Efforts are underway to form regional councils for Social Studies educators throughout the Commonwealth. These councils, along with Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), aim to build networks where educators can exchange ideas, address challenges, and learn best practices, especially for complex subjects. Occasionally, a teacher may feel isolated, as they might be the only one teaching subjects like business and personal finance or AP Economics at their school. They may wish to collaborate with peers in other districts who teach the same subjects.
Please feel free to forward/share this with your staff and encourage them to get involved with your regional council to represent your Social Studies department..We also encourage you, if you have not done so already, to register your department as a member of the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies.
Because there is no Rhode Island Council for the Social Studies at the moment, the Massachusetts Council welcomes teachers teaching in Rhode Island to join us and hopefully will be able to reinstate the state council in the near future! Contact Gorman if you are a teacher in Rhode Island and want to join and get involved.
Feel free to complete this form if you are interested in getting involved. If you have any questions or would like to know more, feel free to contact us.
June 5, 2026
Thank you for expressing interest in forming or reviving the Social Studies Council in your region of the Commonwealth!
As we wind down the school year and anticipate a well-deserved summer break, there is much to consider and plan for the 2026–2027 school year. The start of the year is an ideal time to gather, envision, and plan what we would like to do. Many schools are starting before Labor Day because the holiday falls late this year, so we hope to hold a meeting early so that we can explore exciting projects that will provide teachers in your region with meaningful professional development, practical strategies and ideas, and useful resource materials.
If you are still interested in forming or reviving a regional council, let’s plan to connect in September. I propose Monday, September 14, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. on Zoom so please mark that date and time on your calendar and I hope to connect with you soon. If you have any questions or suggestions, do let me know. You can email me at zoom@masscouncil.org.
Happy summer!
Gorman
Social Studies administrators
Active district members: Abington, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton, Carver, Cohasset, Easton, Halifax, Hingham, Kingston, Mansfield, Marshfield, Middleborough, Norton, Northborough, Norwell, Plymouth, Plympton, Scituate, Southboro, Taunton, West Bridgewater, Whitman-Hanson
Active district members: Arlington, Bedford, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Lynn, Malden, Needham, Newton, Stoneham, Watertown, Westwood, Winchester
Primarily school districts in Worcester County.
Active district members: Auburn, Chelmsford, Fitchburg, Hudson, Lawrence, Leominster, Methuen, North Middlesex, Shrewsbury, Upton-Nipmuc Regional, Waltham, Wachusett, Westborough
including Cape Cod and Islands
Active district members: Avon, Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Brockton, Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter, Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, Dedham, Dennis-Yarmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River, Falmouth, Harwich, Mashpee, Monomoy Regional, Nauset, New Bedford, Sandwich, Sharon, Sturgis Charter, Taunton
"The overarching goal of this network is to network with each other and we can do so in many different ways. For us to move forward, I have prepared what I hope is a quick Google form with a couple of questions for people to complete when you have a free moment. If you do not want to be part of this network please let me know and I can remove you from my contact list. Here is the Google Form to fill out: Google Form."
Active district members: Burlington, Haverhill, Lynnfield, Manchester-By-The-Sea, North Andover, Salem, Wilmington
Active district members: Agawam, Mohawk Trail Regional, Springfield