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 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.

Why Civics Needs Social Justice Education

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. 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.

What Is Social Justice Education?

Clear definitions are important. This LFJ article 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.

Social Justice Standards

LFJ developed these Social Justice Standards 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.