Teaching Primary Sources Impact Study

The Library of Congress (Library) is the world’s largest library and America’s oldest cultural institution. Since 2006, the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program has supported the use of Library resources in K–12 classrooms to enhance student engagement, improve literacy and critical‑thinking skills, and build content knowledge. Hundreds of thousands of teachers, and by extension, their students have participated in the program. The Library is now working to understand TPS’s impact (e.g., ability to reach underserved students with culturally relevant materials and opportunities to engage learners with information that is meaningful to them).

EDC’s Teaching Primary Sources (TPS) Impact Study was funded by the Library of Congress to explore the ways in which TPS professional development and materials have advanced the Library’s goal of engaging, informing, and inspiring Americans. The study team is working to identify the various elements—including specific Library resources and program features—that have contributed to the impact of the program. The team has a special focus on identifying strategies that the Library has successfully used to create deep and broad connections with diverse communities, educational organizations, and teacher and student populations.