Dave Buchanan joins iCivics as the Director of Massachusetts Programs. After 18 years at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, most recently as the Assistant Director of Literacy and Humanities, Dave has gained unique experience at the intersection of curriculum and policy in education. He has committed much of his career, both at the state level and in the classroom, to ensuring that all students have access to engaging and challenging instruction that fosters their inspiration to become active and well-informed participants in civic life.

During his tenure at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Dave led the revision of the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, working closely with state educators, scholars and others to ensure a clear focus on civic education across the grades while also challenging students to deepen their understanding of history and social studies. In his role as the agency lead on state initiatives to support civic engagement and learning, Dave worked with educators, representatives from professional organizations and legislators to develop the first state Civic Learning and Engagement Strategic Plan and directed the first and second annual Civics Literacy Conferences to showcase effective practices in civics education.

During his career at the state level, Dave also led projects related to supporting teaching and learning in English language arts and literacy and founded the Writing Standards in Action Project, a widely-recognized state project to support writing instruction with samples of high quality student writing. He also served as the long-time manager of the Massachusetts Urban Literacy Leaders Network.

Dave holds a Master’s in Education from UMass-Boston and a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Middlebury College. All of his work is rooted in his experience over more than 15 years as a teacher of high school history and ESL in a variety of settings with many different populations, including English Learners and learning-disabled students.

Dave’s enjoys spending time with his wife Jill and their two children, Ian and Cara, as well as pursuing his interest in writing, running, bicycling and sailing.