Registration Open for Oregon Social Science Statewide Summits!

Join ODE and WestEd for in-person professional learning sessions for Oregon educators to dive deeper into the updated Oregon Social Science Standards and prepare for implementation in their districts and schools.

Summits in Bend and Eugene include one day of professional learning on implementing Oregon’s Transformative SEL Framework & Standards an done day of professional learning on Social Science. This series is open to instructional leaders, teacher-leaders, instructional coaches, teachers on special assignment, and others providing professional learning and support to social science teachers.

Please note that registration will be confirmed based on site capacity.

April 1, 2025 in Pendleton                                     April 29–30, 2025 in Bend                            Register here by March 14                                 Register here by April 7

May 1–2, 2025 in Eugene                                     May 7, 2025 in Clackamas             Register here by April 7                                      Register here by April 7

Additional Summit Detail Contact Tiffany Katanyoutanant with questions about registering for the statewide summits.

USHMM 2025 Belfer National Conference for Holocaust Education

Participate Virtually in Real Time: June 23–25 

At this free virtual conference, discover the latest practices in accurate, meaningful teaching about the Holocaust with leading historians and educators. Bring the Museum's collection into your classroom with instructional strategies and resources. These materials highlight survivor testimonies, artifacts, diaries, and historical documents to support instruction across subject areas and inspire all students to think critically about how and why the Holocaust happened.

Registration for Belfer Conference

The National Council for Geographic Education

The NCGE 2025 annual conference will be in Omaha, Nebraska, next October 17th- 19th. The conference is an excellent opportunity to connect with national and international experts in geographic education.  The conference offers curriculum presentations, workshops, field trips, and the latest innovations in geography education.  Registration and more information.

Japanese American Museum of Oregon

JAMO is accepting applications from Oregon and Washington educators to participate in a 5-day teacher workshop entitled “Teaching Japanese American History: A Place-Based Educator Workshop,” which will take place July 9-13, 2025. A group of 8 educators (K-12) will be selected to participate.

Application Deadline: Friday, April 11, 2025.

Now Available: Oregon's Adolescent Literacy Framework for Social Sciences

Oregon's Adolescent Literacy Framework is now available as a classroom resource. There is a section pertaining to discipline-specific reading and writing skills, with a specific focus on developing discipline-specific literacy skills in social science contexts(138-148).

Key Components:

• Overview of social science disciplinary literacy practices, including critical reading, source analysis, and evidence-based argumentation
• Practical tables outlining text complexity factors and teaching strategies to address them
• Guidance for teaching students to read, write, and communicate like social scientists
• Connections between classroom skills and their applications in various career pathways

The framework is designed to support teachers in helping students analyze primary sources, evaluate evidence, synthesize information from multiple perspectives, and construct well-reasoned arguments—skills central to social science and the Essential Disciplinary Practices identified in the 2024 Social Science Standards.

Each section includes concrete teaching approaches for integration into existing lessons, with special attention to developing the critical thinking habits that characterize the work of historians, economists, political scientists, and other social scientists.

The Early Literacy Framework is also available on ODE’s website. We welcome your feedback as you explore and implement these resources in your classroom.

Civic Learning Week Proclaimed for March 10-14, 2025

Governor Tina Kotek has officially declared March 10-14, 2025, as Civic Learning Week in Oregon. In her formal proclamation, the Governor emphasized that "our nation's longstanding and ongoing audacious experiment in self-governance requires a populace with an understanding of the nation's laws and government" and that "the practice of democracy must be taught and learned anew by each generation."

This proclamation recognizes the vital role that we as educators play in building civic strength and preparing students for informed, engaged citizenship. As social science teachers, this official recognition provides an excellent opportunity to highlight civic education in your classrooms.

Book Review: "The Bill of Obligations": A Timely Resource for Oregon Civic Learning Week

In light of Governor Kotek's declaration of Civic Learning Week and Oregon's new civic course requirement, Richard Haass' concise book, "The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens," is relevant for civic educators.

Unlike the more theoretical "American Covenant" by Yuval Levin (reviewed previously), Haass delivers a classroom-ready exploration of what citizens owe each other and our democratic experiment. At just over 150 pages, this accessible text reframes the traditional "rights and responsibilities" conversation—one of the four central civic concepts in Oregon's 2024 Social Science Standards—into something perhaps more profound: obligations.

Haass argues that without citizens committed to specific obligations, maintaining a democratic republic becomes nearly impossible. His ten obligations for restoring trust in American democracy include familiar concepts (be informed, get involved) alongside more challenging imperatives (stay open to compromise, remain civil). While Haass is encouraged by states like Oregon, adding requirements for civic education, his suggestions go well beyond a semester course and include more intentional instruction on digital citizenship. 

The book’s structure lends itself to numerous classroom applications:

• Divide the book's short chapters (8-12 pages each) for jigsaw discussions
• Use the companion PBS 50-minute video,  A Citizens Guide to Preserving Democracy, highlighting grassroots democracy efforts
• As a beginning-of-year activity, have students rank Haass' obligations, propose new ones, or debate which might be eliminated
• Connect the book's themes to your classroom agreements and community-building practices

Haass' approach gains additional relevance with connections to Oregon's Transformative Social Emotional Learning Framework. Rather than simply an add-on, TSEL creates the foundation for the civic engagement Haass advocates. When students develop self-awareness, relationship skills, and social awareness through TSEL practices, they're building precisely the capabilities needed to fulfill these civic obligations.

As we implement Oregon's enhanced civics requirements, Haass' straightforward framework offers both the "why" and "how" of preparing students for meaningful democratic participation.

The Civics Center

The Civics Center provides free training and resources to help make voter registration part of the fabric of the high school experience in America: an exciting part of growing up, a fun thing to engage in, and readily available twice a year.

Free training to run voter registration drives in school

Democracy in a Box toolkit to help run a drive

District level data to identify areas of need and show results

Civic Learning Project

Civic Learning Week (March 10 - 14) - The Civic Learning Project (CLP) is a national initiative to bring together students, educators, policymakers, and leaders in the public and private sector to highlight and energize the movement for civic education. To help educators prepare for the newly proclaimed Oregon Civic Learning Week, CLP created this toolkit with lessons and Oregon-based activities that highlight different civic themes. If you are interested in organizing events for Civic Learning Week, please email Amanda Coven at CLP.

Law Days - CLP's annual Law Days are conference-style events focused on legal, social, and political issues relevant to high school students. Panels, presentations, and workshops are given by experts, offering students an engaging experience. This year, CLP Law Days will be in: 

• Bend on May 6 at Central Oregon Community College - Registration
• Ashland on May 12 at Southern Oregon University - Registration
• Eugene on May 16 at University of Oregon - Registration

Sphere

Join Sphere Education Initiatives on March 10 (7:30-8:30 p.m.) for a webinar on social media and youth mental health featuring Jennifer Huddleston (Cato Institute) and Clare Morrell (Ethics and Public Policy Center). This timely session, offered during Civic Learning Week (March 10-14), will explore the impact of social media on youth. Free for all K-12 educators via Zoom. 

Case Method Institute

All high school teachers of U.S. history, civics, and government are invited to join a special PD program offered by the Case Method Institute for Education & Democracy and Harvard Professor David Moss. The program includes a live, interactive case discussion with Professor Moss on Zoom.

• Option 1: Friday, March 28, 11am – 5pm ET
• Option 2: Self-paced online program available anytime

Application for Interested high school social science teachers and more details on the opportunity.

 Explore more resources:

• Video: About the Case Method Institute
• Video: Professor Moss on bringing the case method to high schools
• Website: The "History of American Democracy" cases