On Tuesday, July 14, all sessions will be livestreamed online, so that participants can join us from wherever they are in the world. These sessions are 50-minutes long and include two keynote plenary sessions, as well as 4 concurrent sessions across 4 themes hourly. Please note: the archived recordings of these sessions will be made available a few weeks after the Summit. 

On Wednesday, July 15, sessions will take place in-person at our host venue, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, located at 901 G St. NW. Plenary keynotes will be livestreamed virtually; however, the 60-minute workshop sessions throughout the day will be exclusively available to in-person attendees. Be sure to join us for an exceptional evening networking reception in the Kogod Courtyard of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, also located on G St. NW! 

On Thursday, July 16, sessions will take place in-person in groups of 25 or less at Smithsonian spaces across Washington, D.C. offering exhibition tours, behind-the-scenes experiences, and a chance to dive deep into content with Smithsonian educators. Please note: because space is limited in these sessions, tour registration requires a $1.00 deposit per tour. The registration deposit will be refunded to all attendees who attend the tour(s) they register for. If you must cancel your tour registration, please do so by Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT) to receive a full refund of the deposit. Any attendee who does not cancel their registration by the cancellation deadline will be charged a $49.00 no-show fee and forfeits the $1.00 deposit.

The Summit is offered free of cost. However, tour registration requires a $1.00 deposit due to limited space in these sessions. The deposit will be refunded to all attendees who attend the tour(s) they register for.

If you must cancel your tour registration, please do so by Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT) to receive a full refund of the deposit. Any attendee who does not cancel their registration by the deadline will incur a $49.00 no-show fee and forfeit the $1.00 deposit. 

Please remember that registration for in-person events is limited. If you are no longer able to attend a session, please modify your registration to release your space.

A complimentary selection of boxed lunch options and a drink will be available to all registered Summit participants on Wednesday, July 15. During registration, please include any dietary restrictions. If you prefer to leave the Library for lunch, the host venue is surrounded by eateries and sit-down restaurants of the Gallery Place/Chinatown and Penn Quarter neighborhoods of Washington, D.C.

The evening networking reception will include passed hors d’oeuvres and a dessert buffet.

Summit sessions are best suited for educators at all levels: museum, PreK-12, higher education, school administrators and policymakers, researchers and academics, media specialists, librarians and non-profit organizations working in education.

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• Anacostia Community Museum 
• Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum 
• Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation 
• National Air and Space Museum 
• National Museum of American History 
• National Museum of Natural History
• National Museum of the American Indian 
• National Museum of the American Latino 
• National Museum of Asian Art 
• National Portrait Gallery 
• National Postal Museum
• Smithsonian American Art Museum 
• Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum 
• Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center 
• Smithsonian Associates
• Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 
• Smithsonian Digitization Program Office 
• Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
• Smithsonian Gardens 
• Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
• Smithsonian Office of the Under Secretary for Education
• Smithsonian Science Education Center 
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

ASL interpretation will be available for keynote sessions and for those requesting ASL accommodations. All online sessions will feature closed-captioning. For in-person sessions and tours, an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter can be requested up to two weeks prior to the Summit (no later than Tuesday, June 30, 2026). If you require ASL interpretation or would like to further discuss accessibility accommodations, please reach out to SmithsonianEducation@si.edu.

Professional development certificates will be emailed to registered attendees following the 2026 Smithsonian National Education Summit. The certificate of attendance will include the attendee's full name, along with the name and signature of Dr. Monique Chism, the Under Secretary of Education.

Please remember to download your certificate by Friday, August 14, 2026. If you require a completed certificate after this date, please reach out to SmithsonianEducation@si.edu.

Registrants will receive a confirmation email which includes their registration information, along with a link to view their personalized My Agenda page.  

Each registrant’s confirmation email includes their registration information, along with a link to modify or cancel their registration. Your My Agenda page will also include a link to modify your session selections. Please be prepared to sign into your account to access the My Agenda page. 

To join a session, you will need to be registered for the event and the session. If you are not yet registered for the event, please follow the prompts on our Registration Page to complete the process. If you are already registered for the event, to modify your agenda selections, please update your registration through My Agenda.

To join a session, go to My Agenda and follow the link to the waiting page. The livestream will begin 10 minutes before the session start time. You may also join any livestreamed session by clicking the Join Session button on the Agenda tab.

When accessing the session page, the chat window will automatically open. You will be able to send group messages; share articles, media, and social content links; and react to messages.

Wednesday (7/15) In-Person Session Waitlist Policy:

If you are on the waitlist for a Wednesday in-person session and show up to the session in person on July 15, you will be asked to wait outside of the meeting room until the session begins. Confirmed attendees will be able to check in to the session and find a seat. Once the session begins, any remaining available seats will be offered to waitlisted individuals on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Thursday (7/16) In-Person Session Waitlist Policy:

Due to security protocols, we are unable to accommodate anyone who is not pre-registered for a Thursday session. Security lists are finalized in advance and cannot be changed on-site. 

Yes, upon completing registration, you will see a button on your screen that reads “Add to Calendar”. This will prompt you to choose your preferred calendaring platform and will then add the Summit to your calendar. If you wish to add individual sessions to your calendar, you can do so through the My Agenda page.

Please contact us via email at SmithsonianEducation@si.edu to learn more about hotels near the host venue.

Yes, there is a lactation room available at the MLK Library. It is located on the second floor, inside the Children's Room.

Check-in will begin at 9:30am on Wednesday, July 15th on the 5th floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Exhibitor tables and complimentary coffee will also be available at this time.

People under 18 years of age are not permitted to attend the Summit - virtually or in-person. This includes children of adult Summit participants. Please make offsite arrangements for daycare. 

Complimentary valet service will be available at the G Street entrance of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture.

The Summit is offered free of charge to participating educators, and philanthropy helps make this one-of-a-kind event possible. Please contact us via email at SmithsonianEducation@si.edu to learn more about sponsorship opportunities and promotional opportunities.

Please email SmithsonianEducation@si.edu with any additional questions about registration, programming, and logistics.