Today’s presentation is to inform the MA250 commission of the programs and educational opportunities the members of the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition are providing the students of the Commonwealth to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
MA 250 programs will be hosted and organized separately by several of the individual members of the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC) in partnership with students, teachers, and community organizations from across the Commonwealth.
MCLC will come together in March to offer programing for the 5th annual MA Civic Learning week that takes place every year in tandem with National Civic Learning Week. This year, Civic Learning Week at both the national and state levels will focus on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Civic Learning Week is free and open to all, including students, teachers, administrators, policymakers, parents, and the general public.
LEARN MORE AT: MACivicsForAll.org�
The MCLC is comprised of civics education nonprofits, school districts, youth engagement groups, and research institutions who provide resources, raise awareness, and advocate for effective civic education as a core component of every young person’s educational journey�in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC)�Working Together to Build New Civic Learning Opportunities for All Massachusetts Students
MA Civics Project Showcase
SERVE AS A COMMUNITY ADVISOR
As a Community Advisor, you will visit student groups to support students in the following ways:
SAVE THE DATE
CIVIC LEARNING WEEK 2026
MARCH 9 - 13, 2026
__________
Civic Learning Week is a series of online and in-person events hosted annually to highlight the importance of civic education in sustaining and strengthening constitutional democracy in the United States.
Join us this year for workshops, classroom events, films and advocacy sessions to celebrate the 250th anniversary or the American Revolution.
Fill out the Interest Form to stay up-to-date with Civic Learning Week 2026
National Forum during Civic Learning Week
March 9–10, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA
Forum theme- Liberty and Learning: Civic Education at 250
Leverages the nation’s semiquincentennial in 2026 to reflect on the important role of civic learning in the history and development of the nation while considering the kind of civic learning needed for the next 250 years and beyond.
MA educators will be attending and presenting
Events will be livestreamed
Registration opens later in November
https://civiclearningweek.org/national-forum/
Co-hosted by the Democratic Knowledge Project and iCivics
The Civic Learning Institute (CLI) offers learning opportunities to help educators at all levels, from kindergarten through college, deepen their understanding of critical concepts in US constitutional democracy, US history, and powerful civic education. CLI is located at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is led by Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University.
Upcoming Virtual Courses in 2026:
PD Workshops: Available by request to educators and
schools on civic education topics
HarvardX: We the People: Civic Engagement in a Constitutional Democracy
Virtual asynchronous course
Gain a foundational knowledge of American constitutional democracy and understand how to encourage others to explore their own civic paths, while in parallel crafting your own civic voice and identity.
Civic Engagement in Our Democracy
Civic Engagement in Our Democracy is a yearlong, eighth-grade civics curriculum co-designed over the course of five years by Massachusetts educators and researchers at the Democratic Knowledge Project at Harvard University. The curriculum seeks to help students identify what they value, deepen what they understand, and develop what they can do to be self-caring, reciprocal, and self-confident changemakers.
Unit 2: The Rights of the People
Students learn about events during the American Revolution that sparked concerns about rights and the way thinking about rights was documented in the Declaration of Independence
https://curriculum.democraticknowledgeproject.org/course/civics-8/rights
Investigating History is a comprehensive, authentic, inquiry-based curriculum that is fully aligned to the 2018 History/Social Science Framework — developed by DESE in collaboration with teachers, history scholars, and organizations across Massachusetts.
Grade 5: United States History to the Civil War and the Modern Civil
Rights Movement
Unit 2- The American Revolution and Principles of United States Government
Grade 3: Massachusetts, Home to Many Different People
Unit 4- Massachusetts and the American Revolution
Children Discovering Justice (CDJ) is a Massachusetts History & Social Science standards-based elementary social studies and civics supplemental curriculum that explores the question, What is justice, and how do I use my voice to advocate for it? CDJ provides students with the foundational knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be engaged, critical, empathetic leaders, and provides teachers with culturally responsive lessons, scaffolds, and tools to explore critical topics and conversations.
elementary civics curricular resource
Kindergarten | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | |
A Just Community, Fairness & Rules | Voting, Leadership, Elections | Justice & The Environment | Justice & Native Peoples | Massachusetts Government | Regional Justice Advocates | Civic Practice Standards (Module 0 & 4) |
Available Now! | Available Now! | Available Now! | Available Now! | Available Now! | Pilot SY25-26 | |
From Gr 3: See Taking Perspectives: American Revolution activity here
Understanding Barriers to Youth Civic Participation
CIRCLE, the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, is a non-partisan, independent research organization focused on youth civic engagement in the United States. We conduct extensive research on youth participation, and we leverage that research to improve opportunities for all young people to acquire and use the skills and knowledge they need to meaningfully participate in civic life. In all of our work, we are especially concerned with understanding, addressing, and ultimately eliminating the systemic barriers that keep some young people marginalized from and underrepresented in civic life.
We seek to understand and improve the contexts and conditions that shape youth engagement, which are too often inequitable, with special emphasis on K-12 civic education's role in preparing youth to participate in democracy, in Massachusetts and across the country.
See our recent research based on our 2024 post-election youth poll: A Sense of Belonging and a Positive School Climate Are Key to Building Youth Political Efficacy
Learn more about our work on K-12 civic education.
The Civics Collection on PBS LearningMedia for Grades 6 - 12
Empower your student citizens with this collection that teaches civic knowledge and understanding, through applied examples from U.S. history, and skills, such as analyzing civic engagement and engaging in civil discourse. Highlighting multiple perspectives and diverse stories, these resources enable all students to see themselves as civic actors and prepare them to engage in civic life.
The Collection contains 200 FREE media-based resources and can be accessed at PBSLearningMedia.org/CivicsCollection.
The growing political divide in our communities has created a hesitation or all-out avoidance of approaching foundational civics and history topics.
But We Can Teach Hard Things—and should! But you don’t have to do it alone. Let iCivics support you as you navigate the growing challenges of teaching essential civics concepts amidst historic polarization.
This initiative is not about telling you how to teach. It is about giving you access to teachers across political and socioeconomic divides who are navigating the same challenges and questions, and giving you the tools and confidence to teach your way.
Register for the upcoming webinars! Check out the other resources!
How does it work?
Unlock even greater opportunities: Join the Essay Challenge
Win a $10,000 grant for your school, an all-expenses-paid national civic education trip, or a share of over $100,000 in other prizes by joining the Essay Challenge! Submit your essay answering the question: "Why is civic learning important in my classroom, and how does it empower my students?"
How does it work?
Civic Learning for K-12, College, and Beyond
The Kennedy Institute’s legislative simulations offer learners of all ages the opportunity to explore the democratic processes of our representative government, with an emphasis on productive dialogue and deliberation. Free classroom resources are available at emkinstitute.org.
March 2026 Citizen’s Lyceum Seminars
In partnership with the Massachusetts Center for Civic Education, the Kennedy Institute invites adult learners to join us for a four-part series focused on American government, its principles, its values, and its institutions.
Wednesday evenings in March
For registration information contact
Civics Curriculum & Professional Learning
EDC, headquartered in Massachusetts, has worked with partners worldwide for more than six decades to advance every person’s journey to learn, work, and be well.
New Units Just Launched in November 2025:
Coming in School-Year 2026-2027:
NEW: Civic Education Curriculum Collection from Facing History
We designed the Civic Learning Journey with a clear Explore, Learn, Participate sequence to maximize student impact.
Students move from self-reflection to knowledge-building to civic engagement, ensuring their participation is informed, ethical, and sustained.
New Resources and Professional Learning opportunities will continue to be added throughout this 2025-2026 school year.
Find the whole Collection by scanning here:
ANNUAL BOSTON TEA PARTY
“BODY OF THE PEOPLE”
MEETING REENACTMENT
OLD SOUTH MEETING HOUSE
DECEMBER 16, 2025
6:00 PM
SPECIAL FREE MATINEE EDITION
FOR SCHOOL GROUPS
11:30 AM
Join us!
2. Join the Coalition! Learn more about MCLC at macivicsforall.org
Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC)�Working Together to Build New Civic Learning Opportunities for All Massachusetts Students