Smithsonian Year in Review 2020-2021

In March 2020, social media managers and communications leads across the Smithsonian collaborated with their unit educators to present a One Smithsonian campaign. The campaign’s goal was to help promote distance learning resources and amplify the message of free engaging resources and support for education audiences.

During the first two days of this #SmithsonianEdu social media campaign, there were over 62 million impressions of posts. The hashtag, #SmithsonianEdu, continues to be used today to help audiences find relevant education resources via social media channels. In May 2020, a similar campaign was launched in English and Spanish to spotlight bilingual resources available from across the Smithsonian, supporting all subject areas.

In March 2020, the Smithsonian Education Response Team, including educators, technologists and administrators, was assembled to provide leadership for the over 300 museum educators who came together to share educational resources, online events and support for teachers, caregivers and students in order to minimize the disruption of learning.

In May 2020, the new Smithsonian Office of the Under Secretary for Education was created with congressional approval. With the goal of creating an office to better position the Smithsonian’s educational objectives and help us “reach every classroom” in our country, this marks the first time that the Smithsonian’s commitment to education has been elevated in the central administration structure to the same stature as museums & culture and science & research.

165,000 print copies of the Summer Road Trip were distributed to 93 total distribution sites in 36 states and U.S. territories (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico).

By August 2020, the Smithsonian’s resources were often cited by major news outlets including the New York Times, USA TODAY, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, in recommended lists for schools and caregivers to support student learning and engagement. Partnerships with national education organizations, such as Common Sense Media and their Wide Open School initiative were formed, allowing education audiences to find Smithsonian resources in more places to use for their teaching and learning.

In August and September 2020, as teachers, caregivers and students were thinking about what “Back to School” would look like in this extraordinary year, the Acting Under Secretary for Education, Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar joined seven Town Hall presentations hosted by members of Congress for their constituents in their local communities. Each presentation included practical strategies for finding the learning resources they might need to be successful in the new school year.

Thirteen 4-H student leaders and delegates from California, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Minnesota, and Puerto Rico connected with Smithsonian leadership to discuss the question, “How might the Smithsonian reach and serve rural and non-urban areas of America?” The teen leaders shared their ideas and recommendations as a presentation focusing on community participation, social media, and education programming.

In January 2021, the Office of the Under Secretary for Education shared its new education strategy at the monthly Education Community meeting. The strategy aligns with the Smithsonian’s strategic plan, with a mission to serve as knowledge partners through better access, meaningful connections, and transformative tools. It emphasizes four key priorities: (1) develop a national PreK-12 education strategy, (2) develop a broad portfolio of resources, from high-tech to high touch, (3) scale the Smithsonian Learning Lab to serve as our education portal and (4) develop an inclusive internships strategy.

In January 2021, D.C. Public Schools launched its Family Cornerstones initiative, a roadmap for families to support their child’s education through shared learning experiences. The Family Cornerstones feature twelve Smithsonian activities, supporting personal development, civic and community engagement and career and college readiness.

In February 2021, in support of the education strategy of the Smithsonian’s pan-institutional Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past, the Office of the Under Secretary for Education launched a series of listening tours with teachers. The first was led by the Smithsonian Science Education Center during their STEM Education Summit: Building a Coalition for Attracting and Retaining a Diverse STEM Teaching Workforce. The listening tours will continue to be held throughout summer 2021 during teacher professional development workshops hosted by Smithsonian units across subject areas.

In 2021, the Smithsonian and D.C. Public Schools signed a new Memorandum of Agreement, reaffirming the organizations’ commitment to ensuring that the breadth of content and education expertise of the Smithsonian across subject areas is integrated into unique and meaningful experiences for the district’s 50,000+ students and 4,000+ educators. Our shared goals are to empower students on a long-term trajectory to explore ongoing passions and interests, develop transferable skills across the disciplines and identify pathways to future success.

Throughout 2020-2021, the Smithsonian Council for Education Directors & the Education Community convened monthly and continued to develop a community of practice, with over 300+ educators with specialties across STEM, history, culture and the arts, with audiences ranging from early learners to lifelong learners.

As of May 2021, the Smithsonian Office of the Under Secretary for Education includes nine full-time staff. In 2021, the team welcomed new staff members: Cody Coltharp, Flint Hamilton, Pino Monaco, and Tracie Spinale.

Over the past year, the Office of the Under Secretary for Education has hosted interns from the George Washington University’s Museum Education program and George Mason University’s Digital Humanities certificate program, as well as served as a mentor for an emerging leader in the Smithsonian’s Emerging Leadership Development Program. In Summer 2021, two additional interns will help create, develop and disseminate innovative educational programs through the Claudine K. Brown Internship in Education.