The Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC) is a non-partisan coalition of over 70 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
• Submissions for the Newsletter

Welcome back!

We hope the new school year has lifted off well. With the mid-term elections and persistent debates on a variety of Constitutional issues, it promises to be a lively year. Here in Massachusetts, MCLC is continuing to focus on a range of issues. Last month, Steering Committee members and many other MCLC members met at the EMK Institute for the annual retreat, both to renew connections in person and to engage in planning for the coming year.

This fall the MCLC agenda will include the following high priority projects:

• Advocacy - MCLC will be preparing for the upcoming season of advocacy for continued state funding.
• Civics Seals and Graduation Requirements - As noted in June, the Massachusetts Statewide High School Graduation Council final report, released at the end of the 2025-26 school year, included a number of MCLC’s recommendations. We will continue to work with the state to support the further development of these recommendations, including a proposal to establish a civics seal program. 
• High School Voter Registration - MCLC will continue to work with the Secretary of State’s office to provide resources to support a pilot program for high school voter registration.
• Youth Engagement - With some new and some veteran civics fellows returning, MCLC will further develop our youth engagement program on projects external and internal to the coalition.

We wish you the best for an energized year of civic engagement both in and out of the classroom. Thanks to the work of many we have made great strides over the years. But much remains to be done. The strength of the coalition lies in the engagement of our members–YOU! Please join in!

Promote the Vote!

• National Voter Registration Day is September 15, a perfect opportunity to teach students, our colleagues, friends, and other contacts about voting and the importance of voting.
• Hype the opportunity to vote early!

Join in!

Attend the upcoming Quarterly Member Meetings. Join the Planning Team. Seek out other ways that you can support MCLC. Questions? Please contact david.buchanan@icivics.org.

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

Opportunity to Serve on MCAS Educator Committees

DESE is seeking educators to serve on the MCAS Assessment Development Committees and MCAS Bias and Sensitivity Committee. Committee members contribute their expertise to the development and review of MCAS test questions and materials and receive professional development points (PDPs) for their service. School and district leaders are encouraged to identify and support educators who may be interested in serving. DESE is seeking committee members in the following content areas and grade levels: 



• Civics, grade 8 
• English language arts, grades 3–8 and 10 
• Mathematics, grades 3–8 and 10 
• Science and technology/engineering, grades 5 and 8
• High school biology and introductory physics 

Please refer to the August 24 Student Assessment Update for details on the committees and how to apply. Applications are due Friday, October 2.

New Investigating History Resources Available for SY26–27

New resources are available to support schools and districts using Investigating History in SY2026–27! Developed by DESE in partnership with educators and content experts, Investigating History is a free inquiry-based social studies curriculum for Grades 3–7 that is fully aligned to the 2018 Massachusetts History/Social Science Framework. Visit the DESE website for new resources, including:

• New Grades 3–4 courses and a revised Grade 5 course. Most Grades 3–5 units are now posted, with final units to come in early fall. Please note that the preview website that previously hosted our Grades 3–4 pilot materials will be deactivated by September 1, 2026.
• Course overviews, pacing guidance, and an updated Curriculum Guidebook to support educators in planning and scheduling. 
• Professional learning supports, including Certified Professional Development Providers and Background Briefs to support educator content knowledge.

Curriculum materials are freely accessible online, with printed materials available to order. For questions, please contact InvestigatingHistory@mass.gov.

Coming Soon: Fall Registration for Free Civics Courses

Keep an eye out for fall registration for Teaching for Civic Empowerment, DESE's no-cost professional learning initiative for Massachusetts educators. A variety of courses will be available through both Generation Citizen and Primary Source, with offerings for elementary and secondary educators.

Visit the Teaching for Civic Empowerment webpage to explore upcoming course offerings and access registration through either provider as courses become available: https://www.doe.mass.edu/instruction/hss/civics/empowerment/

MCSS is looking forward to a banner year, growing the programing and building leadership that supports Social Studies educators across the state. If you are interested in getting involved in any of the following projects, as a participant or leader, learn more at masscouncil.org or reach out to Todd Wallingford at president@masscoucil.org.

Join MCSS to support our social studies education and receive our monthly newsletter as well as substantial discounts on programming and conferences.

Professional Learning - Our networks of issue-specific Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) help teachers and leaders solve problems and share high-level expertise. Our PLCs currently include:

• Integrating Literacy Skills in the Social Studies
• Teaching Local History
• AI in Social Studies
• Navigating Polarizing Current Events
• High School Civics Seal
• Benchmark Assessments
• Financial Literacy

Our Fall Conference will focus on PLCs and Regional Networks, while our Spring Conference aims to build on the success of our March conferences at Old Sturbridge Village that attracted over 250 educators from across New England. The tentative date for the fall conference is Friday, October 23, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

Our Annual Educator Awards recognize exceptional educators in a variety of social studies disciplines from across the Commonwealth. Teachers, administrators, and museum educators at all levels are eligible for this honor. 

Our Regional Networks support local networking of leaders across the state.  

Looking for new teaching resources? Check out the new Resource Hub with curated materials and links related to a variety of content areas and pedagogies.

MCSS works with partners like MCLC to coordinate policy positions and advocacy for Social Studies education across the Commonwealth.

Constitution Day: A Revolutionary View

of Constitutional Supremacy 

September 17, 2026

Revolutionary Spaces is proud to launch our 2026–2027 program series, Constitution, After the Declaration: The Origins, Evolution, and Impact of the U.S. Constitution, with a special Constitution Day program exploring the revolutionary nature of our nation’s founding document. Our first program, Constitution Day 2026: A Revolutionary View of Constitutional Supremacy, is in partnership with GBH Forum Network, and will take place on September 17 at the Old South Meeting House. Professors Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan, co-authors of the new book Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People, will join Boston Globe reporter Brian MacQuarrie for a conversation examining the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in interpreting the Constitution and its authority to determine the constitutionality of laws enacted by Congress. The program is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 PM, and the program begins at 7:00 PM. Priority registration access will be given to Revolutionary Spaces members. A recording of this program will be available on the GBH Forum Network partner page after the event.

Empower Student Civics: Free DESE-Sponsored Professional Development

Fall/Winter 2026–2027

Through a partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Generation Citizen is offering free professional development for middle and high school public educators across the Commonwealth. The Teaching for Civic Empowerment (TfCE) initiative equips teachers with practical tools for engaging instruction, media literacy, and student-led community-based civics.

Available Pathways:

• Rolling Asynchronous Courses: Flexible, self-paced modules focused on research, inquiry, and media literacy.
• Live Virtual Workshops: Single-day and multi-session interactive cohorts in October and November.
• Regional In-Person Cohorts: Hands-on regional sessions hosted in Northampton (Nov 3–6), Wakefield (Dec 7–9), and Norwood (Jan 12–15).



All courses are 100% state-funded ($0 cost) and award 15 PDPs per course upon completion.

For full course descriptions, dates, and registration, visit Generation Citizen’s Civic Learning Page.

Democracy in Action: Teaching about Voting, Elections & Civic Participation

September 22, October 13 from 7:00–8:30pm

This learning series explores what makes democracy work, the importance of voting and elections, and the pivotal role of young people’s civic participation. 

Teaching What Makes Democracy Work 

Use this unit to teach your students about the fundamentals of democracy, its multifaceted nature, how we can assess its strength, and the importance of civic engagement to its maintenance. The lessons in this unit explore a wide range of themes related to democracy, including free and fair elections, the rule of law, the role of a free press, pluralism, civic engagement, and more.

VthePeople: Amending the Constitution

through an Article V Convention

October 2–3, 2026



This conference at Harvard Law School will bring together leading supporters, skeptics, scholars, legislators, and organizers to engage seriously on the case for–and against–an Article V convention and what a path forward might look like. Professor Lawrence Lessig and Michael Farris will give joint remarks, Professor Jill Lepore will deliver the keynote, and Governor Chris Sununu will take part in a fireside chat. More than twenty other scholars, legislators, and activists will participate in five panels exploring topics such as the history and tradition of Article V, substantive amendment proposals, comparative international models, and strategies for innovative democratic deliberation in a convention. Register at vthepeople.org.

Free Moakley US Courthouse Field Trips for Grades 5-12

Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the 2026–27 school year, 90-minute field trips between 9am and 3:30pm; timing coordinated with each school

Discovering Justice invites students in Grades 5–12 to experience the justice system firsthand through free field trips to the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston. Each 90-minute visit includes an inquiry-based, Massachusetts History & Social Science Framework-aligned courthouse tour and a courtroom experience, with the opportunity to request an additional interactive activity.

Free Half-Day Civic Excursions at the Moakley U.S. Courthouse for Grades 9–12

October 21, 2026; November 18, 2026; December 16, 2026; January 13, 2027; February 10, 2027; March 17, 2027; April 14, 2027; May 26, 2027 from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM, with an optional 30-minute lunch

Discovering Justice, in partnership with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, invites high school students in Grades 9–12 to spend a morning experiencing the federal justice system firsthand at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse. Each free, three-hour Civic Excursion includes a Massachusetts History & Social Science Framework-aligned courthouse tour, an interactive hands-on learning experience, and an opportunity to engage with a federal judge. Some scholarships for Title I schools are available.

Difficult Conversations in the Classroom 

October 1–29, 2026 with Live Sessions: Oct. 15 7–9pm ET; Oct. 29, 7–9pm ET 

Learn pedagogical strategies for facilitating civil discourse and creating a classroom environment that allows for open, honest, respectful conversations about difficult and potentially sensitive historical and contemporary topics. 

Securing the "Blessings of Liberty": The U.S. Constitution 

October 8–November 5, 2026 with Live Sessions: Oct. 8, 7–9pm ET; Nov. 5, 7–9pm ET 

Delve into the Framers' concerns, the creation of checks and balances, and the Constitution's role in shaping our civic life today as we uncover its enduring principles and discuss how it has held our democracy together for centuries. 

A New Birth of Freedom: The Gettysburg Address

October 22–November 19, 2026 with Live Sessions: Oct. 22, 7–9pm ET; Nov. 19, 7–9pm ET

Explore Lincoln’s impact on American democracy through both his statecraft and literary craft, examining themes of liberty, equality, and self-government to help engage students in compelling discussions about a critical figure and period of history.

Submit announcements to the newsletter using the

submission form.

Deadline: 1st Monday of the month.