• Give yourself at least 6 months of planning time prior to the institute dates.
• Assemble a team of 5 or 6 that includes at least one teacher, and assign roles to each team member. (tour organizer, transportation/lodging, institute activities/requirements, etc.)
• Consult with someone who has attended a previous National Summer Institute and utilize him/her in an advisory role. This person will have a good perspective on what works and what does not as well as how teachers will react to certain requirements and/or activities.
• Develop detailed application packets; the more teachers know up-front, the happier they are during the institute and there are fewer surprises and fewer "you did not tell me" statements.
• Stay in contact with key personnel at the location(s) you plan to visit. One call is not enough. Often dates are written down wrong, key personnel are replaced, and information is initially incorrect. Three contacts are essential: one to originally schedule (done within the first or second month of planning); one to confirm accuracy (done within two months of the institute); and one to again confirm accuracy and confirm your arrival (done within two weeks of the institute).
• Make a trial run. As many team members as possible should take a reconnaissance trip that includes following the same route to note travel time, available restaurants, etc. Stay in the hotels you have booked for the institute, take the tours you want the teachers to take, and meet as many of the key personnel as possible. (This also can function as your second contact) If you find any of your arrangements to be unsatisfactory, make appropriate changes.
• Develop a booklet that contains background information, activities, and notes pages. Many teachers will appreciate this book and will use it as a way to collect information for their classrooms.
• When taking a bus, take coolers packed with ice and bottles of water. Teachers can purchase their own soft drinks. Snacks should be made available of both salty, sweet, and healthy varieties.
• Purchase matching backpacks for the participants. These are great for teachers toting their notebooks and supplies. They also work as an identifier. (Going through security at the Library of Congress became easier as the group was identified by their blue AAM backpacks.)

• Send the application packets out as soon as possible; teachers make summer plans early.
• If working with other AAM Partners, contact the Directors at least once for feedback as to what they are hearing from the teachers. There may be additional information that is needed for a particular group. Also, encourage Directors to e-mail and remind their teachers to apply.
• The initial deadline for applications should be approximately four weeks from the time the teachers receive them. Any longer and teachers will set the applications aside thinking they will fill them out later and forget.
• One person should collect the applications.

  A team meeting should be scheduled soon after the deadline to review the applications and select participants.
• Acceptance letters should be mailed within one week after the deadline. Any longer delay will result in teachers e-mailing and/or calling to find out their acceptance status.

• Conduct a face-to-face meeting with all institute participants if possible before the institute. This gives you an opportunity to read over the institute requirements and reiterate from the application packet what the teachers need to bring, and what to wear, and for them to become aware of health related issues (steps, walking, sitting, etc.).
• Develop a Web site with a discussion board and require the teachers to use it. This gets the teachers talking to one another, forming relationships, processing and sharing their ideas, preparing for the institute and staying in touch with you. The Web site provides a place for announcements, schedule changes, questions, and other necessary information exchanges. Note: you will have to be actively involved with the Web site in order for it to work.
• Pre-institute activities need to be completed and turned in before the institute. Consider having institute activities completed and turned in by the last day of the institute. Collecting unfinished work after the institute can quickly become stressful.
• If flight arrangements must be made for some participants, contact them only to determine what airport is most convenient. Schedule their flights for them and then notify them of the time arrangements. Allowing them to choose flight times becomes stressful very quickly. (Holding their flight arrangements until all pre-institute activities are complete is a great way to ensure the work gets done and turned in on time)

• For liability purposes it is best for any technical equipment to be optional rather than required. If computer usage is necessary, make sure computer labs are available. Many hotels offer Internet connections for a fee, but work out ahead of time who will pay for what.
• If applicable, allow time for individual work since most teachers will be developing lessons for their individual classrooms and may not be interested in the same thing as the others.
• Session times will vary but 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hour is best. Avoid, if possible, lecture-style sessions right after lunch.
• The more hands-on the activities, the more teachers learn and enjoy the sessions.

• Have the teachers complete evaluation forms on the last day.
• Consider taking ready-made completion certificates with you on the institute. After all the activities are complete on the last day, hand out the certificates. 

An Adventure of the American Mind is made available through a Library of Congress grant funded by the U.S. Congress. AAM is administered through the Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas Inc.
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