In this issue:

• MCLC Meetings this month
• Working Groups
• Next Quarterly Member Meeting - June 10
• MCLC’s 2025 Advocacy Campaign
• MA Civic Learning Week 2025- Highlights 
• DESE Updates
• MA Council for Social Studies and Other Member Announcements

Welcome!

The birds have returned and the earth is stirring with spring. With the change of season comes our focus on advocacy for state funding. In this month’s newsletter, in addition to celebrating another successful MA Civic Learning Week, we also launch our annual advocacy campaign. We believe that civic education has a vital role to play in the health of democracy and that everyone has a stake in the civic life of our communities, state, and nation. In a challenging budget year, we need everybody’s support to ensure that we continue to build on the considerable progress of the last few years. Please join us in supporting our outreach to legislators to make the case for civic education and its key role in ensuring a vibrant democracy.

Please contact david.buchanan@icivics.org with questions or if you would like to join either -or both - of these meetings.



The Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC) marked Civic Learning Week 2025 with a powerful legislative briefing at the State House, championing the urgent need to expand access to quality civics education across the Commonwealth.

Call to Action

To address the shortfall, MCLC is seeking an increase to $3.5M for FY26.

To close these gaps and ensure every student has a shot at meaningful civic learning, MCLC is urging the Legislature to increase the Civics Project Trust Fund to $3.5 million for Fiscal Year 2026 (up from $2.5 million). This critical investment would:

• Expand free, high-quality civics training for educators.
• Develop inclusive, innovative K–12 civics curricula.
• Fund more student-led projects through the Commonwealth Civics Challenge.
• Strengthen program evaluation and impact measurement.

Massachusetts has the vision and infrastructure to lead the nation—but only if we invest in making civic education equitable and accessible for all students.

MCLC’s advocacy team will send updates in the coming weeks seeking your support with our outreach to legislators to make the case for this continued investment.

Many thanks to members and many others for making MA Civic Learning Week a huge success!

Civic Learning Week is an annual event that seeks to highlight the importance of civic education in sustaining and strengthening constitutional democracy in the United States. This year, the week offered a wide variety of sessions, in-person events, films and other activities, all oriented around the theme of “Civic Learning for a Strong Democracy” to further energize the movement to prioritize civic education across Massachusetts.

Opening Session - A special discussion between student leaders and MA Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler

MA Executive Office of Education - Close collaboration with the Executive Office of Education for a classroom visit at Plymouth Public Schools to announce the launch of a new M250 contest for students to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution

Variety of Events - 16 events (13 virtual, 2 hybrid, 1 in-person), which included interactive classroom activities with judges and other civic leaders, panel discussions, educator professional development workshops, advocacy, and more. 

Special guest video appearances - by Governor Maura Healey, Congressman Richard Neal, State Senator Jacob Oliveira, Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis

Youth Voice - a number of well attended youth-led and youth-focused sessions, including the Opening Session

Attendance

• 7,000+ total attendees, most at classroom based sessions (compared to 6,000 in 2024)

• 576 unique registrants

Legislative Briefing at the State House - Standing room only! 

The session brought together educators and students with legislators and civic education leaders to make the case for continued funding for civic education.

201 new newsletter sign-ups

See the MCLC site to access videos and other highlights.

2025 Civics Project Showcases

DESE’s Spring 2025 Civics Project Showcases hosted in collaboration with Generation Citizen, will host four Massachusetts Civics Project Showcases across the Commonwealth in 2025. Showcases will be held on:  



• May 27th at UMass Dartmouth 
• May 28th at MassMutual Center in Springfield 
• June 2nd at DCU Center in Worcester 
• June 6th at Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston 

Joint AHA-OAH Statement on Executive Order "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling"

The American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians (OAH) have released a joint statement on the presidential executive order “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling.” The executive order “grossly mischaracterizes history education across the United States, alleging educational malpractice.” “The executive order’s narrow conception of patriotism and patriotic education does more than deny the actual history of American democracy; it also undermines its own goals of a rigorous education and merit-based society,” the statement reads. “We reject the premise that it is ‘anti-American’ or ‘subversive’ to learn the full history of the United States with its rich and dramatic contradictions, challenges, and conflicts alongside its achievements, innovations, and opportunities.”

Click here to read the statement. Click here to read the Executive Order.

WGBH is looking for teachers to pilot their civic action curriculum, "Youth Stand Up"

Rising Generations Summit on June 7, 2025

The Aspen Institute is excited to share that the Aspen Institute’s Center for Rising Generations is hosting the Rising Generations Summit on June 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. This fully funded event will bring together more than 100 young leaders from across the country for a day of skill-building training, networking, and a dynamic leadership development to drive change at the community level. Please note, for youth under 18, an adult chaperone will be required. Travel and accommodations for youth delegates and adult chaperones will be provided and covered by the Center for Rising Generations. 

Details include: an FAQ, including a link to the application, an announcement toolkit, and social assets for easy sharing.

Want some help publicizing an event, resource or other announcement? MCLC can help. Submit info on your event or announcement via the Submit My Event form