Below, please find two simple resources to explain how to register to vote in New Hampshire. These would be great tools for the classroom.

The LBJ Library summer webinar series is available by video on their website. The following is from the LBJ Library September Newsletter:
When entering the classroom, students and teachers are met with systematic racism at every turn. By looking at who writes and is represented in curriculum, textbooks, and education policy, we can begin to understand the education system in the United States. This 10 week webinar series will scratch the surface answering the questions "How did we get here," "Where are we now?" and "What can we do about it?" in regard to raising issues of equity and implementing anti-biased, anti-racist education across the country. President Johnson sought to increase access in education with over 60 pieces of legislation such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Higher Education Act, and Bilingual Education Act. Continuing President Johnson's legacy of prioritizing education, the LBJ Library will host this webinar series to give information and tools to educators and stakeholders to affect change in their schools and communities.
 
Confirmed speakers include:

• Kim A. Anderson, Executive Director of the National Education Association
• Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, Professor Emerita the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Tiffany M. Jewell, author of This Book is Antiracist
• Dr. Peniel Joseph, founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at The University of Texas
• Liz Kleinrock, Teach and Transform
• Dr. Richard  Reddick, The University of Texas College of Education
• Kenneth Shelton, leader in educational technology
• Glenn Singleton, Courageous Conversations
• Dr. Angela Valenzuela, The University of Texas College of Education
• Representatives from education advocacy groups including Educators for Excellence, Teach Plus, and Educators in Solidarity

For more information, visit our website.

Sunday and Monday, October 4 and 5, will be a two-day “kick-off” event, that will present live online keynote addresses focusing on the themes for NERCVirtual 2020.

1. Teaching and learning social studies in the age of Covid-19
2. 2020 U.S. Elections
3. Under-represented voices in American History
4. History of Protests
5. Preparing Student to Hold “The Office of Citizen”

These themes are described on their website: https://www.masscouncil.org/?page_id=7245 and below.

The keynote speakers include Kenneth C. Davis, Barbara F. Berenson, L’Merchie Frazier, Justice Robert J. Cordy, David L. Hudson, Dan Osborn, and Christopher Martell. All of them are EXCELLENT speakers on each of the themes. Best of all, participation IS FREE - they just need to register in order to get access to join.

For the month of October, they have a series of webinars, workshops, and master classes in the afternoons (between 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.) to allow teachers from all over to participate online after regular school hours. 

The workshops and webinars can either be live (real time) using Zoom or Google Meet (or a platform that you use whether it be Skype, Cisco WebEx, etc.) or it could be pre-recorded and teachers can access the webinar or workshop on their own time.

Mass Council has identified major themes for the 2020-2021 school year:

1. Teaching and Learning Social Studies in the Age of Covid-19. Some of the workshops being offered this fall will explore and share best practices and strategies to designing and delivering social studies synchronous (real time) and asynchronous (on your own) instruction in full and hybrid remote learning formats.
   
   
2. The U.S. Presidential Election of 2020. Recent U.S. presidential elections have been groundbreaking and historic, but the upcoming 2020 presidential election has already been considered—by many—as the most consequential and contentious in our lifetime. We are looking for PD opportunities to help guide social studies teachers on enriching instruction on the complicated political issues that are defining our present-day national political discourse and the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
   
   
3. A History of Protests. Protests have been one of the cornerstones of American democracy long before the establishment of the United States of America under the Constitution and Bill of Right, and it is arguably protected under the First Amendment, provided that protest is peaceful and lawful by obtaining permits. That said, exceptions have been made when protestors gather in response to breaking news, such as the recent Black Lives Matter protests happening across the nation in response to the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. We are looking for PD opportunities to focus on the historical significance and importance of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and the power of the American people to exercise their rights to peacefully assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
   
   
4. Under-represented Voices in American History. Over the course of the history of the United States, “We” in “We the People…” have expanded beyond white male property land owners, but we still have so much work to do to achieve equal justice and protection under the law. We are looking for PD opportunities to enrich curriculum and instruction to include under-represented groups in our history curriculum. Once students realize that the United States was established and developed by women and men of all races, not just white, they can better identify themselves and each other as members of the American populace. Students of color will see the United States as their country too. Not only is this important to students of color, but it is equally if not more important for white students to realize this as well.
   
   
5. Preparing Students to Hold “The Office of Citizen.” Social Studies is a large academic field that includes history, geography, economics, civics and government, archaeology, and the behavioral sciences such as psychology and sociology. Social Studies is intended to prepare students to hold the “Office of Citizen” and is essential for responsible citizenship in areas such as history and government, geography, economics, sociology, and communication. Social Studies creates opportunities for students to apply critical thinking and content knowledge to analyze information on complex issues and to seek solutions to real-world problems.

The New Hampshire Institute for Civics Education has free programming available to utilize in your fall curriculum, whether you need in-person or remote programming for your classroom. They are currently enrolling for our Civics 603! programming. Head to their website for more information. Check out the PD opportunities in the PDF below.

NHCSS Press Release
Approved by the NHCSS Board of Directors, June 10, 2020

Concord, NH - The New Hampshire Council for the Social Studies decries the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and countless other Black Americans and mourns their tragic deaths. The NHCSS stands in solidarity with the National Council for the Social Studies in condemning institutionalized racism and prejudice in all its forms. We rededicate ourselves as educators to address institutionalized racism and promote anti-racist instructional practices.

Only by understanding our history will we be able to root out the institutional racism that has denied equality and opportunity to so many. As educators, we have both a responsibility and an opportunity to help our students grasp the challenge before us to bring real and lasting change. This is our moment—social studies teachers are trained to lead students through complicated and controversial topics and teach tolerance. And never has there been a better time to teach students about the importance of taking thoughtful, informed, and constructive action to make the world a better place.
We acknowledge that we can do better and we want to work on this. We will work as a council this summer on how we can best assist other teachers across the state. As part of our mission to advance social studies education in the state of New Hampshire, we are taking action in the following ways:

• Establishing a resolution of values
• Establishing an Anti-Racism and Inclusion Committee
• Creating a space on our website for social studies resources on social justice, racism, inclusion, and diverse history.
• Providing professional development that address inclusion 
• Including an Anti-Racism and Inclusion Discussion in our next conference

Through these efforts we can better prepare New Hampshire’s students to participate in the world they will inherit. Our commitment to educate Granite Staters about society's racial injustices is merely one contribution to the larger struggle, but it’s one that we can and should make.

Cutis Roddy
President of the New Hampshire Council for the Social Studies

​As I am sure you are preparing for an uncertain start to the school year, I wanted to reach out to share some resources from the LBJ Presidential Library that might be helpful to you and the teachers that you work with. As our in-person professional development was cancelled due to COVID-19, we are hosting a webinar series this summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays in June and July. The June schedule and registration can be found in the attached information below or on our website: lbjlibrary.org/events/educator-summer-webinar-series   The July lineup is being finalized and should be announced later this week or early next week.
 
We are also working to take some of our most popular lessons online, as well as bring the museum to you through a virtual field trip. Please see below for some of our best digital resources. All of our curriculum and education resources can be found at lbjlibrary.org/education.

Silver Spring, MD – In response to the death of George Floyd, National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) condemns the use of excessive violence or force, or extrajudicial processes, used discriminately by law enforcement against blacks in America when investigating or enforcing probable or non-probable causes of infractions, misdemeanors, or felonies. These actions are against the civic values and practices we teach all students through social studies education.
NCSS President Tina L. Heafner, Ph.D., expressed, “We are outraged by the use of violence that resulted in the death of George Floyd while being detained by Minneapolis law enforcement this week. Our hearts and sympathy are with the Floyd Family, the residents of Minneapolis, and all grieving Americans. NCSS strives to promote human rights and justice for all human beings regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Mr. Floyd’s death along with the recent killings of two other black people, Ahmaud Arbery (who was shot after being pursued by white men near Brunswick, GA) and Breonna Taylor (who was killed by police officers in Louisville, KY, during a “no-knock” raid of her apartment), are unremitting reminders of deep-seated racism and institutionalized violence against people of color in America. This ongoing injustice of racialized police brutality involving countless black people must stop. Moreover, this systemic pattern of dehumanizing, criminalizing, and terrorizing people of color, and in particular black men, women, and children must end.”
Founded in 1921, National Council for the Social Studies is the largest professional association in the country devoted solely to social studies education. NCSS engages and supports educators in strengthening and advocating social studies. With members in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 35 countries, NCSS serves as an umbrella organization for elementary, secondary, and college teachers of history, civics, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and law-related education. The NCSS membership represents K-12 classroom teachers, college and university faculty members, curriculum designers and specialists, social studies supervisors, and leaders in the various disciplines that constitute the social studies.