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When the curtain goes up on the 96th NCSS Annual Conference, Dec. 2–4, 2016, I hope you will find yourself, along with 4,000 of your social studies colleagues, in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in our nation’s capital. If I could have personally selected the city for the conference this year, it would be Washington, D.C. I never go there without seeing and experiencing new things, and learning so much. You will too. Learning new ideas and approaches from your colleagues, and experiencing what Washington has to offer a social studies educator will be your tangible rewards for attending and participating in the conference.
We have engaged more than 20 Washington area organizations to conduct pre-conference clinics and tours. The exciting list of hosts on pages 6–7 includes the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Archives, Capitol Visitors Center, National Public Radio, and more. The tour sites (page 8) include Gettysburg, Monticello, Fredericksburg (VA), and Baltimore/Annapolis.
We have a list of amazing speakers and important vital issue panels, all of them featured in the pages that follow. We also have more than 600 presentations addressing the latest topics and strategies, covering all grade levels and subjects, ready for review at www.socialstudies.org/conference/sessionschedule. You’ll learn many new ideas and approaches to use and integrate immediately. In addition to one-hour sessions, poster presentations, two-hour workshops, and half-and full-day clinics, this year we are introducing 30-minute power sessions, providing tightly focused content and strategies.
Don’t miss the many great social events that incorporate Washington institutions, old and new, listed on page 10. Take full advantage of the great options this conference offers.
In addition to the professional knowledge and skills you’ll gain by attending, I hope this Washington conference creates in each of us a zeal for our profession and organization, with advocacy at the hub. When we make ourselves and what we teach known to policymakers and our U.S. Congress, we are vibrant. Come to Washington to help make that statement. There is strength in our numbers.
The conference theme, “Civic Learning and Cultural Inquiry in a Changing World,” could not be more relevant. I look forward to see- ing you in the shadow of the Capitol.
— NCSS President, Peggy S. Jackson