Zinn Education Project Professional Development

The Zinn Education Project offers free professional development resources designed to help teachers bring people's history into their classrooms—moving beyond traditional textbook narratives to centre the experiences and agency of working people, communities of colour, women, and social movements that have shaped American society. Founded in 2008 and inspired by the work of historian Howard Zinn, the project is coordinated by two of the most respected organisations in social justice education: Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change. The Zinn Education Project's professional development offerings include workshops, institutes, and a vast library of free downloadable teaching resources—lesson plans, primary source activities, role-plays, and mixer activities—that cover topics ranging from Reconstruction and labour history to the Civil Rights Movement, Indigenous sovereignty, and contemporary social justice issues. These materials are designed to be immediately usable in classrooms and are aligned with a pedagogy that encourages students to think critically about historical narratives, examine multiple perspectives, and connect past struggles to present realities. For history and social studies teachers seeking to diversify their curriculum, challenge dominant narratives, and engage students in rigorous historical thinking, the Zinn Education Project provides both the intellectual framework and the practical materials to do so. Their professional development sessions model the participatory, discussion-rich teaching approaches they advocate, making them particularly effective for educators who want to experience the pedagogy before implementing it with their students.