Program Information

TAS Overview

Chicago Teachers as Scholars (TAS) offers a series of intellectually stimulating, content-based seminars led by scholars from area universities and colleges. Participants can expect engaging discussions on a broad range of topics with the seminar leaders and other participants. Seminar topics focus predominantly on the humanities, as related to the Newberry's collection, although science, math, and current events are also incorporated into the seminar schedule.

During the 2008-09 program year, nearly 200 teachers from 58 Chicago public schools attended TAS seminars. Participants in the sixteen seminars examined such diverse topics as the history Latinos in the United States, graphic novels in the language arts classroom, the impact of climate change on the Earth's resources, the role of sugar in transatlantic trade, the literary works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the role of the brain in artistic creation.

Seminar Format

Seminars take place over a two-day period during the week and are held at The Newberry Library. Seminars begin at 9:00 am and run until 3:00 pm each day. Participants receive 10 CPDUs credit hours towards their State of Illinois certification renewal.

Program Costs

All program costs affiliated with participation in TAS, including program materials, meals, and seminar readings, are covered by grants and private donations. Principals are asked to cover the cost of substitute teacher coverage for the first day of the first participant from each school; TAS covers all remaining substitute teacher fees.

Acknowledgments

The Newberry Library and the Chicago Public Schools are grateful to the Polk Bros. Foundation for a major grant that enables Chicago Teachers as Scholars to help enhance public education by offering high-quality professional development programs for CPS teachers. A thanks is also owed to the Albert Pick, Jr. Fund for its continual support of TAS. Again, the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Chicago provided partial funding for two Latin American civilization-based seminars.  We are also grateful to Peoples Gas for generously underwriting the seminar Water in Chicago and to Bank of America for sponsoring Making Big Plans for the Centennial of the 1909 Plan of Chicago.