In this issue:

• The Year in Review
• MCLC’s 2025 Advocacy Campaign Update
• MCLC Meetings this Month
• Steering Committee → Monday June 9, 4-5pm
• Quarterly Member Meeting → Tuesday June 10, 3-4pm
• DESE Quarterly Meeting → Wednesday June 18, 10-11am
• DESE Updates
• Events and Announcements



As the school year draws to a close, MCLC has much to celebrate. This year, we launched a new initiative to work with the state to establish a high school voter registration program. We also built on the inaugural year of our youth engagement program to enroll a new cohort of youth leaders in the work of the coalition. In the fall, members rallied to create resources to teach the election, now posted on our website. In November, we offered visitors from other states the opportunity to witness the nation-leading progress made here in the Commonwealth for civics education. MCLC offered a number of classroom visits to Boston area schools in addition to a number of well-received workshops at the NCSS conference. We also collaborated with our DESE colleagues to host an enthusiastically attended showcase of student civics projects at NCSS. 

In March, MCLC again hosted MA Civic Learning Week with a full set of workshops, panel discussions, classroom-based conversations with judges and other civic leaders, as well as theatrical and other entertaining events. Civic Learning Week also marked a new collaboration with the Executive Office of Education, with a two-way discussion between Secretary of Education Tutwiler and a group of student leaders. There was also engagement by a number of other public officials and the Governor herself, with a formal declaration recognizing Civic Learning Week.

As we look to the summer, our campaign for continued state funding is still in progress, but there is progress, and we remain hopeful that our advocacy efforts will be successful. See details in the section below.

One of the finest celebrations of our work and the remarkable progress made in just a few short years here in Massachusetts are the Student Civics Project Showcases that have been taking place in four regions of the state over the last few weeks. A deep bow to our friends at MA DESE and Generation Citizen for all their work to make each event happen so smoothly. To see all the work of so many years and of so many educators, legislators and citizens culminate in these events celebrating student engagement is a dream made real.

MCLC leadership is grateful for the many collaborative efforts this year, with our members as well as our many partners, including our colleagues and friends at DESE who have done so much to make this progress possible. In particular, we honor Reuben Henriques, a leader among leaders at DESE, who has advanced social studies education on so many fronts in his few years there. We wish Reuben well as he departs DESE this week to take up a new position that will build on his considerable expertise to bring new perspectives and support for social studies education to our field.

We are grateful to live in a state that continues to invest and act on improving civic education for all students. We are grateful to all of you. 

Have a great summer and we look forward to another year of advancing civic education and the ideal of a thriving democracy, ruled by We the People.

We are the people. We are stronger together.

DESE’s History and Social Science Team is hiring!



Are you a social justice-oriented educator with experience in history, social studies, and/or civics education? Join DESE’s History and Social Science team as a contracted History and Social Science Specialist! In this full-time role, you will support teachers across Massachusetts through projects focused on promoting student-led civic action, evaluating social studies curriculum materials, and supporting DESE’s Investigating History curriculum for grades 3-7, among others. We’re looking for educators with a commitment to teaching and learning that is rooted in practices of historical thinking, places students at the center, and gives students the tools to critically analyze injustices and participate in civic life. Apply on MassCareers. Please reach out with any questions to Rebekah Judson at rebekah.m.judson@mass.gov. 

FY26 Civics Teaching and Learning Grant

DESE recently sent award notifications for the FY26 Civics Teaching and Learning Grant to districts. The awards still need to receive formal Governor’s Office approval before they will be posted on the DESE website.Given limitations on funds, DESE was only able to award 35 out of the 78 applications. It remains possible that there will be additional awards made at a later date should funds become available.

Massachusetts Executive Office of Education - State Graduation Requirements Survey 

The K-12 Statewide Graduation Council is launching an online survey to expand opportunities for public input on a new statewide graduation requirement. Students, parents and caregivers, educators, school counselors, businesses and community residents can complete the survey at Mass.gov/K12GradCouncil by June 30, 2025.  Information from the public survey and listening sessions will inform the Graduation Council’s recommendations on how Massachusetts can ensure that all students graduate with the skills necessary to succeed in college, careers, and civic life, regardless of their background or location, and demonstrate they meet a consistent statewide set of expectations. This includes exploring the role of assessment, the potential for differentiated pathways to earning the competency determination, and the completion of additional experiences that demonstrate civic, college, and career readiness. More information about the release of the survey and the Statewide Graduation Council can be found in the related press release.

Center for Civic Education - Paid Professional Learning Opportunity

The National Center for Civic Education has selected Massachusetts as a pilot program site for its "Project Citizen: Integrated Civics Competencies Program" aimed at enhancing the Center’s Project Citizen action civics curriculum. See program flyer here.  Five (5) MA middle and/or high school educators who have taught Project Citizen in their classrooms will be chosen to participate.  Please contact the Project Citizen state coordinator, Ed O’Connell, eoconnell@revolutionaryspaces.org, for more information.

MA Center for Civic Education  - Lecture Series

Celebrate America’s 250th - iCivics and the Bill of Rights Institute Civic Star Challenge

Join the Civic Star Challenge to seamlessly integrate the themes of the Declaration of Independence and America’s 250th Anniversary into your curriculum. Whether you teach English, History, Government, or Civics, you will be empowered to bring the Declaration of Independence to life with fresh, engaging, and ready-to-use resources. Teach each theme throughout the 2025-2026 school year for more chances to win over 400 incredible prizes.

Civic Discourse Research Survey

Boston University researchers Kaylene Stevens and Ariel Tichnor-Wagner are conducting a survey to understand how K-12 teachers in Massachusetts are teaching civic discourse and the support and resources that would help K-12 teachers teach civic discourse. If you are interested in sharing your perspectives on teaching civic discourse, please consider taking this survey!



The survey will be open until June 15 and should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. Upon completion, you can enter a raffle to win a $100 Amazon gift card.  

Facing History and Ourselves - Teaching for Equity and Justice Summer Institute

June 24-26, 2025



Register today for our Teaching for Equity and Justice Summer Institute to gain a deeper understanding of the legacy of educational injustice in the US and receive tools to help you create more inclusive and just teaching practices. During this three-day online experience, educators will examine moments in the history of American education and its current legacies of inequity, gaining in the process the tools necessary to mitigate against these barriers to equity.

Registration closes Monday, June 16, 2025.

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.