For many, the end of 2020 can not come soon enough and 2021 enters with more hope attached to it than recent years,  As social study educators, we have worked hard for our students and ourselves to make sense of what has happened.  We will continue that mission in 2021.
 
The Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies is proud to be your partner in this effort to make order out of chaos.  The publication of our Journal earlier today (with thanks to Editor Jessica Schocker, Associate Editor Sarah Brooks and Guest Editor Jill Beccaris-Pescatore, three brilliant professors who are educating the next generation of Pennsylvania social studies teachers) explores how we might best bring economics into our classroom.
 
Under the direction of PCSS  President and Millersville's Rachel Finley-Bowman, our annual conference, held virtually for the first time ever, brought great social studies across the Commonwealth through the month of October.  You can revisit on our website various videos from the opening session  to the closing keynote by renowned civic scholar Diana Hess.  Materials from the sessions are also available and you can still visit our virtual exhibit hall.
 
Now past PCSS Board member and Carlisle High School teacher Kevin Wagner was  the visionary who brought the conference exhibit hall to life and was primarily responsible, with Freedoms Foundation's (and PCSS President-Elect) Jason Raia and Pennsylvania Bar Association's (and PCSS Recording Secretary) Gabriele Miller Wagner, for pulling the conference together. 
 
The 67^th Annual Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies was sponsored by FIRE--The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education's mission is to defend and sustain the individual rights of students and faculty members at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, freedom of association, due process, legal equality, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience — the essential qualities of liberty.
 
Checkout the PCSS Directory to see everyone involved in the organization.  2021 will bring a host of PCSS programs building towards our annual conference in October and as we look farther into the future, NCSS will be in Philadelphia in December 2022.  Also, PCSS will be looking for a president-elect, a recording secretary and five new Board members in 2021.  If you are interested in serving, please contact Jason Raia.
 
One way everyone can serve PCSS is to take a moment now and make a donation.  PCSS uses donations to help sponsor events and support young social studies educators to attend programs and develop materials.

Here is to a great (better?) 2021.

Best wishes, stay well and keep safe.