Teaching Leadership with
the National Park Service
Teachers’ Portal
E
Beth Boland, Carol Shull, Katherine Orr, and Linda Rosenblum
National Park Service
xploring examples of Leadership and Legacy in History can take a student or teacher on a wild ride through place and
time. The explorers can learn about individuals and communities who took innovative action or blazed trails for those
who followed behind them.
The National Park Service will soon celebrate the 100th
significance for future generations. In addition to the centennial
of many earlier politicians, naturalists, conservationists, and
protecting historic and archaeological sites nationwide through
anniversary of the Organic Act of 1916, signed into existence
by President Woodrow Wilson, which signaled the creation of
the agency. President Wilson, however, followed the leadership
ordinary citizens who envisioned setting aside our country’s
special places to preserve their natural and historical
of the creation National Park Service, 2016 also marks the 50th
anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, which
enabled the National Park Service to recognize and assist in
part nership programs like the National Register of Historic
Places and grants and tax incentives for historic preservation.
That spirit of leadership continues today in the National Park
Service in over 400 National Park Service sites. It also endures
in collaborations between the National Park Service and local
communities or with other educational organizations. Recently
the National Park Service launched a new educational web
portal where teachers can search for lesson plans, field trips,
distance learning programs, traveling trunks, or professional
development opportunities. The portal, found at www.nps.
gov/teachers, provides educators a single search site to access
all educational resources from the many varied programs
comprising the National Park Service. Educational materials are
provided by parks or subject matter experts working in diverse
areas like historic preservation and heritage education or climate
change and paleontology. Currently there are more than 1,100
lesson plans accessible through the curriculum materials section
of the teachers’ portal, with more being uploaded continually.
Jostedalsbreen Glacier National Park. (Photo courtesy of
Ryan McFarland http://www.flickr.com/photos/78552401@
N00/3100846251
Educators can browse National Park Service curriculum
materials available on the teachers’ portal by searching for
keywords, academic subject headings, park locations, or by
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2015
73