When the pandemic started, NCSS immediately revisited our professional learning programs online to create a more responsive way for members to connect with each other. This month, NCSS launched two major parts to that overall plan – and to prepare for our Centennial Celebration.

First, I am delighted to announce our brand-new web site! Completely refreshed, www.socialstudies.org provides you with easier access to the professional learning resources and support you seek for today's social studies classroom. I invite you to explore, bookmark, and share our new online home with your colleagues and networks. This is truly work of which we can all be proud.

Our new website has a fresh new look and feel with easier navigation. A few new features stand out that I think you will enjoy:

• Webpage content can be shared through social media.
• The entire site is more easily viewed on laptops, tablets, and mobile devices.
• A new On Demand Video Library enables all members to access social studies online learning 24/7.

Starting this month, NCSS webinars became a full member benefit, plus our video library will expand in the coming months with more online learning programs to support your continued transition to virtual social studies teaching and addressing vital topics in your curriculum. We are reaching out to Associated Groups, Committees, and Special Interest Communities to facilitate topics of interest. NCSS is a member of several education alliances and coalitions, and we invite our alliance partners to schedule online learning programs with us, as well. And as always, we continue to welcome your suggestions for learning aligned to our NCSS Social Studies Standards and C3 Framework. Go to our Contact Us page and send us your topic ideas by clicking on Professional Learning and Conferences on the drop-down menu.

Thank you for your continued feedback on our website, web resources, and request for specific topics and resources. Your continued feedback will make our new website robust, interactive, and our official home for social studies professional learning and networking.

And now for our other big news….registration is open for our 2020 Virtual Conference!

Our NCSS Centennial Celebration showcases our first-ever Virtual Conference, “Advancing Social Justice,” from December 4-6, 2020. I guess you could say this is the first time NCSS is hosted live from your living room or home office! We are pleased to confirm outstanding speakers including Chelsea Clinton, Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, Chuck Todd, Samantha Power, and Nikole Hannah-Jones, plus over 200 sessions, and, in true social studies fashion, a program that’s too big to be contained in one place.

Your conference registration enables access to the following programs:

• NCSS 2020 Virtual Conference: “Advancing Social Justice”
• National Council for Geographic Education Annual Conference: “Envisioning a Global Future”
• American Bar Association-Division for Public Education: “National Law-Related Education Conference”

For additional registration fees, you can also access three of our NCSS Associated Group conferences.

• College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA)
• National Social Studies Supervisors Association (NSSSA)
• International Assembly (IA)

(Note: Council for State Social Studies Specialists [CS4] meeting access is via separate registration exclusively for CS4 members.) 

Several opportunities are coming together to make our first Virtual Conference a very engaging experience. One piece of feedback we receive each year is the challenge of attending so many high-quality sessions and speakers, plus making time for the exhibit hall, bookstore, special programs, and networking. This year, our speakers and sessions are held separately, so all attendees can dedicate time to hear their favorite speakers and then concentrate on sessions of interest without missing anything. We will also feature a dedicated virtual exhibit hall time throughout the day, so you will have plenty of time to connect with all of our exhibitors.

For our many attendees who participate in governance meetings, we will schedule committees, communities, and other meetings throughout the week, separately from the speakers and sessions. This approach will give you the chance to participate in vital leadership meetings at a convenient time while being able to focus fully on professional learning content.

Of course, this is just a teaser of things to come. As our plans take shape, we will continue to announce more information about the Virtual Conference and our full Centennial Celebration. As you make plans to return to school, please bookmark socialstudies.org as your first go-to resource!