On June 16-17, 2025, the International Institute’s six National Resource Centers partnered with the Marsal Family School of Education for the 16th annual World History and Literature Initiative (WHaLI) targeted for K-14 educators. The participating Centers were the African Studies Center, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the Center for South Asian Studies, and the East Asia Centers. 

This year, the professional learning initiative welcomed 17 social studies, world history, and literature educators to the Marsal Family School of Education Prechter Lab. While most teachers came from Michigan, even as far away as Sault Ste Marie, other participants included three teachers from Puerto Rico and two from Illinois. The two full days of professional learning featured pedagogical framing, panels highlighting case study presentations from around the world, and lesson ideas. The WHaLI workshop is designed and led by Michelle Bellino, associate professor at the Marsal Family School of Education, and Darin Stockdill, instructional and program design coordinator for the Center for Education Design, Evaluation, and Research. 

With an intent to enhance classroom teaching practices following Michigan State standards, share innovative strategies, and build a network of passionate professionals, WHaLI is funded in large part by U.S. Department of Education Title VI grants awarded to the six International Institute National Resource Centers. WHaLI educators hail the event as a way to spark new ideas, focus on content outside U.S. borders, and to offer a medium for community building and resource sharing between novice and veteran educators from widely varying contexts. All of these factors greatly impact teachers to stay motivated and remain committed to the teaching profession. One teacher who has attended WHaLI since 2019 commented: