August 10, 2021

Partnering With Families to Support Black Girls

Educators can take specific actions to make schools more supportive spaces for Black girls, whose trauma is often overlooked. In our latest article, Dr. Adam Alvarez and Eshe Price write that while “there are certainly major systemic changes that need to occur,” individual educators, staff members and administrators can intentionally support Black girls in school settings. Here are seven key steps to take.

The Classical Roots of White Supremacy // Dani Bostick 

Mathematics in Context: The Pedagogy of Liberation // Marian Dingle and Cathery Yeh

The Fight for Ethnic Studies // Tina Vasquez
Educators’ and Students’ Rights During COVID-19
In this Q&A, a children’s rights attorney and policy analyst from the Southern Poverty Law Center explain educators’ rights to workplace safety, students’ rights to education access and what it might take to advocate for both. Read their answers to critical questions facing schools, educators, students and families trying to navigate learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Is Your Teaching About the Environment Inclusive?

How are you aligning the way you teach about the environment with the rest of your work as a social justice educator? Educators are in a unique position to push back against the whitewashing of environmental activism and the further erasure of Black and Brown people by using an anti-racist lens when teaching about the environment. Read these considerations for teaching about environmental activism.

The Fight to Rename Schools Honoring Confederates

Schools named after Confederate figures dehumanize Black students and send all students the message that Black suffering isn’t sufficient reason for institutional change. LFJ Senior Writer Coshandra Dillard spoke with young people who attended schools named after Robert E. Lee to learn how they worked for renaming. Read their stories to find out how to better support student activists.

Our Searchable Library Has Hundreds of Student Texts

If you’re looking for texts that add critical voices or perspectives to your lessons, our searchable Student Text Library has nearly 600 options. The texts are arranged by grade level and subject, and they cover history, civil rights and social justice topics. Create a free account, and you can use our Learning Plan Builder to create a plan using our texts and other resources.

Check Out What We’re Reading

“I have seen and heard from many educators and practitioners and from families that people are finally realizing just how powerful and important family engagement is in children’s education. For many people who had been resistant to the idea, this last year was a wake-up call.” — ASCD

“This is a national call. While bills and budget resolutions are being proposed (and in some cases passed) in specific states, the threat to teaching — and the need for solidarity — is everywhere.” — Zinn Education Project

“Efforts like this are underway across the country, as momentum builds to improve how U.S. schools teach American history—including the more painful parts of it—and better recognize the contributions of Native Americans.” — Chalkbeat
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