Collins Middle School, Horace Mann Laboratory School Receive Three-Year Investigating History Magnify Grants
Consistent with District’s Strategic Plan, grants to elevate social studies learning at CMS, HMLS
SALEM (Sept. 16, 2026) – The Collins Middle School and Horace Mann Laboratory School each received grants from Investigating History Magnify (IH Magnify) to strengthen and elevate social studies instruction across grades 4-7, the schools announced recently.
Teachers and instructional coaches from each school have entered into a three-year collaboration with IH Magnify. Educators taking part from Collins Middle School include Linda Gutierrez, an Investigating History model teacher and grade 6 teacher, as well as Kate Milano, also a grade 6 teacher.
Other educators from CMS include Jackson Tingle (grade 7), Madison Clarke (grade 6 and 7), Tia Brown (grades 6 through 8), John Keenan (grade 7) and social studies instructional coach Rachel Corkum. Taking part from Horace Mann Laboratory School are Joel Tobin, a grade 5 teacher; Jessica Piccioni (grade 4); and Leann Norton, an instructional coach.
The Investigating History Magnify (IH Magnify) Grant is an educational funding and support initiative in Massachusetts designed to help schools implement a modern, inquiry-based history and social studies curriculum. The grant is funded and managed by the One8 Foundation and its One8 Applied Learning Hub, in close partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Collins Middle School was awarded $24,600 over a three-year period (2026-2028) while the Horace Mann Laboratory School was awarded at $11,100 over the same period.
“We were thrilled to be included in this three-year cohort so that we can deepen our understanding of the curriculum and pedagogy at the elementary and middle school levels,” said Beth Beaulieu, Social Studies Coach at SPS. “We applied on behalf of HMLS and CMS last year and received the One 8 Applied Learning Grant. Salem has worked with Investigating History since its inception because they have worked to provide high quality, standards-aligned culturally responsive curriculum materials for social studies.”
The IH Magnify Grant underscores the District’s Strategic Plan‘s core values of elevating learning and empowering educators. It is not only the students of Horce Mann and Collins Middle School who will benefit, Ms. Beaulieu noted.
“By participating, teachers and coaches get to be part of a network of schools across the state and form a community of learners that will contribute to their professional learning,” she added. “By understanding the curriculum and pedagogy more deeply, students will have a more coherent experience throughout the grades. The thinking routines, primary and secondary source analysis routines and discourse activities build from unit to unit and grade to grade contributing to that coherence.”
Just before the start of school, SPS educators spent two days in Norwood immersing themselves in the state’s Investigating History curriculum. The intensive planning sessions provided educators with hands-on opportunities to dive deep into the course materials, collaborate with colleagues across the state, and map out an engaging, inquiry-based learning experience designed to cultivate critical thinking, historical reasoning, and civic engagement in their students.
Through this multi-year grant, educators will receive sustained support and coaching to deliver a rigorous humanities experience aligned with the Massachusetts History and Social Science frameworks. From exploring Indigenous history and government in the elementary grades to examining ancient world civilizations and modern geography in middle school, the inquiry-based model shifts classrooms from passive learning to active historical investigation.
For more information about the Investigating History curriculum and its impact on history and social science education across the Commonwealth, visit the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts, a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens through which we view our work. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff unconditionally serves each of our 4,000 students across 11 schools regardless of ability or language.
