Working together to build new civic learning opportunities for

all Massachusetts students.

Happy New Year! Welcome back!

With significant changes already happening here in the U.S. and worldwide, 2025 promises to be an historic year. Our mission, to build a vibrant culture of civic engagement to support democracy, is needed more than ever. With Civic Learning Week in March and our annual advocacy campaign lifting off in the second half of this year, there are many ways to show your civic spirit through MCLC. Check out the opportunities to get involved and support these key projects for the year. Thank you for supporting the coalition. We have more impact together!

NCSS members and our DESE colleagues hosted a showcase of student-led civics projects at the NCSS conference in Boston in November. Over 150 people attended to talk with student presenters about their projects.

The showcase was the culmination of a full week of events and sessions at the conference that included additional events co-hosted by MCLC and member organizations:

Visits by state level social studies directors to local schools to observe civics programs in action
A welcome reception for visiting educators, hosted by the EMK Institute and the Civics Renewal Network

Civic Learning Week 2025

As in previous years, MCLC will be hosting MA Civic Learning Week, with state-based events during the second week of March (March 10 - 14, 2025). At the same time, National Civic Learning Week will hold high profile events on the national stage, all with the goal of bringing together students, educators, policymakers, and leaders to further energize the movement to make civic learning a top priority. The theme this year is Civic learning for a strong democracy. While the planning is still in process, MCLC plans to host a range of events, including the ever-popular live sessions for students to engage with professionals from many civic-oriented careers, as thousands of students have done in the past. (See next Action Item for more details.)

How to participate:

Please fill out this form to be notified when event registration for MA Civic Learning Week is live in early February.

Share information on National Civic Learning Week and MA Civic Learning Week, March 10 - 14, 2025, with your contacts, including the overview found in the 2025 MA Civic Learning Week One-Pager.

Engaging Educators and Students

Please encourage the teachers and students with whom you work to share their work during Civic Learning Week.

Share the new 2025 Civic Learning Week Educator Toolkit with educators and encourage them to participate with their classes.

The Toolkit provides suggestions for how to participate in Civic Learning Week, activities for students for Civic Learning Week, suggestions for communications, including sample social media posts, and a host of other resources to support active participation in Civic Learning Week

More Information on MA Civic Learning Week

As in previous years, we are making some changes to MA Civic Learning Week this year to address recommendations following last year’s event. Those changes will:

Focus on teacher & student/classroom facing sessions, youth engagement, and sharing stories about work happening in schools and communities.
Reduce total number of sessions to build better attendance.
Invite particular presenters to host sessions to limit the number, but maintain the diversity, of topics and organizations represented during the week.
Ask that organizations hosting sessions independently manage the logistics, other than scheduling and promotion.
Keep sessions short and as focused as possible.

Although we are still finalizing the planning, some of the events that MCLC will be hosting during MA Civic Learning Week this year include:

Opening event with a leading public official and students - all grades
A panel discussion among youth civic leaders on how they became engaged in this work - middle/high school
Zoom with a Judge for elementary and middle/high school classes to learn about the judicial system directly from a judge - all grades, separate sessions
Discussion of careers in civics, on how panelists navigated their way into career paths related to civic engagement. - middle/high school
Professional learning on topics in civic education for educators
A civics trivia contest

…. And more! Don’t miss out. Teachers, please plan to attend with your classes!

Please fill out this form to be notified when event registration for MA Civic Learning Week is live in early February.

DESE Updates

FY26 Civics Teaching and Learning Grant (FC589) Posted

The FY26 Civics Teaching and Learning Grant is now posted! In addition, the Genocide Education Grant is also posted. DESE will host a webinar on both grants for interested districts on January 15, 4-5pm. (See this link to register.) The focus of this grant is on planning and programming for K-5 but districts may apply for funding for work at any grade level. High-need districts and those that have not received funding in previous years have priority in applying. Districts must apply via GEM$, DESE’s grant management platform, by Friday, February 28 at 5pm.

Free, PDP-eligible Civics Professional Learning, Grades K-5 and 6-12

Interested in free, flexible civics professional learning for yourself or educators in your district? Workshops and online modules that are co-designed and co-facilitated by Massachusetts public school teachers, the Democratic Knowledge Project, iCivics, and Project Zero are now available through the DESE Civics Pathways initiative. This winter, in-person and online offerings focus on facilitating the student-led civics project (registration now closed), powerful pedagogies for civic learning in grades 6-12, and social studies and civic learning in grades K-5. Registration is now open. See the links below.

In-person workshops are offered on Tuesday, Jan 14 (in Fitchburg) for grades K - 5 educators and on Tuesday, Jan 28 (in Springfield) for grades 6 - 12 educators.
Interactive virtual workshops begin January.
For grade 6 - 12 teachers, the three workshops focus on culturally and linguistically sustaining practices and managing difficult conversations.
For grades K - 5 teachers, the five workshops focus on engaging multiple perspectives, meaningful discussions, and daily routines to support civic learning.
Self-guided, online modules are available for teachers seeking more flexibility to complete learning experiences at their own pace.
For grades K - 5 and for grades 6 - 12, modules open on January 27 and February 10, respectively, on topics such as inquiry-based learning, media literacy, engaging primary sources, and teaching hard histories.

MA Civics Project Showcases 2025

DESE, in collaboration with Generation Citizen, will host four Statewide Civics Project Showcases across the Commonwealth in 2025! Showcases will be held:

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

The showcase, as in years past, will feature a dynamic "science fair-style" presentation format for 8th-12th grade students to promote deeper learning and provide real-world, authentic learning experiences. Students will:

Present their civics projects to local community advisors and their peers
Engage in meaningful dialogue about their work
Receive valuable feedback from local community advisors
Be recognized for their civic engagement and contributions

What do these events look and sound like? Check out these videos! 2024 MA Civics Project Showcase & 2024 GC Civics Showcase.

Please direct additional questions to Kristina Pires at kpires@generationcitizen.org.

Civics Teachers: Share Civics Project Examples & Receive a Gift Card

As part of research into civics education across the state, DESE partner MC2 Education invites middle and high school civics teachers (if allowable under district research guidelines) to share examples of student-led civics projects. The first 100 teachers to submit projects will receive a $49.99 gift card to one of the following: Target, Starbucks, Walmart, or Amazon! Learn more and upload projects here. For more information about this study, email civicsedstudy@mc2educationllc.com

Member Events & Announcements

"Now what?": Webinar Series on Teaching Social Studies in a Transformed Political Era

Educators nationwide have voiced concern regarding how the next four years may impact not only the general curriculum but also the approach to discussing sensitive topics in a politically charged atmosphere. In response, MCSS will host a series of conversations, Now What?, about the various challenges that K-12 educators may encounter in the second Trump administration. The series is designed as a platform for educators to exchange and explore effective strategies for tackling challenging and sensitive subjects in the classroom. Sessions will seek to assist teachers in providing students with the necessary skills for engaging in civil discussions while interacting with those who may resist these initiatives.

Join us each Monday and Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. EST during January and early February 2025. Learn more here. Topics include:

Navigating challenging discussions within the classroom
Addressing and confronting the concept of otherism
Teaching students to be discerning consumers of information
Encouraging students to develop critical thinking skills in the Social Studies classroom
Respecting the rule of law in a democratic society
Discussing major national and global events as they unfold

Civic Engagement in Any Subject: Integrating Local History Across the Curriculum

February 18, 2025

Northampton, MA - Stipends - Details & Registration

Led by veteran civic engagement teacher Catherine Glennon, Mohawk Trail Regional High School.
Full day February 18 at CES in Northampton, Massachusetts - with 2-hour virtual follow-up in April, date TBD. Lunch provided.
Registration is $135 – though completing teachers will receive $300 stipends and be eligible for $300 for projects with students. Supported by a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Eastern Region Program.
Earn $300 stipend + $300 in project funds. Optional 1 graduate credit from Westfield State University. (With extra registration fee.)

Essay Contest for High School Students

The Massachusetts Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, and Discovering Justice are partnering to host a Bill of Rights Month essay contest, open to all high school students who reside in Massachusetts. Winners will get a cash prize and attend an in-person celebration where they will read their essays at the Moakley Courthouse in Boston, MA!

The deadline for students to submit an essay is January 31, 2025.

Questions? Contact Emily Dall'Orso, Courthouse Programs Manager, edallorso@discoveringjustice.org

The question this year is: In New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985), the United States Supreme Court held that students have an expectation of privacy at school. However, to balance this right with the school's responsibility to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment, the Court ruled that school officials may search a student or their belongings so long as there is a "reasonable suspicion" that the student is violating either the law or school rules and policies. Given the evolving ways the Fourth Amendment is applied in schools today, what should the balance be between ensuring student safety and respecting students' Fourth Amendment rights?

Free Project-Based Learning Program on Understanding & Combatting Food Security

Grades 6-12

Explore.Act.Tell is a free project-based learning program that teaches 6-12th grade students to understand and combat food insecurity in their community. The lessons and project work well in any class or club, homeschool or community youth group.