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The following professional development providers have been certified to provide Investigating History professional development. Certified providers have received training in the Investigating History curriculum and instructional approach and received DESE approval on their professional development offerings. While DESE-developed agendas and materials for Investigating History professional development are posted free of charge alongside the materials, we strongly recommend that educators work with a certified professional development provider in order to leverage these providers' existing expertise in Investigating History's content, pedagogy, and design.
All certified providers have a statewide master service agreement designed to streamline the procurement process for schools and districts choosing to work with them. Please contact InvestigatingHistory@mass.gov for more information about how to use this agreement.
Each certified provider has a unique suite of professional development offerings available to schools, districts, and/or individuals. The table below provides an "at a glance" overview of the services each vendor has been approved to provide; please note that some vendors also have additional professional learning offerings that are not included in this table. Additional information about each vendor, including a complete list of their services, can be found in the directory below.
Overview
Academic Discoveries is a dynamic team of seasoned educators who are passionate about transforming professional development and educational best practices. Our diverse team comprises former elementary, middle school, and high school teachers, as well as principals, special education directors, superintendents, and curriculum supervisors, all with a deep commitment to enhancing the social studies curriculum in Massachusetts.
With a collective experience spanning over two centuries in the education sector, our consultants bring unparalleled expertise in curriculum alignment and implementation. We are at the forefront of innovative educational approaches, specializing in inquiry-based practices, Universal Design for Learning, integrated instructional strategies, and differentiation. These approaches ensure that we effectively cater to the diverse needs of all students, including those with disabilities and multilingual learners.
Learn more at the Academic Discoveries website.
Programming
Sample Pricing
Contact
Nadine Ekstrom
References
This vendor has provided references, available upon request by emailing DESE .
We are a Massachusetts-based team of DESE-certified educators with deep experience as classroom teachers, school leaders, and facilitators of professional learning. We partner with district and school leaders to design implementation roadmaps matched to their contexts and goals, setting them up for long-term success with Investigating History. We then deliver custom professional learning experiences including workshops, PLCs, and instructional coaching, and create custom materials including assessments and place-based units.
Our customizable, in-person workshop services include the following:
Learn more at the cor creative partners website.
Maureen Chapman Interest Form
As DESE's founding professional learning partner for the Investigating History project, Educurious (now Educurious by NCEE) has led professional learning for grades 5–7 and is developing curriculum for grades 3–4. Our team brings deep expertise in Massachusetts' History and Social Science Framework and curriculum-based professional learning.
Blake Konrady, partnerships@ncee.org
Educators want instruction that makes a meaningful, lasting impact and reaching that goal often requires support. As an experienced instructional coach, former classroom teacher, and reading specialist, I help schools tackle real challenges with practical, sustainable solutions that lead to measurable growth in classroom practice.
I've partnered with districts to design and implement professional learning, including the grade 3–4 pilot program which I led with two colleagues. Together we focused on developing students' critical thinking, historical empathy, and awareness of injustice—past and present.
The sessions I offer help educators:
I tailor my learning engagements to match the goals of your school and district. Teachers will actively engage in learning, and walk away empowered. I am happy to partner with other certified professional development providers to ensure your community's needs are met.
More details found on this informational flyer
Kara Pranikoff
Lindsay Lyons is an educational justice coach, student voice scholar, and former teacher of emerging multilingual students and students with IEPs. She specializes in implementation coaching and figuring out how to make the curriculum come to life in your classrooms.
New to the curriculum? Take the self-paced course to learn the structure, essential content understandings, skills, and pedagogical routines.
Leveling up your pedagogy in Year 2+? Deepen pedagogical practice around the 3 inquiry routines and 4 key instructional practices and accelerate student learning and excitement with the comprehensive implementation package. Make connections to present-day issues. Review student work to inform instructional decisions. Build capacity for student-led discourse, criticality, and inquiry. We'll tackle specific implementation challenges such as effectively supporting for multilingual learners and students with IEPs.
Note: For any of the above services, I'm happy to partner with other certified providers to combine our skills to meet your community's needs.
Learn more at Lindsay Lyons's website .
Lindsay Lyons
Local Civics is an award-winning civics and social studies provider dedicated to supporting educators and schools in bringing inquiry-based learning and experiential learning to students. We support schools that are adopting the Investigating History curriculum across Grades 3–7, and we design various implementation models from classroom pilots to district-wide adoption. Local Civics supports schools and districts across multiple states in launching new inquiry-based and project-based curricula, in aligning new curricula to state standards, and in preparing educators for success.
Local Civics has been a proud partner with DESE for Investigating History and for Civic Learning since 2021. For Investigating History, Local Civics partners with educators for district-wide trainings, professional learning communities, online learning modules, and curricular coaching sessions. They customize professional development services based on the needs of districts, schools, and educators.
Learn more at the Local Civics website.
Caitlin Gallagher, partnerships@localcivics.io
Since 1791, the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) has sought to promote understanding of the history of Massachusetts and the nation by collecting and communicating materials and resources that foster historical knowledge. Located in Boston's Back Bay, the Society's Education department serves K-12 teachers and students in Massachusetts and beyond.
The MHS seeks to partner with districts and teachers to support the implementation of the Grade 5 Investigating History curriculum. The MHS will be offering PD and teacher workshops that will deepen teachers' content knowledge and share strategies for teaching analysis of visual and text-based primary sources, such as synthesizing information and interpreting point of view. These programs are designed for teachers who have already piloted IH.
The MHS offers full-day sessions on Grade 5, Unit 2, and also offers shorter, 2-hour sessions on deep dives into specific topics in Units 2, 3, and 4.
Learn more in this informational flyer.
Kate Melchior and Heather Wilson, education@masshist.org
Primary Source, the organization that authored Investigating History Grades 5–7, has multiple professional development opportunities to support Investigating History implementation. Primary Source has been serving Massachusetts History and Social Studies Teachers since their founding in 1989. As the authors of Investigating History grades 5–7, Primary Source can provide professional learning that is nuanced, differentiated, and gives teachers the confidence and knowledge to implement Investigating History effectively.
Primary Source offers many learning opportunities for districts and teachers in person and online. Teachers and administrators can take courses or modules, and we offer custom workshops, coaching, and support. Reach out, we are here to help!
Learn more at the Primary Source website.
info@primarysource.org
Interest Form
Shed Education offers comprehensive support to k-12 schools and districts as well as higher education institutions across the nation. Shed Education recognizes and expands teacher expertise. We seek to advance inquiry, equity, disciplinary literacy, and student engagement in social studies classrooms and support all educators to teach controversial and charged issues. We support a variety of schools, but we are especially focused on districts where the majority of students receive free or reduced lunch and/or are below grade-level proficiency in ELA.
The lead PD provider for Shed Education is Dr. Eric Soto-Shed. Soto-Shed is a former history teacher, a founding member of Stanford History Education Group (SHEG), and currently a teacher educator at Harvard University. He has offered nationwide teacher training through the National Council of Social Studies and the Library of Congress. He has supported curriculum development and implementation in Massachusetts at the district level and state level.
Learn more in this informational flyer .
Eric Soto-Shed
TNTP is one of the nation's leading research, policy, and consulting organizations dedicated to transforming America's public education system, so that every generation thrives. Today, we work side-by-side with educators, system leaders, and communities across 39 states and over 6,000 districts nationwide to reach ambitious goals for student success.
TNTP designs its support to bring a vision of strong instruction to life with a focus on understanding district, student, and classroom context, including what assets educators are bringing to the work. We offer a variety of different types of support and can customize to meet the needs of each district. We are happy to work with partnerships or groups of districts looking to share costs, and can differentiate support based on whether teachers are newly adopting curriculum or have participated in the pilot of Investigating History.
All of TNTP's services are customized for districts, and prices are based on staff time and travel costs. If a district is partnered with TNTP for support for another content area or strategy, significant cost savings are possible. The example costs are rough estimates, and every package includes strategic advising designed to ensure leaders and teachers implement Investigating History in ways that improve student outcomes. Significant cost savings are available for groups of districts offering professional development together.
Sara Flyer
DESE periodically opens bid opportunities for vendors interested in becoming certified professional development providers. Any upcoming such opportunities will be posted on this web page. Please contact InvestigatingHistory@mass.gov with any questions.
Reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Our office is not responsible for and does not in any way guarantee the accuracy of information in other sites accessible through links herein. DESE may supplement this list with other services and products that meet the specified criteria.