Spring Retreats include a conference component, with time reserved for project presentations by Institute teams. Other presentations are solicited about a theme chosen for the year. The 1999 Retreat keynote address on mentoring and supporting new colleagues was given by Catherine Didion. Food and lodging costs for Institute participants attending the retreat are covered by the Women and Science Program, but travel costs must be covered by home institutions. Consulting visits are not included in the cost of the Institute, but can be arranged through the Women and Science Program office.
Visits can range from seminar presentations to multi-day consulting visits.
Format, topic, and consultants are arranged according to the needs of the contracting institution. All teams are asked to make project information available to other educators. Each team provides a written status report to distribute at the closing session of the summer workshop. Previous participants in the Curriculum Reform Institute have come from across the country and around the world.