JOIN MCLC's ADVOCACY FOR STATE FUNDING TO SUPPORT CIVIC EDUCATION



Many thanks to all of those, both members of MCLC and others, who made Civic Learning Week such a success this year, as reflected in the data below. With the Week concluded and spring upon us, MCLC is launching the annual advocacy campaign to ensure continued funding for the Civics Project Trust Fund that funds PD for educators and many other state projects to improve civics education. We are actively seeking educators and students to join us in making the case to legislators and other public officials for more state funding. If you would like to support the campaign and/or know of educators and students who could support it, please contact MCLC's Advocacy Fellow, aharrington@discoveringjustice.org.

CIVIC LEARNING WEEK 2023

Civic Learning Week By the Numbers

NATIONAL CIVIC LEARNING WEEK

• 121 events, 21 states, 115 partners including companies such as Microsoft
• Website viewed over 13k times
• Opening forum reached over 700 
• Justice Sotomayor event for students reached roughly 300 classrooms

MASSACHUSETTS CIVIC LEARNING WEEK

• Total Participants: 4,786, a significant increase from previous years (2022/2021) which had 1,500+/1,000 respectively, not including the huge participation in the event with Justice Sotomayor last year
• Opening Event - 25+/- attended, the event featured great interaction between students and our special guests from Attorney General’s office
• Legislative briefing, to launch the advocacy campaign
• 75 attended, 6 legislators in person, 10 on line, Senator Rausch and Rep Vargas as well as legislator staff
• 3 pairs of students presented 
• Other sessions
• The sessions with the greatest number of participants were those hosted by; Discovering Justice, that reached 3,000 students (K-12), and; Edward M Kennedy Institute that had 480 elementary students attend.

DESE UPDATES

MA CIVICS CHALLENGE STATE SHOWCASE OF CIVICS PROJECTS

As you are aware, this spring DESE and Generation Citizen are hosting two state-wide civics project showcases to celebrate the work of 8th-12th grade civics students across Massachusetts.

• DESE’s Massachusetts Civics Project Showcase will be held on Friday, June 2 at Clark University in Worcester, MA (Open to all districts that are not Generation Citizen partner districts).
• Generation Citizen’s Civics Day will be held on Monday, June 5 at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston, MA (Open to Generation Citizen partner districts only). 

For additional information, please see the DESE Civics Project Showcase website and the Showcase slide deck HERE. 

INVESTIGATING HISTORY CURRICULUM

The Investigating History Implementation grant has just been posted! This grant is designed to support districts with the costs of implementing the Investigating History curriculum that DESE has been developing over the last year or so. The grant will focus on supporting professional development over the next two years. Note that some of the documents referenced in the grant (curriculum samples, readiness guide, and list of certified PD providers) will be on the DESE website soon.

DESE just closed recruitment for a group of 3rd and 4th grade teachers who will work with DESE through the next year to develop the Investigating History Curriculum in those grades.

STATE ASSESSMENT

DESE will be piloting the proposed "end of course" assessment this spring and will have a broader pilot of the assessment next year with a group of schools or groups of students randomly selected. Some practice test items, end of course and performance task items released from last year, are available for review

DESE’s CIVICS MONTHLY MEMO

Interested in receiving our new Civics Monthly Memo communication? Please subscribe here: Civics Monthly Memo Sign Up

CIVICS PROJECTS VIRTUAL SUPPORT FORUMS

April, 4/6, 4:00 – 5:00 PM  

Registration Link

Supporting Student-led Civics Projects at the School and District Levels: This interactive session will be co-facilitated by Massachusetts Civics Fellows. During this session, we will discuss why and how students' and teachers' experiences benefit from a systems approach, share what we've seen and heard teachers need to support project implementation, and engage in Q & A with participants. While this session is designed for school and district-level leaders, as well as community partners and school committee members, educators facilitating projects are also invited to attend.

ANNOUNCEMENTS, NEW RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

CIVICS SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING

Help renew civic learning and civic engagement! Education in civics and history equips members of a democratic society to understand, appreciate, nurture, and, where necessary, improve their political system and civil society. As a nation, our bonds are strained, civility has worn thin, and our sense of common purpose has weakened, just as the need for cooperation on large challenges grows urgent. The time has come to recommit to the civic and history education of our young people as a key mechanism for repairing the foundations of our constitutional democracy. Support for and learning among civics teachers is crucial for success.

To continue to address this urgent need, the Democratic Knowledge Project, a civic education initiative at the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, will host a group of 12 eighth grade and high school teachers at a one-week, expenses-paid Civic Summer Learning Institute for Learning and Teaching at the Schoodic Institute campus in Acadia, Maine: Sunday, July 30 – Saturday August 5, 2023. Visit the Informational Site here and access the Application here.

Want to become an MCLC member?

There is no fee! As a volunteer coalition, we rely on the active participation of our members. We invite both organizations and individuals to join our work. To learn more and join us, click here!

MCLC | www.macivicsforall.org