Building Pathways to Collections for Students and Teachers

By Kate Melchior, Assistant Director of Education

Thanks to our work with the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC), a collaborative of nearly 40 organizations that implement and promote civic education, the MHS has taken advantage of opportunities to raise our organization’s profile as a vital content provider not only in Massachusetts but also on a national scale.

MHS collections were featured in the Educating for American Democracy Roadmap and Report (EAD), funded by the NEH and the U.S. Dept. of Education and launched March 2, which provides educators a clear pathway to integrate civics into their teaching. The EAD site offers a curated list of civics-related teacher resources, including the MHS online exhibit “Who Counts? A Look at Voter Rights Through Political Cartoons” on its first page. This resource is now in front of thousands of teachers across the U.S., and more materials will be added in the coming months. We were also proud to note that one of our National History Day (NHD) students, Morgan G., and her teacher Jay Peledge, were featured in the nationwide broadcast with PBS NewsHour. Last year, Morgan’s documentary film on Bessie Coleman, the pioneering aviator, won Best Project in African American History at the state contest and advanced to the National competition. You can learn more about the roadmap and view teacher resources from the MHS and many other partners at https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/.