an in-person example of how to implement discussion-based seminars in real time,” said Paul Haley, social studies teacher, from Bell County, KY.
“Every detail was thought of, every moment was used to our benefit to learn and grow as educators while supporting the work of the grant,” said Angela Yoo, social studies teacher, Fayette County, KY. ”I truly appreciate the organization, the care to value our time and commitment to making this a wonderful experience for both us and our students. I look forward to this school year and the work we complete together!”
“The combination of Purdue’s expertise and a deeply engaged learning community will accelerate the ability of these teachers to impact their students’ civic literacy skills,” Kasher said.
D250 is funded through a 2025 U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) American History/Civics, Seminars (AHC-Seminars) grant.
Read more: C. Johnson, collaborators receive USDOE Dialogue 250 grant to train teachers to celebrate U.S. 250th
Source: LDC and Chrystal Johnson
About Purdue’s College of Education
Purdue’s College of Education meets the challenges of educating 21st century learners by discovering what works in education. The College prepares highly qualified educators and conducts research that informs how teachers teach and students learn. With a focus on integrated P-12 STEM education and a commitment to the success of all students, graduates are prepared to be leaders in education, business and society.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including more than 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of #TheNextGiantLeap, including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes, and the One Health initiative (see Purdue’s Strategic Initiatives).
About the Literacy Design Collaborative
The Literacy Design Collaborative began as a community of educators determined to eliminate achievement gaps by providing all students with the same rigorous writing assignments that privileged kids already receive. Today, LDC creates assignments for most K-12 major content areas. LDC also provides professional support to help teachers adapt their practices and inject more rigor in their everyday classroom instruction.