The Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC) is a non-partisan coalition of over 60 nonprofits, educators, universities, and other partners committed to renewing our democracy by ensuring that all students gain the knowledge and experience of civic engagement to become thoughtful and active participants in building a better tomorrow. 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 this Issue:

• MCLC Message
• MCLC Action Items
• MCLC Upcoming Meetings
• MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Updates
• MA Council for the Social Studies (MCSS) Updates
• Events, Resources, and Announcements

Welcome back! Happy New Year!

2026 has momentous events in store, from Civic Learning Week and Civics Project Showcases to celebrations around the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution. Explore new resources and opportunities to build your capacity in civic education, advocacy, and media literacy—and build community with students at Student Government Day and with educators at the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies Conference.

See all the action items and details below to join us in celebrating the unique place of Massachusetts in standing for liberty, pluralism, and independence for over 250 years.

Action Item #1

Help Us Promote Massachusetts Civic Learning Week 2026 — Share This Save the Date with Your Contacts!

Liberty and Learning: Civic Education at the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution

Save the Date: March 9th to 13th, 2026

MCLC is excited to host the annual Massachusetts Civic Learning Week 2026, which will be held this year from March 9th to 13th. As in past years, MCLC will host Massachusetts-focused events while National Civic Learning Week will host events on the national stage. 

Civic education provides each person with the necessary tools to engage as members of our self-governing society. We know that the best civic learning happens both in and outside of the classroom and is a lifelong endeavor. Civic Learning Week brings together students, educators, policymakers, and leaders in the public and private sectors to underscore the need to make civic learning, in all of its forms, a priority and to further energize the movement for civic education across Massachusetts.

As in past years, MCLC will host: 

• Student-focused sessions during the school day, for teachers to share with their classes. 
• Teacher-focused sessions in the afternoons, to provide professional learning and support. 
• General public sessions, to engage policymakers and families in the work of promoting civic learning.

MA Civic Learning Week events are free and open to all, including students, teachers, administrators, policymakers, families, and community members.

Don’t miss out! Save the dates and fill out the Interest Form to stay up-to-date with Civic Learning Week updates and registration in early 2026.

Action Item #2

Advocacy — We Need to Hear About Your Work!

How has your work contributed to teaching and learning, school culture, and overall academic performance?

To further bolster our advocacy work with DESE, government officials, and others, MCLC is seeking stories of the great work of our member organizations in districts and schools across the state. Please briefly describe the project, the school, the district, and the results in a short paragraph of 8-10 sentences and submit it to the Steering Committee Lead for this project, Katie Giles (kgiles@civichistory.org). If you have any educator and/or student quotes or images of relevant student work, we’d also love to receive those. We plan to follow up with you on any stories that we will plan to use.

Action Item #3

Advocacy Training

As you know, MCLC is committed to advocating for an annual allocation of funds for the Civics Trust Fund, to support civic learning in the state each year during the legislative budgeting session. We are gearing up for another budget season this spring. Partners in Democracy is offering a free training on effective approaches to advocacy. Please indicate your interest by completing the following survey.

If you would like to attend one of these meetings, please contact David Buchanan (david.buchanan@icivics.org).

2026 Awards of Excellence in Teaching — Now Accepting Nominations

The Commonwealth possesses some of the most talented and committed teachers in the nation. They deserve recognition! Each year, the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies presents Awards of Excellence in a variety of social studies areas to educators from across the state. Teachers, administrators, and museum educators at all levels are eligible for recognition. Learn more about the award categories and view past recipients at the MCSS Website or head straight to the nomination form where you’ll also find the award categories. Award nominations are due January 20th, 2026.

MCSS Annual Conference and Membership

Mark your calendars: March 13th is the Spring 2026 MCSS Annual Conference at Old Sturbridge Village. See the conference website here.

A robust set of workshops provided by both subject matter experts and teachers in the field will revolve around these conference themes:

• Social Studies in a Digital Age: Artificial Intelligence, Media Literacy, and Critical Thinking
• The American Story: 250 Years of Revolution and Resilience

Opportunities to participate:

1. Attend. $50 for member districts and $75 for non-members. Registration will be available soon on the MCSS conference site.
2. Organize. We’re an educator-driven organization. If you’d like to get in on the creative/organizational side of this conference, please let us know.  

MCSS Membership



Districts and organizations should join today! Enjoy membership benefits, which include discounts for PD and the annual conference. Click here to view the membership form and here to make a copy to fill out. Don’t miss out!

Annual We the People Competition — Saturday, January 31st

The annual state We the People Competition will take place at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston, MA. The competition offers high school students an opportunity to research aspects of the U.S. Constitution and to present what they have gained from their studies before a set of judges in the setting of a simulated congressional hearing. For more information, contact roger.desrosiers@masscivics.org.

Introducing Facing History’s Civic Education Curriculum Collection

Facing History’s new civic education collection is rich in instructional strategies proven to foster meaningful civic engagement. Designed for middle and high school classrooms, this flexible, C3-aligned collection uses our evidence-based approach to help educators guide students toward ethical and informed civic participation in democracy.

MY AMERICA, a Youth Driven-Art Engagement Project

In celebration of America’s 250th, MY AMERICA is a free, nationwide, youth-driven art and civic engagement campaign emanating from Massachusetts that will honor our past, reflect on our present, and inspire our future. Through artistic expression, civic action, and public commemoration, MY AMERICA will empower young people grades K-12 across all 50 states to reflect on what unity, democracy, and being American means today by creating a giant mosaic of an American flag made up of thousands of individual tiles. Educators can sign up on the website to receive their kits. For questions, email Molly Lomenzo at mlomenzo@empowerpeace.org.

Now Open: 2026-27 Democratic Knowledge Project’s Civic Engagement in Our Democracy Grant

Applications are now open for a multi-year grant opportunity offered through the One8 Foundation to support the adoption and implementation of high quality history and civics curriculum in the 2026-27 school year. Grant funding is available to support implementation of the Democratic Knowledge Project's Civic Engagement in Our Democracy curriculum in Grade 8. Selected schools will receive comprehensive curriculum-based professional development and school-specific implementation support, provided by IH Magnify or DKP Launch, for the three-year duration of the grant. Applications and more information are available. Schools may apply for the Democratic Knowledge Project Launch grant. Deadline: January 29th.

Case Method Institute — Professional Development Opportunity for High School Educators

The Case Method Institute (CMI) offers teachers an opportunity to integrate case method teaching into courses at a range of academic levels. CMI cases are factually rich historical narratives that build to a critical decision point in the history of American democracy. After students read the case, teachers draw on teaching plans to guide rigorous discussions of the surrounding issues before asking students to make the case for their view on the most effective way to have handled the situation. CMI offers professional development, 23 cases, teaching materials, implementation support, and student feedback tools at no charge. Learn more or register at cmi.org/getinvolved.