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Promoting Civic Education in Our Schools & Communities

We work with students, educators, and others in our communities to help grow a better understanding of civics.


MACCE Newsletter, March 2023


MACCE Upcoming 2024 Workshops


Framingham State University Course

Understanding the Fundamental Principles, Values, and Institutions of American Government is a twenty-week course offered by Framingham State University, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Center for Civic Education. This course is offered as either a 3 credit Graduate level course, or can be used for 45 Professional Development Hours. If you are interested in learning more about the course, please click on the button below. The summer session will begin on June 12, 2023 and it’ll run through August 13, 2023.

Click the link below for more information and to register for the course.


The Friends of Publius – Fall 2023 Releases

The summer months have given the Friends of Publius some extra time and consequently they’ve had some time to launch a new initiative. 

The group recorded and posted four new episodes on their YouTube channel with two to come soon. These sessions are We The People Textbook unit overviews. Their previous videos were directed at addressing issues directly related to the WTP questions for the state and national competitions. These new sessions are designed to give an overview of the major concepts in each of the units in the WTP level three text. 

The videos are a valuable resource for:

  1. Teachers who may be new to the WTP program. 
  2. Teachers who assign students work in anticipation for the school year.
  3. State Coordinators who may want to incorporate them in their professional development programming. 

Unit One – Question One

The Protestant Reformation’s Impact on American Political Thought and Culture

Unit Two – Question One

The Three-Fifths Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment

Unit Three – Question One

14th Amendment Due Process Clause

Unit Four – Question One

Article Three and Separation of Powers

Unit Five – Question One

Historic Tradition and the Second Amendment


Unit Six – Question One

The Voting Rights Act, It’s History and Legacy

Unit One – Question Two

The Influence of British Constitutionalism on American Political Thought

Unit Two – Question Two

The Debate over the Problem of Faction

Unit Three – Question Two

Origins and Impact of America’s Political Parties

Unit Four – Question Two

Madison’s Melancholy: The Design and Function of the Senate

Unit Five – Question Two

School, Teachers, and Students and the First Amendment

Unit Six – Question Two

The Bill of Rights, Human Rights, and American Global Influence

Unit One – Question Three

The Influence of State Constitutions on Governance and Individual Rights

Unit Two – Question Three

Federalist/Anti-Fed Debate Over the Need for Amendments

Unit Three – Question Three

Lincoln, the Presidency, and the Slippery Slope of Executive War Powers

Unit Four – Question Three

Take Care Clause ad the Administrative State

Unit Five – Question Three

New Jersey v. TLO, the 4th Amendment and Student Rights

Unit Six – Question Three

Globalization, Social Media, and Citizenship Participation


MACCE presented WEBINAR for the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC)

Topic: Planning Civics K-12 – with We the People

Civics serves as the backbone of the MA History and Social Science Curriculum Framework. It spans all the grades so that students will develop an understanding of civics and the motivation to engage in civic life at the earliest ages and support that learning throughout the full extent of each students’ academic career. Making this happen poses some challenges. What is a developmentally appropriate way to engage students in the early grades? How can we build an effective progression of content and skills as students advance through the grades? How can we best prepare students to succeed with the civics projects expected at grade 8 and high school? District administrators will join Roger Desrosiers, President of the Massachusetts Center for Civic Education, to share models developed by We the People and Project Citizen to address these challenges. 

Audience: Teachers and Administrators
Date and Time: Wednesday, February 16, 2022 from 4pm-5pm (Zoom)

Watch the Recorded Webinar…

A 45 minute podcast:

Reasons Why a Teacher and her Students find We the People an Important Course in their Academic Career


KELLEY BROWN recognized as the NATIONAL DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION TEACHER OF THE YEAR for 2022

On June 30, 2022, Easthampton High School Teacher, Kelley Brown, received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution for 2022 in Washington, D.C. Earlier in the year, she had received the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Award from the DAR. Please watch the presentation of the award and Kelley’s inspiring speech that follows. It is easy to see why Kelley is admired by her students, her peers and those who have the opportunity to learn of her dedication and commitment to civic education. We are immensely proud of you, Kelley, and what you provide your students and others by your passion and love of learning about the values and principles of our government.

Kelley’s Award and speech begin at 2:17:45 of the video (video is set to begin at this point).

Our Programs

We the People

Teaches about the foundations of our government, its historical context, its contemporary application and offers many opportunities to analyze history and current events.  Through interactive activities found in each lesson, students can discuss, evaluate and take positions on the issues being studied.  The culminating event is a highly recognized performance based simulated congressional hearing.

Project Citizen

Provides a genuine opportunity for students to learn about government by participating in government. Students discuss and select a problem within their school, community, state or beyond, research solutions for this problem, select the solution they think would work best and explain their reasoning, and determine an action plan to enlist support for adoption of their proposed policy. The culminating activity is to present their proposed policy to the authorized governing body. Students may also participate in a State Showcase which offers a simulated legislative hearing.

Citizen Lyceum

Citizen Lyceum is a new initiative of MACCE introduced in 2016 as an adult learning opportunity. Its purpose is to offer adults and groups a chance to learn more about American government, its principles, its values and its institutions.