President’s Message

June 2025

Tony Roy, President

Connecticut Council for the Social Studies

As I conclude my five-year term as President of CCSS, I’m struck by the same question that has guided our work in recent years: What are you waiting for?

Because the truth is — the time for hesitation is over.

We are living in a moment of urgency. Federal and state support for social studies has been paused. Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are under attack. And public discourse is increasingly hostile to the complex, critical thinking that lies at the heart of our discipline.

But while some institutions have gone quiet, CCSS has chosen to lead.

We didn’t wait for permission.
We didn’t wait for the perfect conditions.
We acted.

Over the past three years, we’ve stewarded an unprecedented $1.1 million investment in social studies education — delivering professional learning, developing inquiry-based curriculum, and supporting educators across the state. We’ve launched initiatives that reflect our mission: to advocate for and strengthen social studies education in Connecticut. And we’ve advanced a bold vision for a future where all students are educated and inspired for lifelong inquiry and informed civic action.

We’ve also done the quiet work — strengthening our board, modernizing our governance, and building programs like the Emerging Educator Fellowship, the Connecticut C3 Hub, and our new 5-Year Task Force on Elementary Social Studies.

In short: We’ve built the foundation for what’s next.

But that future isn’t guaranteed. It will only be realized if you — the educators, advocates, and community members reading this — choose to take the next step.

So I’m asking:

• Will you submit a session proposal for our October Annual Conference?

• Will you nominate a colleague for one of our statewide awards?

• Will you join a committee — or even consider serving on the Board?

• Will you renew your membership and invite a colleague to join?

Being a member of CCSS is more than professional development. It’s a declaration: that you believe in the power of social studies, and that you’re willing to invest in the only statewide organization committed to sustaining it.

Over the past five years, I’ve been proud to lead an organization rooted in the belief that this work is not just a career — it’s a cause. And as I pass the baton to new leadership, I do so with full confidence in what we’ve built — and full clarity about what it will take to continue.

No matter what stage of your career you’re in, we need you.

To sustain our progress.
To support our teachers.
To serve our students.
To safeguard our democracy.

So again I ask: What are you waiting for?

Let’s keep building. Together.