October 2020 Newsletter
As we continue to navigate the challenges that COVID-19 is presenting in our classrooms, schools, and communities, the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC) is here to provide resources, advocate for critical funding, and raise awareness to keep focus on the importance of civic learning for all students across the state.
We want to ensure that amidst all of the uncertainty, educators have what they need to successfully meet the requirements of the 2018 civics law and navigate teaching civics in a remote or in-person setting this year. Below are resources for educators as the school year starts and opportunities to engage further with MCLC.
We are also excited to welcome Natacha Scott to the MCLC leadership team!
Welcoming MCLC’s New Director:
The MCLC is excited to welcome Natacha Scott as our new Director. Prior to joining the coalition, Natacha worked for the Boston Public Schools as the Director of History & Social Studies where she helped coordinate civic learning. Additionally, Natacha had served as a review panel member supporting the revision of the Massachusetts History and Social Science 2018 Curriculum Framework. She also contributed to the design and development of the Civics Project Guidebook used to frame the expectations of the Action Civics Projects aligned with the 2018 Massachusetts law on civic education.
We are looking forward to Natacha bringing her wealth of knowledge to the organization!
Lean on MCLC for teaching civics this year:
We have assembled free resources to help educators and families continue teaching and learning civics remotely at: macivicsforall.org/remote-resources. You’ll find resources organized by grade band on topics such as:
Best practices for distance learning
Taking school online with a student-centered approach
Local government and civic participation
History of the constitution
News and media literacy
The 2020 presidential election
Current events and global issues
DESE has confirmed that the expectations for student-led civics projects in grade 8 and high school, as outlined in the 2018 civics law, will remain in place for the 2020-2021 school year. You can find resources designed to support these projects at: macivicsforall.org/educators under the grade 8 dropdown. Some of the main resources include:
Democratic Knowledge Project - Digital Civics Action Student Workbook What can you do to make change during #COVID19 outbreak?
Facing History and Ourselves - From Reflection to Action: A Choosing to Participate Toolkit, readings and activities designed to support student-led civic action projects at middle and high school levels
Generation Citizen - Democracy Doesn’t Pause, lesson plans and family activities to create change in the community
Generation Citizen -Take Action: Lobby a Legislator: If you're leading a virtual classroom, we have developed a lesson you can teach to connect this moment to civic action for your students. As your students engage in their reflections about everything happening around them through this lesson, please encourage them to post their thoughts and experiences using the hashtags in the plan, and be sure to @generationcitizen on Instagram and @gencitizen on Twitter, in order to connect with other young people sharing their voice across the country.
Generation Citizen - Beyond the Ballot: Provides strategies for teachers and parents to take civic action in the community. A 2-lesson curriculum draws students’ attention to their local governments, systems and services, students will gain appreciation for the potential power of their actions at the local level. Students work together to choose an issue in their community they feel needs to be solved, and then seek out a local elected official to address it.
CIRCLE Data Tool offers a unique way to explore the relationships between voting and other forms of civic participation, and some of the conditions that shape such engagement. It features more than 40 unique indicators and includes data at the national, state, congressional district, and county levels. The classroom companion illustrates examples for teachers from many disciplines to use the data in inquiries and other projects.
Constitutional Rights Foundation - Civic Action Projects Student Discussions. Students can discuss issues with other student leaders from across the U.S.
iCivics - Resources for the Six Stages of Civics Projects Resources for the Six Stages of Civics Projects
Grow professionally and learn virtually:
Join MCLC’s Dave Buchanan and Casey Cullen at NERCVirtual 2020 on Tuesday, October 27, 3:00pm-4:00pm for a workshop on Resource Ready with the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition.
The MCLC will also be hosting a series of free webinars for educators and administrators to highlight remote learning and teaching experiences, obstacles, and success stories from across the Bay State. We are planning webinars on topics such as:
Establishing an effective culture in a remote classroom
Support for student-led civics projects
Social emotional learning tools
You can view all past webinars on-demand at: macivicsforall.org/remote-resources and sign up to receive email alerts from MCLC about upcoming webinars by completing this form.
Share your stories and student voice:
Explore the MCLC blog for stories and voices from our community at: macivicsforall.org/blog. If you have a story to share or want to feature your student’s work, please email info@macivicsforall.org .
Do you have action civics projects to share? We are collecting examples of projects from across the state to showcase strong models and support other teachers. This online project round-up will also be used in MCLC’s advocacy to show the impact of these projects throughout the state. Please submit projects that your school or organization has completed since 2018 and pass the submission link along to your colleagues so they can share their students’ projects too. This is a wonderful opportunity to amplify your students’ work and to support other educators!
Resources and Opportunities from Our Partners at DESE:
DESE Civics Resources - Guidebook and Quick Reference Guide
Civics Projects Networking Meetings: DESE will be hosting virtual network meetings for educators seeking assistance with implementation of student-led civics projects. These meetings will include guidance from educators who have already completed projects with their students. Registration and more information; for questions contact reuben.f.henriques@state.ma.us.
Advocate for Funding with MCLC:
The time is now for legislators to ensure that funding for civics education is made available to students across the state. At present, while many high-needs communities have received some funding, communities in some regions of the state received little or none, and there are still other gaps to be filled. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which administers the funding, received 106 proposals totaling $2,472,187 in requested funds. Of the total $1.5M allocation, DESE reserved $750,000 for grants but, due to the significant demand, ultimately funded 28 proposals for a total of $845,290. Roughly $2M in quality proposals could have been funded if more resources were available.
Since late June, 2020, members of MCLC have met with over 67 legislators and staffers virtually to lobby for funding. The meetings have included the legislative leadership, chairs of the House Ways and Means Committee, the chairs of the Joint Committee on Education, and many others.
The MCLC is planning more virtual lobbying efforts in the coming months and is encouraging educators to join those meetings. This funding is key to ensuring a strong foundation for civics education and the future for the civic leaders of tomorrow. If you would like to attend, please email info@macivicsforall.org.
If you would like to share the MCLC with colleagues who are looking for resources and support, share our new digital brochure . If you have specific needs or questions, please contact info@macivicsforall.org directly.