Education Programs

A panoramic view exploring the stories of our 121 Inductees from all fields of endeavor from politics and sports to business, the arts, and STEM. Learn about Connecticut’s role in shaping our state, our nation, and our world through the stories of well-known women like Ella Grasso, Marian Anderson, and Prudence Crandall—and meet some of the state’s lesser-known heroines like Maria Sanchez, Barbara McClintock, and Hannah Watson.

How have Connecticut women of Latinx heritage helped to shape our state, our nation, and our world? In this program, students will explore the stories and influence of Maria Sanchez, Edna Negron Rosario, and Rebecca Lobo as they learn about the power of the individual to make a difference in her community.

Do your students struggle to be confident in themselves and their abilities? Even extraordinary and accomplished people have these same concerns. See how some of our state’s most remarkable women overcame obstacles and grew into confident leaders! Be inspired by the powerful stories of women like Marian Anderson who dealt with racial discrimination, Sophie Tucker who struggled with body image, Dorrit Hoffleit whose own mother considered her dumb because of her gender, and others across many fields.

Connecticut may be a small state, but its women have had a major impact on the international stage. In this program, students will explore the stories of women like Margaret Bourke-White, pioneering photographer who documented many of the major events of the early 20th century; Barbara Hackman Franklin, international business expert who opened U.S. trade with China; Indra Nooyi, Chairman & CEO of PepsiCo; and Carolyn Miles, CEO of Save the Children.

From women who nurtured the arts to remarkable artists themselves, Connecticut can boast many remarkable women in the arts! In this program, students will explore the stories of women like Florence Griswold, Laura Wheeler Waring, Helen Frankenthaler, and Annie Leibovitz and will have an opportunity to create some art of their own.

What role did State Heroine Prudence Crandall play in events more than a century after her pioneering work in Connecticut? How does Crandall's example change the way we typically view our state? In this program, students will explore the fascinating story of Prudence Crandall, Connecticut's State Heroine since 1995, and discover how her insistence on educating all children regardless of race connects to the larger national context of school desegregation, civil rights, and educational equity.

Legendary contralto Marian Anderson was a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement and sparked a national debate with her refusal to submit to racism. In this program, students will explore Anderson's story and discuss the impact of her inspirational career on the nation and the music world.

This program offers a deeper dive into the female voices that have helped change the face of democracy in the U.S. Explore the stories of Connecticut suffragists like Isabella Beecher Hooker and Alice Paul; see their legacy in action through the examples of some of the state’s pioneering female firsts in politics like Ella Grasso, Clare Boothe Luce, and Denise Nappier; and discover the power of your own voice through the inspirational stories of women like Helen Keller and Maria Sanchez who helped shape public policy through their dedicated advocacy.

Has anyone ever told you that you couldn’t succeed? How have you proved them wrong? Join us for an interactive multi-media program by the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame and be inspired by the stories of some of Connecticut’s remarkable women who overcame obstacles and objections to achieve great things! Learn from the determination of women in science and medicine like Barbara McClintock, Helen Smits and Emeline Roberts Jones, women pioneers in law like Constance Baker Motley and Patricia Wald, female sports icons like Joan Joyce and Donna Lopiano, and others from across all fields of endeavor.

What role has Connecticut played in America's larger story? How did Connecticut women help to shape our state, our nation, and our world? In this interactive program, students will explore the stories of some of Connecticut's remarkable women from the colonial period through the Civil War.The program also helps students see connections between the past and present and encourages them to take an active role in shaping the future.

This program explores the community advocacy of Maria Sanchez, who moved from Comerio, Puerto Rico, to Hartford, Connecticut at the age of 28. With only an eighth grade education, she became a community leader, ensuring that the Puerto Rican community in Hartford was heard. How can you advocate for your community? What is the role of education in shaping identity? Learn from Maria's example to answer these questions and more.

Connecticut has been home to some amazing women in medicine! In this program, students will explore the stories and contributions of women like Emeline Roberts Jones, the first female dentist in America; Emily Dunning Barringer, the first woman to secure a surgical residency; Martha Minerva Franklin, pioneer in the movement for Black nurses; and Helen Smits, international health policy expert.

Jewish women in Connecticut have made a lasting impact on our society. They have made significant contributions to the arts, business, and religious life. Their accomplishments are as varied as their struggles, and their stories inspire us to create new history. Hear the stories of a poor but determined immigrant named Sonya Kalich, and that of the formidable Mrs. Auerbach, who grew a department store into a model of modern business practices. Learn about the many Connecticut Jewish women who have challenged the status quo and blazed new trails.

Connecticut is so rich in Native American history, and the Indigenous Inductees have each had an impact on the preservation of native cultures both here and across the country. This program explores the stories and contributions of Gladys Tantaquidgeon, Emma Fielding Baker, and Fidelia Hoscott Fielding.

What role(s) have Connecticut women played in conflict at home and abroad? Trace the stories of remarkable Connecticut women and their impact on wars from the American Revolution through the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Explore the contributions of women like Hannah Bunce Watson, publisher of The Connecticut Courant during the Revolution; Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped sow the seeds of the Civil War; and Mary Goodrich Jenson and other female pilots whose contributions to both world wars have been largely overlooked.

Students will explore the stories of Maria Miller Stewart, Marian Anderson, and Constance Baker Motley, three of our state's remarkable African-American women, as they learn about the power of the individual to make a difference in her community on a local and national scale.

Taking inspiration from Abigail Adams' admonition to her husband to "remember the ladies" during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, this fifth-grade program remembers the Connecticut women of the colonial era. What role(s) did women play in colonial Connecticut? How did Connecticut women help shape the American Revolution? Your students will learn how women were viewed during this period of our history; explore the story of Hannah Watson, publisher of The Connecticut Courant during the Revolution; and hear about Sybil Ludington, a young New York woman who helped save Danbury from complete destruction by the British.

For more than a century, American women had struggled to gain the right to vote, and many Connecticut women were among the most active supporters of women's suffrage. In this program, students will go behind the scenes of the suffrage movement to better understand the sacrifices women made and explore the stories of Connecticut suffragists like the Smiths of Glastonbury, Isabella Beecher Hooker, and Alice Paul.

Women have been transforming our world through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for centuries—yet they have historically been left out of the conversation and even discouraged from participating in these fields. Today only 25% of STEM jobs in the U.S. are held by women and more than two-thirds of young women feel they must work harder than men to be taken seriously in STEM. This program traces the roots of these issues and demonstrates the myriad ways Connecticut’s pioneering women in STEM have transformed our world.

Our state has been home to some incredible writers, journalists, and photojournalists. Explore the contributions of some of Connecticut’s remarkable women who have shaped our understanding of the world through their writing and reporting. Hear the poetry of Lydia Huntley Sigourney, one of the first women in America to earn a living through her writing; discover pioneers like Ann Petry, first African American woman to sell a million copies; and see the world through the eyes and ears of journalists like Jane Pauley, Jane Hamilton-Merritt, Margaret Bourke-White, and Anne Garrels.