See inside for articles on civics and social justice education, plus a collection of resources celebrating Native American Heritage Month.

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November 7, 2023


** Celebrate Native American Heritage
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November is Native American Heritage Month, an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of Native cultures and communities. To honor Native peoples, we uplift their honest histories, significant contributions and contemporary experiences.

Learning for Justice offers this collection of resources ([link removed]) to honor and teach the truth about Native peoples—and to help ensure that learning about this heritage takes place all year long, not just in November.
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** Why Civics Needs Social Justice Education
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The very reason public education was established in the mid-1800s was to prepare citizens to participate in democracy. Yet studies and surveys reveal sharp declines in civic knowledge among adults in the United States. Fewer than half of U.S. adults can name all three branches of government. Only 20% accurately name freedom of the press and only 24% identify religious freedom as protections provided by the First Amendment. Participation in places that bring people together to solve common problems—like community centers, unions, local government, and cultural and religious institutions—has withered, too.

These alarming trends have fueled recent calls for more emphasis on civics education and more opportunities for involvement in civic organizations. But not just any form of civics education will do, writes scholar and educator Lee Anne Bell in this LFJ magazine feature ([link removed]) . Civics education must be oriented around principles of social justice in order to develop the civic knowledge, skills and dispositions people need to fulfill the potential of a multiracial and inclusive democracy.
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** What Is Social Justice Education?
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Clear definitions are important. This LFJ article ([link removed]) defines and explains social justice education and highlights its role in actively countering injustice. Building an inclusive democracy for the benefit of all will require a thorough and nuanced understanding of these concepts.

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** Social Justice Standards
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LFJ developed these Social Justice Standards ([link removed]) to provide a road map for anti-bias education at every stage of K-12 instruction. The standards provide a common language and organizational structure that can be used to guide curriculum development and make schools more just and equitable.


** Spotlight: More Social Justice Education Resources
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LFJ has a wealth of social justice-oriented resources available on our website. Here are a few we wanted to highlight, from a publication about family and community reading groups to individual deep dives into the four domains of LFJ’s Social Justice Standards.
* Reading for Social Justice ([link removed])
* Digging Deep Into the Social Justice Standards: Identity ([link removed])
* Digging Deep Into the Social Justice Standards: Diversity ([link removed])
* Digging Deep Into the Social Justice Standards: Justice ([link removed])
* Digging Deep Into the Social Justice Standards: Action ([link removed])

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** Virtual Open-Enrollment Workshops
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Learning for Justice is excited to offer 90-minute, interactive, virtual, open-enrollment workshops. Unpacking the Social Justice Standards will introduce participants to the LFJ Social Justice Standards. Let’s Talk will use the Let’s Talk! guide to provide participants the opportunity to learn strategies for creating supportive learning environments that encourage risk-taking. And Speak Up at School will provide strategies that educators and students can use to interrupt bias and injustice. Learn more and register today. ([link removed])

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