Smithsonian Institution Claudine K. Brown Internship in Education

This paid internship is located in Washington, D.C., and includes a stipend for housing.

Website: https://internships.si.edu/opportunity/claudine-k-brown-internship-education

The Claudine K. Brown Internship in Education is funded through an endowed fund in memory of Claudine K. Brown, an educator and influential leader of the Smithsonian. Awardees of the Brown Internship are appointed based on a demonstrated interest in the field of education and museum leadership. Internships are available for college students, including under-served youth. This is a paid, in-person internship within the Smithsonian's Office of the Under Secretary for Education (OUSE).

Background

This program was established in honor of the late Claudine K. Brown, former Assistant Secretary for Education and Access, to promote excellence in education and help ensure a diverse education and museum workforce of the future. Brown was a lifelong champion for learners of all ages. She believed in immersive experiences – that we learn by doing. As Assistant Secretary for Education and Access from 2010 to 2016, Claudine Brown was responsible for defining the institution’s overall education program, especially for K-12 students and teachers. She worked with more than 300 educators to bring stories, collections, lessons, films, games, and many more offerings to life.

Purpose

The internships are intended to increase the participation of underserved students who are under-represented in the education and museum leadership field. Interns experience opportunities in the central education office and collaborate with offices, museums, and research centers throughout the Smithsonian Institution where they help to create, develop, and disseminate innovative educational programs and resources at the Smithsonian, online, in the classroom, and in communities.

Project Description Claudine K. Brown Education Intern

As a central office collaborating across the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo, the Office of the Under Secretary for Education (OUSE) leads the Institution’s strategy and vision for connecting education audiences to museums. 

In the role of a multi-faceted museum educator, an important aspect of creating programming is well-developed communications and outreach plans. This internship offers student training in content creation and communications strategy for OUSE education outreach initiatives. It also offers training in the creation of a national conference.

By interning with OUSE through the Claudine K. Brown Internship in Education, an intern will strengthen their skills in research and writing within the context of education. During the internship, the intern will be mentored to learn about museum education communication and various OUSE projects from the idea phase through the development and implementation phases. By participating in OUSE projects, an intern will learn about developing and disseminating innovative educational programs and resources at the Smithsonian.  

Intern will learn about OUSE’s:

• Planning and implementation of the Smithsonian National Education Summit, an annual conference for educator audiences nationwide;
• Ongoing partnerships with school districts and national organizations;
• Coordination and messaging for teacher and caregiver audiences through social media platforms and ongoing partnerships with education platforms, school districts, and national organizations;
• Education program development and the curation of both digital and in-person support for a publication that features stories and activities from the Smithsonian; and
• Selection and research of feature stories about Smithsonian education in the Smithsonian Magazine “Smithsonian Voices” online blog, including successes from our Together We Thrive grant program.

Additionally, interns will:

• Interact with OUSE team members and the community of 300+ Smithsonian educators;
• Attend planning meetings and brainstorming sessions, as well as twice-weekly mentorship meetings with the program manager; and
• Write some draft content under the mentorship of OUSE.

Learning Goals for Intern

Upon completion of the internship, Claudine K. Brown interns will be better able to:

• Understand and apply best practices of education in their area of interest;
• Support the creative process stages of collaborative education content development;
• Collaborate with a variety of audiences from Smithsonian education staff, volunteers, and visitors to the museums, education, and research centers; and
• Build self-confidence in a professional setting.

Mentorship Goals

The mentor will:

• Support the intern in developing strong communication skills in writing both for internal leadership and teammates, as well as external audiences;
• Support the intern in understanding how the creative process unfolds, while working on a team and meeting deadlines; and
• Provide opportunities for the intern to practice public speaking and presentation skills.