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A Framework for Anti-Bias Education

The Social Justice Standards are a road map for anti-bias education at every stage of K-12 instruction. Comprised of anchor standards and age-appropriate learning outcomes, the standards provide a common language and organizational structure educators can use to guide curriculum development and make schools more just and equitable.

Divided into four domains-identity, diversity, justice and action (IDJA)-the standards recognize that, in today's diverse classrooms, students need knowledge and skills related to both prejudice-reduction and collective action. Together, these domains represent a continuum of engagement in anti-bias, multicultural and social justice education. The IDJA domains are based on Louise Derman-Sparks' four goals for anti-bias education in early childhood.

Each of the IDJA domains has learning outcomes and school-based scenarios organized by grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.

Download the Standards

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The Social Justice Standards are a road map for anti-bias education at every stage of K-12 instruction, providing a common language and organizational structure educators can use to guide curriculum development and make schools more just and equitable.

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Gwenn Lei, Ed.D
Coordinator
Reading/ Language Arts
History/Social Studies
650-802-5624

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For many teachers, a pall has been cast over the first few days of school. This weekend, a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., turned deadly when a 20-year-old man drove his car into counter-protesters, fatally injuring one woman and hurting 19 others. The Associated Press reported that the high school teacher of the man accused of the incident said he had been fascinated with Nazism in school, and had "deeply held, radical" convictions on race in the 9th grade.

Even before the violence, the images of the white supremacists-including neo-Nazis and members of the Ku Klux Klan-marching in droves were shocking. And they left many teachers wondering how they would address this overt display of racism and hatred in class.

To help start the conversation, Melinda Anderson, a contributing writer for The Atlantic who covers education and race, created the hashtag #CharlottesvilleCurriculum for educators to share websites, videos, and other documents to use in class. Here are some resources, from both the hashtag and elsewhere, that can help start the conversation in your classroom.

On Twitter, educators stressed the importance of having these conversations, no matter how intimidating and challenging they can be.

(Sharing) We cannot be silent, fellow educators. #cpsreds #CharlottesvilleCurriculum #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/ZGjgMZ7Ttk

Today is a new day:stand up, speak out against white supremacist, racist, actions. Educators must not be silent. Our sts are listening.

And Education Week Teacher opinion blogger Christina Torres wrote that it is essential for teachers to have honest conversations with students about racism and white supremacy.

Teachers, let us know how you're discussing the events of Charlottesville in your class in the comments below. Anything I'm missing here? Tweet me, or share in the comments section below.
Photo: Multiple white nationalist groups marched with torches through the UVA campus in Charlottesville, Va. on August 11. -Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star/AP

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Teachers Share Resources for Addressing Charlottesville Hate Rally in the Classroom

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For many teachers, a pall has been cast over the first few days of school. This weekend, a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., turned deadly when a 20-year-old man drove his car into counter-protesters, fatally injuring one woman and hurting 19 others.

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Race Talk: Engaging Young People in Conversations about Race and Racism

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As a society, public conversations about race and racism have increased in volume and intensity. Here are some suggestions and strategies for having classroom conversations with young people about these issues.

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Video: Kids Talk about Race

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"Because I’m Latino, I can’t have money?" Kids on Race

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AFT - American Federation of Teachers - A Union of Professionals

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American Federation of Teachers public web site.

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Education Week American Education News Site of Record - Education Week

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Find breaking news, analysis, and opinion on K-12 education issues affecting school and district leaders, teachers, policymakers, and ed-tech professionals.

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

The benefits of movement in the classroom aren't limited to younger students. Pairing new words and concepts with gestures or dance moves locks in understanding-and active brain breaks prime students to learn even more.

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A free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education.

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Our Mission

Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate.

See Our Mission in Action

Experience Facing History

We are Facing History & Ourselves

From one classroom in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1976, Facing History & Ourselves has become a global organization with a network of hundreds of thousands of middle and secondary school educators reaching millions of students worldwide.

We help educators prepare students to participate in civic life-using intellect, empathy, ethics, and choice to stand up to bigotry and hate in their own lives, communities, and schools.

People make choices. Choices make history.

Our Values

We create space for each other. We seek out and learn from diverse experiences and perspectives.

We are curious. We ask big questions, create connections, and dig into the complexity of our actions and behaviors, past and present.

We listen first and listen actively. We consider listening a practice and skill, not just an activity.

We act with empathy and kindness. We work to understand others and build a world where everyone feels they belong.

We stand up. We recognize injustice and speak up when we see it.

Our dedicated and diverse staff is committed to the intellectual, moral, and ethical development of young people around the world.

Where We Work

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, our curriculum is taught in every US state and over 100 countries around the world. In addition, we have regional offices in Chicago, Cleveland, Memphis, Los Angeles, Boston, New York, and the San Francisco Bay Area. We also partner with entities in Canada and the United Kingdom and educational organizations around the world, including Colombia, France, Mexico, Northern Ireland, and South Africa.

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Our Mission Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. See Our Mission in Action Experience Facing History From one classroom in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1976, Facing History & Ourselves has become a global organization with a network of hundreds of thousands of middle and secondary school educators reaching millions of students worldwide.

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Harvard Graduate School of Education home

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Mission To prepare leaders in education and to generate knowledge to improve student opportunity, achievement, and success. Overview Education touches every aspect of human activity. At the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), we believe studying and improving the enterprise of education are central to the health and future of society.

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners

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Critical Friends Group work and CFG coaches' training

Critical Friends Group work originated with the NSRF in 1994. The key differences between CFG communities and other professional learning communities (PLCs) are (1) an intentional cultivation of safety and trust between the members, and (2) a focus on solving problems and accomplishing goals brought by its participants. These distinctions are key to the member educators helping each other improve their practices with honesty and integrity, resulting in a more positive school culture.

Groups are led by a certified CFG coach who is trained to use NSRF collaboration tools called "protocols" mindfully. These tools allow all CFG members' voices to be heard and honored as they give non-judgmental, but open and honest, feedback to one another, resulting in accomplishing great things in short periods of time.

Worldwide, educators are experiencing how CFG work epitomizes the mindset of continuous growth and improvement, as their CFG communities create and solidify their belonging mindset, all of which translates into a productive system to improve student learning.

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Improving student outcomes through collaboration in Critical Friends Group® work

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Southern Poverty Law Center monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout the U.S. and exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media and the public.

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Understanding how school discipline policies can contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline is essential for educators and families. Harsh punishments, automatic out-of-class time and police involvement for discipline can push young people out of classrooms and into the criminal legal system. But educators, parents and caregivers can help to change this harmful system by advocating for and implementing practices that prioritize mental health and well-being.

We offer this new resource page that highlights LFJ articles and content to open dialogue, shift practices and foster change to benefit all young people.

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Learning for Justice | Education Resources

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Learning for Justice provides free resources to educators-teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners-who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.

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This lesson provides an opportunity for high school students to understand what white supremacy is, including the alt right, explore historical and current day examples and reflect on their thoughts and feelings about it through a writing activity.

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Library of Teaching Texts for the Classroom

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Our searchable library of short texts offers a diverse mix of stories and perspectives. This multigenre, multimedia collection aligns with the Common Core's recommendations for text complexity and the Learning for Justice Social Justice Standards. Choose from informational and literary nonfiction texts, literature, photographs, political cartoons, interviews, infographics and more.

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Blog about the 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville

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Blog about the 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville

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Lessons to Teach and Learn from 'Unite the Right'

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While we may think it's best to protect young people from talking about these kinds of events, they are hearing about and seeing them play out on their social media feeds. All weekend, terms like Charlottesville, Nazi, Unite the Right, Richard Spencer and White Supremacists all raced to the top of trending topics.

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Educational environments that reflect the rich diversity of the community, nation and world assist in opening students' minds and actively engaging them in their learning. Research has shown that prejudice is countered when educational environments foster critical thinking, empathy development and positive self-esteem in students. Review a self-assessment checklist for some criteria for creating positive, anti-bias environments where respect for diversity is taught, modeled, and experienced firsthand.

Talking with Students about Diversity and Bias

It is important for teachers to think about how they can most effectively raise the complex issues of hate, bias, scapegoating, and exclusion with their students.

Educators should keep in mind that conversations about understanding and respect should not be limited to a commemorative event, or other special programs, holidays or activities but instead, should be a part of everyday business in the classroom. Creating inclusive, respectful classrooms is an ongoing effort, and working for social justice is a life-long endeavor. (See Dos and Don'ts with Special Diversity Events.)

To prepare for successfully raising issues of diversity and bias in the classroom, teachers should attempt to make the following practices an integral part of their daily practice:

1. Self-Exploration

Examine personal cultural biases and assumptions. Explore personal perceptions and understanding of situations by developing an awareness of personal cultural "filters."

2. Comprehensive Integration

Integrate culturally diverse information/perspectives into all aspects of teaching. Consider moving beyond the constraints of a cultural history month by incorporating multiple perspectives into all aspects of the curriculum.

3. Time and Maturation

Allow time for a process to develop. Introduce less complex topics at first, and create time to establish trust. Begin discussions by developing ground rules that allow for honest discussion within a respectful context. Recognize that the long history of mistrust between people in different groups will influence classroom discussions.

4. Accepting Environment

Establish an environment that allows for mistakes. Since most people have been unconsciously acculturated into prejudicial and stereotypical thinking, individuals may not be aware that certain attitudes are hurtful to others. Acknowledge that intolerant thinking will surface from time to time in others and ourselves. Educators should model non-defensive responses when told that something they said or did was offensive to someone. Assume good will and make that assumption a common practice in the classroom.

5. Intervention

Be prepared to respond to purposely-directed acts of bias. Students will carefully observe how educators intervene when someone is the target of discriminatory or hate-based behavior. Silence in the face of injustice conveys the impression that prejudicial behavior is condoned or not worthy of attention. Make it clear to students and their families that name-calling will not be allowed in the classroom. Appropriate and timely intervention is critical in establishing a safe classroom environment where all students can succeed.

6. Life-long Learning

Keep abreast of current anti-bias education issues and discuss them with students. Clip articles from newspapers and magazines and post them in the classroom. Educators should let students know that they consider themselves learners, and that they see themselves as part of the learning process.

7. Discovery Learning

Avoid "preaching" to students about how they should behave. Research indicates that exhortation is the least effective methodology for changing prejudiced attitudes; in fact, it often produces a result opposite from the desired effect. Provide opportunities for students to resolve conflicts, solve problems, work in diverse teams and think critically about information.

8. Life Experiences

Provide opportunities for students to share life experiences; choose literature that will help students develop empathy. Make the classroom a place where students' experiences are not marginalized, trivialized or invalidated. Prejudice and discrimination have a unique impact on each individual. Students and their families develop a variety of coping strategies based upon the type and frequency of discrimination they have experienced. It is never fruitful to engage in a debate over who has suffered the most. Oppression is harmful to all people in all of its forms.

9. Resources Review

Review materials so that classroom displays and bulletin boards are inclusive of all people. Insure that supplemental books and videos do not reinforce existing societal stereotypes. When such examples in textbooks are observed, point them out to students and encourage students to think about them critically and to challenge them.

10. Home-School-Community Connection

Involve parents, other family members and other community members in the learning process. Understand that families and others in the community provide the context in which students are motivated to learn. It is important not to view the school and the home or school and the community as isolated from one another; but rather to examine how they interconnect with each other and with the world.

11. Examine the Classroom Environment

What is present and absent in the school classroom provides children with important information about who and what is important. Every effort should be made to create a setting that is rich in possibilities for exploring cultural diversity. Such an environment assists children in developing their ideas about themselves and others, creates the conditions under which children initiate conversations about differences and provides teachers with a setting for introducing activities about diversity. It also fosters children's positive self-concept and attitudes.

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Creating an Anti-Bias Learning Environment

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Educational environments that reflect the rich diversity of the community, nation and world assist in opening students' minds and actively engaging them in their learning. Research has shown that prejudice is countered when educational environments foster critical thinking, empathy development and positive self-esteem in students.

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"I believe in the power of Facing History."

-Durias D., Facing History Alum

"I went to a Facing History workshop and it opened my eyes."

-Tareeq R., Educator

Facing History & Ourselves
uses lessons of history
to challenge teachers
and their students
to stand up to bigotry and hate.

Facing History & Ourselves is more than our name. It is an active and continuous process that calls on each of us to connect the choices of the past to those we face today. To build a more just and equitable future, we must face our history in all its complexity, Are you ready to face history with us?

Learn how you can experience Facing History

Facing History has thousands of research-based resources and professional learning events to support Social Studies and English Language Arts education.

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And hopefully, they will always remember what happened to us and make sure that it won't happen again.

Sonia Weitz, Holocaust survivor and poet

Sign up to download the PDF version of our textbook, Holocaust and Human Behavior.

Facing History students are 94% more likely than their peers to report that their class motivated them to learn.

92% of Facing History teachers agree that Facing History helps their students stand up for what they believe even when others disagree.

91% of elective teachers agree or strongly agree that their Facing History course promoted their students' abilities to ground reading, writing, and speaking in evidence from text.

Demand for our work is greater than ever. Make a 100% tax-deductible donation today and you'll help us reach even more teachers and students around the world, giving them the tools to stand up to bigotry and hate.

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Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate.

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The most important conversations are often also the most difficult to have! Learn how to start a constructive dialogue about race in your classroom with these tips and tricks.

Race is a difficult thing to talk about, but it's also one of the most important. Recent events in Ferguson have sparked a national conversation about civil rights, and many college and high school students are joining in. Work toward embracing the diversity of your students, and when you're ready to dive deeper, check out the video playlist below to learn how talk about racial stereotypes constructively with your students, break down assumptions, and bring people together.

Video Playlist: Talking About Race

1. Sometimes You're A Caterpillar by Chescaleigh (3:18)
This cute video featuring animated caterpillar and snail characters is one of the best simple explainers of the concept of "privilege" I've ever seen. There is one slightly adult reference at the very end, but in general the rest of the video would be useful and appropriate for all ages to view.

2. Mellody Hobson: Color Blind or Color Brave? by TED (14:16)
Sweeping discussions about race under the rug can mistakenly give the impression of not caring about discrimination. This illuminating TED Talk by Mellody Hobson shows how important it is to talk about race -- even, or especially, when it's difficult. (Full disclosure: Mellody is on our board.)

3. I'm Not Racist... Am I? by The Calhoun School (3:00)
This documentary follows a group of students as they enter a year-long program to examine race and stereotypes. Watch what happens as they talk to each other, and if this trailer interests you, check to see if there's a screening or workshop in your neighborhood.

4. Students Learn A Powerful Lesson About Privilege by Buzzfeed Video (1:46)
Watch how one teacher used a rubbish bin and some paper to teach his students a lesson about how privilege works. You could easily recreate this experiment in your class!

5. Cracking the Codes: Joy DeGruy, A Trip to the Grocery Store by WorldTrustTV (3:56)
Discussions about race can feel so overwhelming, especially if you come from a place of relative privilege. Where do we start? What can we do to help? In this clip from Cracking the Codes, educator Joy DeGruy tells a compelling story about how a small gesture helped combat discrimination.

6. What Kind of Asian Are You? by Helpmefindparents (2:20)
Where are you from? No, like, where are you really from? Sometimes, we've lived with stereotypes for so long, we forget how insulting they can be! This video pokes fun at the stereotyping questions many people of color receive as a result of their appearance.

7. What Would You Give to Stop Hate? by Not In Our Town (2:04)
This inspirational fundraising video from the great organization Not In Our Town highlights the many reasons people have committed to ending hate in their communities. Check out more of their projects here.

8. What is Stereotype Threat? by Conjecture (4:17)
Think that stereotypes don't affect your classroom? Think again! Many social science experiments show that reinforcing stereotypes before testing can have a negative effect on student performance -- psychology vlogger Matt Mignogna explains more here.

Watch the first video below, or watch the whole playlist on YouTube.

More Resources for Talking About Race in Schools

Getting the conversation started can be tough, but as shown above, addressing racial stereotypes directly can have an amazing positive impact in your class. By helping the next generation learn constructive ways to tackle stereotypes and racism, everyone benefits.

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5-Minute Film Festival: Talking About Race and Stereotypes | Edutopia

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The most important conversations are often also the most difficult to have! Learn how to start a constructive dialogue about race in your classroom with these tips and tricks. Race is a difficult thing to talk about, but it's also one of the most important.

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Multi Grade Unit on Anti-Immigrant Bias

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Huddled Mass or Second Class?: Challenging Anti-Immigrant Bias in the U.S.

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This K-12 curriculum unit helps students understand the experiences of immigrants and the negative effects of anti-immigrant bias, appreciate the integral role that immigrants have always played in U.S. life and what they can do to challenge discrimination on personal and institutional levels.

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Reading and Lesson on Hate Speech

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As schools open their doors each fall, students from all walks of life enter. Each has the opportunity to share with other students in the amazing experience of education. Wide-eyed and anxious, children slowly lower their guard and allow themselves to get comfortable with their teachers, fellow students and surroundings. The hope is that this experience will be filled with joy and comfort for each and every student.

See more: Cyberbullying

For bilingual information about cyberbullying for teachers and parents, visit our Technology Safety section.

For many English Language Learners (ELLs), school is a place of laughter, fun and expansion. Bit by bit language and cultural elements are learned, shared and savored. For other ELLs it is a place of fear, humiliation and intimidation.

As we know from reports and studies which have been coming out over the past few years, bullying has become a serious issue in schools around the country. In addition, many educators across the country are reporting an increase in the bullying of immigrant students and ELLs, often with immigration-related taunts (Gándara & Ee, 2018a). What used to be limited to verbal attacks has turned into something more subtle and fierce - cyber-bullying being one clear example of how today's technology can be used to intimidate others in far-reaching ways.

Unfortunately, ELLs are often easy targets for bullies in the school setting. Foreign accents and different cultural mannerisms are often mimicked and made fun of in school, which can cause ELLs to question their most basic identity and heritage. Helping to prevent the bullying of ELLs can be a little more tricky than protecting again general bullying, primarily because attempts to be helpful can end up causing even more discomfort to ELLs.

Tips for Grown-Ups
Below are some tips for teachers and parents to utilize in the classroom and at home:
Set ground rules: Make sure that all students (and their parents) are clear of what your rules are on bullying. These should be general rules that apply to every student in the classroom/school. Post these rules on the door of the classroom and school so that students can see them when they enter and leave. Ask each student to take a look at it each day/week so that they will be reminded of what is expected of them. Make sure that the general rules include things that may apply specifically to ELLs, such as making fun of the way someone talks, dresses or acts.

Give clear examples: Share with students examples of what you consider bullying (without specifying anyone in particular or using actual events). Do give examples that specifically include ELLs being bullied! This can make things even worse for ELLs! Some excellent examples would be from your own life experiences or examples of children from American moving abroad and the difficulties of learning the language and culture. The point is to shed light on what it feels like to be in new surroundings without a solid base of support.

Set consequences: Make sure that students understand that bullying, on any level, will not be tolerated and that the consequences will apply across the board. These consequences should be agreed upon throughout the school and be clearly posted. An ELL who knows that there are clear consequences for bullying can feel a sense of relief that his teachers and school are supporting him by creating a healthy environment.

Be informed: Make sure that you and the parents of your students know what the signs of bullying are. Keep an eye on changes in your ELLs' attitudes and personalities. Remember that subtle changes may or may not indicate big problems under the surface. It is important to not overreact to a given situation but instead to be cautious and to carefully flesh out possible issues.

Have you ever had to confront bullying in your classroom?

What are your tips on helping English Language Learners deal with bullying?

Where have you found the most support in helping to prevent bullying in your classroom?

Take them seriously: Anything that your students share about their own experiences with bullying or what they have witnessed when others were bullied is to be taken seriously. An ELL who sees other ELLs being bullied can become just as frightened as if it happened to him or her personally. Anytime an ELL opens up to a teacher or parent about such episodes should be taken seriously and be given the support needed.

Inform parents: Parents of ELLs need to be reminded to tell their children that bullying is something to be expected when living in a new country, even though the parents may believe this. Not only can this make a child feel even more frightened and helpless, it can cause a child to feel resentment and bitterness toward the country and its citizens in general. ELLs need to feel that they belong here, not part of a subset that is tolerated.

Inform administrators: It is important that teachers remind school administrators of the additional risk that ELLs face from bullying. Give administrators clear examples of what ELLs experience from bullies: mimicking their accents, making fun of their racial differences, laughing at their mannerisms and cultural idiosyncrasies, and more. Help administrators understand what it would feel like if they were to enter a school in another country without being able to communicate well, and then having other students making fun of their every effort.

Write down what you see: If you believe that a student in class is bullying an ELL but you aren't sure, write down what you see or believe is happening. This way you will have a record of incidents which all together may form a picture when seen over the long term. You will also have some examples to talk about one-on-one with students when the opportunity arises, or during parent-teacher meetings.

As we know, bullying can happen in any environment. It is not specifically tied to ELLs. However, being that they are seen as different, ELLs become easy targets for a bully. The hope is that the more we stand together against bullying the more ELLs will feel comfortable coming forward and reporting their experiences.

In a recent article in the Boston Globe titled, Schools Seeing Shift on Bullying, it was reported that bullying in Massachusetts has seen a shift due to students taking a more direct role in reporting bullying incidents and showing a united support against bullying. There is only so much a teacher and parent can do to help prevent the kind of physical and emotional attacks caused by bullying. Supporting students in their own efforts to stand up against bullying may be just the solution needed to help ELLs find a more comfortable atmosphere in school.

Discussion Questions

Recommended Resources

This video from Sesame Street features a conversation about bullying between Elmo and actor Chris Colfer.

These pamphlets from the Washington State Office of Education include information on how to address bullying problems and get help for children who are bullied and bully others. The pamphlets are available in 8 languages.

This resource section from Teaching Tolerance provides an overview of the connection between bullying and bias and answers frequently asked questions about school bullying.

Edutopia offers a guide for educators to online information about combatting bullying.

KidsHealth: Bullying Resources for Kids, Teens, Parents, and Educators

These toolkits from KidsHealth offer activities that will help students identify, understand, and deal with bullying and cyberbullying.

Additional bilingual articles are available from KidsHealth:

This federal website includes information on bullying and cyberbullying for parents, educators, community members, teens, and children. It is also available in Spanish. It includes:

Bullying and Bias

Video: Hena Khan Talks about what young American Muslims experience on a regular basis

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8 Tips to Protect ELLs from Bullying in Your Classroom and School

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As schools open their doors each fall, students from all walks of life enter. Each has the opportunity to share with other students in the amazing experience of education. Wide-eyed and anxious, children slowly lower their guard and allow themselves to get comfortable with their teachers, fellow students and surroundings.

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Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate

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Tools, tips and strategies for what educators and family members can do to help young people discuss and deal with the aftermath of hate-inspired events.

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Following Facing History's unique methodology, Holocaust and Human Behavior uses readings, primary source material, and short documentary films to examine the challenging history of the Holocaust and prompt reflection on our world today. This website is designed to let you skip around or read the book from cover to cover. You can easily browse by reading or topic, collect resources, and build your own lessons using our playlist tool, or visit the teaching toolbox to find our lessons and unit outlines. The new edition is also available in print and PDF.

Learn more about why it's time for a new edition.

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Following Facing History's unique methodology, Holocaust and Human Behavior uses readings, primary source material, and short documentary films to examine the challenging history of the Holocaust and prompt reflection on our world today. This website is designed to let you skip around or read the book from cover to cover.

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Inequity in the Justice System

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Teaching about Racism, Violence, Inequity and the Criminal Justice System

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Anti-bias resources and strategies to help you discuss with your youth incidents of police officers involved in the deaths of African-American and Latino males and a biased justice system.

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Information Regarding Free Speech

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"Freedom of expression is the matrix, the indispensable condition, of nearly every other form of freedom."

-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo in Palko v. Connecticut

Freedom of speech, the press, association, assembly, and petition: This set of guarantees, protected by the First Amendment, comprises what we refer to as freedom of expression. It is the foundation of a vibrant democracy, and without it, other fundamental rights, like the right to vote, would wither away.

The fight for freedom of speech has been a bedrock of the ACLU's mission since the organization was founded in 1920, driven by the need to protect the constitutional rights of conscientious objectors and anti-war protesters. The organization's work quickly spread to combating censorship, securing the right to assembly, and promoting free speech in schools.

Almost a century later, these battles have taken on new forms, but they persist. The ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project continues to champion freedom of expression in its myriad forms - whether through protest, media, online speech, or the arts - in the face of new threats. For example, new avenues for censorship have arisen alongside the wealth of opportunities for speech afforded by the Internet. The threat of mass government surveillance chills the free expression of ordinary citizens, legislators routinely attempt to place new restrictions on online activity, and journalism is criminalized in the name of national security. The ACLU is always on guard to ensure that the First Amendment's protections remain robust - in times of war or peace, for bloggers or the institutional press, online or off.

Over the years, the ACLU has represented or defended individuals engaged in some truly offensive speech. We have defended the speech rights of communists, Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members, accused terrorists, pornographers, anti-LGBT activists, and flag burners. That's because the defense of freedom of speech is most necessary when the message is one most people find repulsive. Constitutional rights must apply to even the most unpopular groups if they're going to be preserved for everyone.

Some examples of our free speech work from recent years include:

In 2019, we filed a petition of certiorari on behalf of DeRay Mckesson, a prominent civil rights activist and Black Lives Matter movement organizer, urging the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that, if left standing, would dismantle civil rights era speech protections safeguarding the First Amendment right to protest.

In 2019, we successfully challenged a spate of state anti-protest laws aimed at Indigenous and climate activists opposing pipeline construction.

We've called on big social media companies to resist calls for censorship.

We're representing five former intelligence agency employees and military personnel in a lawsuit challenging the government's pre-publication review system, which prohibits millions of former intelligence agency employees and military personnel from writing or speaking about topics related to their government service without first obtaining government approval.

In 2018, we filed a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that the NRA's lawsuit alleging that the state of New York violated its First Amendment rights should be allowed to proceed.

In 2016, the we defended the First Amendment rights of environmental and racial justice activists in Uniontown, Alabama, who were sued for defamation after they organized against the town's hazardous coal ash landfill.

In 2014, the ACLU of Michigan filed an amicus brief arguing that the police violated the First Amendment by ejecting an anti-Muslim group called Bible Believers from a street festival based on others' violent reactions to their speech.

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Free Speech | American Civil Liberties Union

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Protecting free speech means protecting a free press, the democratic process, diversity of thought, and so much more. The ACLU has worked since 1920 to ensure that freedom of speech is protected for everyone.

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Editor's note: This blog was originally published by the Southern Poverty Law Center on August 10, 2017. It is republished here with permission.
With college students returning to class in the coming weeks, the Southern Poverty Law Center released a new guide that advises them on how to respond when speakers associated with the growing white nationalist, or " alt-right," movement, appear on campus.

In recent months, numerous campuses have been rocked by student protests sparked by the scheduled appearances of alt-right figures such as Richard Spencer and Milo Yiannopoulos.

The alt-right activity is part of a larger surge in campus organizing and recruitment by white nationalists. Now, the movement is seeking to capitalize on the publicity and momentum it gained amid its strong support of the Trump campaign.

Some of the recent protests, at Berkeley and elsewhere, have attracted far-left activists known as anti-fascists and have turned violent, igniting a debate over freedom of speech on campus.

In its new publication-The Alt-Right on Campus: What Students Need to Know-the SPLC advises students to avoid direct confrontation with alt-right speakers and their supporters, many of whom are young white supremacists eager to engage in street fighting with students and anti-fascist protesters.

The guide is a project of the SPLC on Campus program, which currently has chapters at 30 colleges across the country.

"The rise of the alt-right has left many students deeply concerned about hate on campus and asking what they can do to make a difference," said Lecia Brooks, SPLC director of outreach. "This guide provides answers. It not only shows students how to respond to a possible alt-right event, but how to inoculate your campus against such extremism before these speakers appear on campus."

In addition to offering step-by-step instructions for students to counter the movement's influence, the guide explains the racist ideology of the alt-right and profiles its leaders.

As the guide explains, public universities that have a policy allowing student groups to host outside speakers cannot legally bar alt-right speakers except under the most extreme circumstances. The SPLC urges students to hold alternative events that celebrate diversity, inclusion and cultural awareness. In addition, they should speak out against hate and encourage university administrators to issue statements condemning the views of alt-right speakers.

SPLC President Richard Cohen testified in June before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary about the obligation of universities to uphold not only the First Amendment rights of controversial speakers but to speak out against hate and bigotry.

"We need to fight speech that threatens our nation's democratic values with speech that upholds them," Cohen said in his oral testimony. "It's an obligation that university officials have and one that everyone in public life, starting with the president, has as well."

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SPLC Releases Campus Guide to Countering 'Alt-Right'

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Editor's note: This blog was originally published by the Southern Poverty Law Center on August 10, 2017. It is republished here with permission. With college students returning to class in the coming weeks, the Southern Poverty Law Center released a new guide that advises them on how to respond when speakers associated with the growing white nationalist, or " alt-right," movement, appear on campus.

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Correlations to the Standards

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World Savvy partners with educators, schools, and districts to integrate global competence teaching and learning into classrooms for all K-12 students. We do this by providing a range of high-quality, specifically targeted programs and services, including:

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Sojourn to the Past takes thousands of students out of the classroom and across the country for educational and life-changing Civil Rights Movement experiences.

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African American Art & History

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In our mission to increase how American history is taught in California schools, we will be visiting the Imperial Valley School District at the invitation of the Imperial Valley County Office of Education for two events on October 25th and 26th, 2016. Deputy Superintendent Amanda Brooke and her amazing colleagues are working closely with us on the development of the Kinsey Collection classroom curriculum, and we couldn't be happier to have them on the team. We look forward to meeting the parents and educators of Imperial Valley, for what promises to be two impactful events.

Tuesday 10/25/2016 - 6:00PM
Southwest High School-Jimmy Cannon Theater
2001 Ocotillo Drive
El Centro, CA 92243

Wednesday 10/26/2016 - 8:00AM-1:00PM
Imperial Palms Resort
2050 Country Club Drive
Holtville, CA 92250
Registration: www.icoe.org/register

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In our mission to increase how American history is taught in California schools, we will be visiting the Imperial Valley School District at the invitation of the Imperial Valley County Office of Education for two events on October 25th and 26th, 2016.

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A Look at Race Relations through a Child's Eyes

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How to Respond When Students Use Hate Speech?

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"Sticks and stones will break my bones / But words will really hurt me."

I was playing with my 3-year-old granddaughter and called her a silly goose. She freaked out-crying, yelling, and telling me she hated me. It took a long time to cool her down and explain that being a silly goose was not a bad thing. This anecdote raises important questions about the nature of hate speech. Who decides what is hate speech, the speaker or the recipient? What's the difference between teasing, sarcasm, insulting, and hate speech?

These questions show us why hate speech is so difficult to stop. Hate speech is hard to define, and it's easy to be confused about the motives of the speaker. But there's a cultural piece that adds to the challenges. If we're going to get to the heart of hate speech in America today, we must remember that significant elements of our cultural history were built on inequity-from the founding of the country and displacement of indigenous populations to the Civil War and slavery. This inequity has bred a history of demonization of the "other." Hate speech is just one manifestation of this dynamic.

It's important for us to understand the depth of these challenges; hate speech won't just go away if we don't examine the underlying causes. I've spent many years in the classroom working on these issues with students. Below are some activities I've used to reduce or eliminate hate speech in my classroom.

5 Reasons Students Use Hate Speech

Let's start by examining why students use hate speech. Here are a few of the more common ones:

1. To express bigotry and racism

2. To express their own internal anger and unresolved pain

3. To feel superior

4. To feel powerful when they feel powerless in other areas of their lives

5. To show off for friends

With these reasons in mind, there are specific activities we can use to engage students in deeper reflection and eliminate hate speech in the classroom. These are the steps I recommend for teachers, refining them for students' age and grade level.

Ideas for Curbing Hate Speech

1. Establish a classroom value that all cultures are to be respected. With the students' help, make a list of behavioral rules that promote this value. Examples include "Do not use language that hurts another student's feelings" and "No one's culture can be verbally attacked." Once the list of rules is complete, develop with your students a protocol for how these rules will be enforced.

2. Build class empathy. Having ensured that your class is a safe space, ask your students if any of them have been victims of hate speech. If they're willing, let these students share with the rest of the class how it felt to hear hateful language. Have a class discussion for students to share how they felt hearing these stories from their classmates.

3. Analyze hate speech. In small groups, invite students to get curious and deepen their understanding of where hate speech comes from, what it is and isn't. You can assign each group to answer questions like:

Who decides what is hate speech: the speaker or the recipient?

What is the difference between teasing, sarcasm, insulting, and hate speech?

Does the intention of the speaker matter?

Is all hate speech the same? How subjective is hate speech?

Is stereotyping the same as hating?

Does a victim of hate speech have the right to use it to fight back?

Have each group lead a discussion about their topic. Once all of these discussions are finished, develop a class definition of hate speech, including how it differs from other kinds of hurtful talk.

A Deeper Dive Into Hate Speech

Looking at the list of five reasons that students use hate speech above, brainstorm with your class what's good and what's bad about each of these reasons.

What's good about expressing bigotry and racism? What's bad about it?

What's good about expressing anger or pain with hate speech? What's bad about it?

Is using hate speech a good or bad way to feel superior?

Is using hate speech a good or bad way to feel powerful?

What good about using hate speech to show off for friends? What's bad about it?

While "good" and "bad" may sound oversimplified, I have used this activity many times in my classroom, and have found that, by examining what's good about hate speech, you can uncover motivation. This is very powerful because it can help shed light on the source of the feelings that are at the root of the hate. In this activity, you can share the idea that sometimes good reasons lead to bad decisions, and use these discussions to have students develop different ways to express themselves. By speaking of the good and bad in hate speech, you give students the chance to examine their own feelings, notice their impact on others, and evaluate their decisions.

Spreading the Word

Once the class has confronted what hate speech is, seen firsthand why it's damaging, and taken steps to stop it in their classroom, see if students can find a series of ways to prevent or attack the use of hate speech in their larger community circles. It's only when we do our work as individuals that our larger social fabric can be safer and stronger for all.

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How to Respond When Students Use Hate Speech

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"Sticks and stones will break my bones / But words will really hurt me." I was playing with my 3-year-old granddaughter and called her a silly goose. She freaked out-crying, yelling, and telling me she hated me. It took a long time to cool her down and explain that being a silly goose was not a bad thing.

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Welcome to Raising Race Conscious Children, a resource to support adults who are trying to talk about race with young children. The goals of these conversations are to dismantle the color-blind framework and prepare young people to work toward racial justice. If we commit to collectively trying to talk about race with young children, we can lean on one another for support as we, together, envision a world where we actively challenge racism each and every day. Many of the blog's posts are geared toward White people but a community of guest bloggers represent diverse backgrounds and the strategies discussed may be helpful for all.
It starts one conversation at a time.
Quick Links

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Raising Race Conscious Children | A Resource for Talking About Race & Diversity With Young Children

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To support parents who are trying to talk about race and diversity with young children- with the goal of preparing young people to work toward racial justice.

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When members in Creative with Kids Parenting Secret Mission Society expressed the wish that they knew more resources for talking with children about race and racism, I knew just who to ask to write a resource list. My dear friend Lorien is a contributor here and also the person I would go to for advice on discussing social justice. She's compiled some of the books, music and videos she and her husband use with their kids to discuss racism. I hope you find them helpful! ~Alissa
Resources for talking with Kids About Race and Racism

Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase through these you support Creative With Kids without extra cost to yourself.

by: Lorien Van Ness

Talking about race and racism definitely ranks as one of the more difficult topics I've had to broach with my kids. While my training as an early childhood educator had given me plenty of experience talking with kids about diversity, I had been given literally no training in talking with kids about racism.

Before having children of my own, I believed that teaching diversity was enough, that I could simply help children value diversity and in doing so avoid having to discuss racism. While we can and should continue to teach and live the principle of valuing diversity, that alone is not enough; unfortunately we are all exposed to racism even though we ourselves do not agree with such beliefs - even young children are not exempt from its effects.

As Beverly Tatum, an expert on race relations and president of Spelman College puts it, "... like smog in the air. We don't breathe it because we like it. We don't breathe it because we think it's good for us. We breathe it because it's the only air that's available."

People have different comfort zones for when to introduce discussions about racism; everyone's family is different and I'm firm believer that you know your family best. That being said, I would urge you to think about how you want to discuss racism now, even if you feel that your children are too young. It is such a complex, heavy issue that it can be difficult to know where to start.

For us it has worked well to slowly keep adding to their understanding, we talk about racism from early on in the same way we talk about other sensitive topics - answering questions as they arise and addressing misinformation frankly and honestly, while at the same time exposing them to age appropriate materials and discussions that promote diversity and combat racism.

For very young children (0-3):

Use books and movies that feature characters of various ethnicities to help build a broad worldview. Some of our favorite books are:

For preschoolers (2-5)

Continue to help preschoolers develop a broad world view and give them context for the larger world; this is important whether you live in a homogeneous community or a heterogeneous community.

Help children examine concepts of fairness and encourage empathy by asking your child how they think different characters feel during conflicts in books and movies.

Don't be alarmed if your child begins to notice and point out differences in the people around her; take a deep breath and lean into the moment. If your child asks about someone's skin tone you can respond positively and matter of factly how wonderful it is that we are all so different, you might even ask your child to hold out their arm against yours to demonstrate the variety in your own family.

Books:

Also consider reading myths from a variety of cultures such as Coyote Stories for Children by Susan Strauss, Princesses From Around the World by Katell Goyer, Tales from India and other books from the Oxford Myths and Legends series.

Media:

Toys:

Activities:

Crack eggs together for scrambled eggs, cake or meatloaf. Use brown and white eggs and discuss how even though they are different colors on the outside they are the same on the inside. Or for a sweeter example eat candy coated chocolates together- they are different colors but taste the same; bite some in half for a peek at the each colors insides.

Elementary Aged Children (5-12)

It is during this stage that having open discussions about race, diversity and racism becomes crucial. Elementary age children begin to broaden their horizons and participate in more and more social opportunities independently of their families. Discussing these topics openly without an air of taboo will help your child see you as a trusted source of information on the topic - a truth holder and authority with whom they can check the messages they may be receiving from other sources.

Point out stereotypes and racial bias in media and books such as villains and comic relief characters having accents and behaviors attributed to people of Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern or African descent. If you haven't noticed this before yourself, consider re-watching movies such as The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Lion King, or Star Wars The Phantom Menace. It doesn't mean your child can't watch movies or read books with stereotypes, they can be a powerful means of starting or continuing conversation about racism as long as you engage with them on the subject.

When reading older books with racist language, rather than editing as you read, use it as a teachable moment. That being said, don't be afraid to put some movies, shows, or even books off limits. One example in our household are the really old Felix the Cat cartoons; we just felt that there was too much stereotyping and blatant racism for us to combat with conversation.

The resources in this section deal with race, racism, discrimination, and racial violence in a much more explicit way than the resources mentioned in the previous sections and are meant to be discussed and pondered with an adult who can provide context and additional commentary.

Books:

Media

ACTIVITIES

While talking about race and racism may feel uncomfortable and overwhelming, you don't have to explain or cover "it all" right now. Just starting the conversation and keeping it going is a step in the right direction, as is pointed out in this article by Melinda Wenner Moyer, and this article on Research-Based Advice on Teaching Children Not to Be Racist.

A helpful resource for parents is Everyday Acts Against Racism: Raising Children in a Multiracial World Edited by Maureen Reddy. This collection of writings by mothers and teachers about their own experiences with racism and discussing racism is formatted in a way that lends itself to picking up and setting down through the many interruptions of parenting and it's compelling enough to keep you picking it back up!

I've also created a Talking About Racism Pinterest Board with additional resources for parents and teachers.
What resources do you use in your family or classroom for talking about race and racism? Where do you struggle in talking about racism? Leave a comment - I'd love to chat. ~Lorien
Lorien Van Ness is the mother of four children ranging in age from toddler to tween. She is a freelance writer and regular contributor at Bounceback Parenting and Hands On As We Grow. Having worked with children from birth through adolescence in a professional capacity for more than 10 years, she enjoys helping families create meaningful experiences that foster strong relationships. She grabs any free moment she can to write about life, parenting, and everything in between.

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60+ Resources for Talking to Kids About Racism

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When members in Creative with Kids Parenting Secret Mission Society expressed the wish that they knew more resources for talking with children about race and racism, I knew just who to ask to write a resource list. My dear friend Lorien is a contributor here and also the person I would go to for advice on discussing social justice.

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Courageous Conversation - Providing Training, Coaching and Consulting for Millions of Racial Equity Leaders Around the World

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Founded in 1992 by Glenn E. Singleton, Pacific Educational Group provides services to help you facilitate courageous conversations about race in your organization, community or city.

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Unpacking White Privilege, Peggy McIntosh

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Unpacking White Privilege, Peggy McIntosh

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Intergroup Resources

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Engaging in frank discussions of race and race-based issues is often a delicate task, requiring participants to recognize their own status and privileges (or lack thereof) with respect to another, differently situated group. Many people remain ill-equipped with the skills necessary to navigate these encounters constructively. With the heralding of a so-called "postracial era" in the U.S., a colorblind ideology remains popular. Colorblindness centers on the idea that ignoring or glossing over racial or ethnic differences (i.e., "I don't see race.") facilitates racial harmony. In the context of this dominant frame, learning to "see," talk about, and be self-reflexive about race and racism, power and privilege, can be both jarring and liberating. Often, however, this transformation takes time.

Addressing race as part of intergroup bridge building is a unique challenge. In many cases, participants' lack of understanding or knowledge of the other group(s) involved in the dialogue or program may lead to inadvertent reliance upon stereotypes or other potentially hurtful misconceptions.

Beyond these immediate concerns in intergroup settings, differences in the understanding of the very concept of race and identity can complicate bridge building efforts. Key challenges identified by project participants include:

Because their national identities invoke notions of mestizaje, or racial admixture, Latin Americans are typically taught that racism does not exist in their countries. Nevertheless, anti-Black and anti-indigenous discrimination is prevalent across the continent. Latin American immigrants often bring these frames with them, which are reinforced by dominant society in the United States, complicating relationship-building with African Americans. Jorge Zeballos of the Institute for Dismantling Racism has created materials to engage Latin Americans in self-reflection about the effects of white supremacy on their own life opportunities, identities, and prejudices.
Others reflected on how many immigrants have no context or understanding of the role of race in American history. Their frame of reference regarding race often does not map onto understandings of race in the U.S. well, thus causing misunderstandings.

Several research participants pointed toward a process of homogenization that happens to Latin American immigrants in the U.S., who are lumped into the category of "Latino" or "Hispanic." While at times a strategic identification, this move serves to silence the experiences of indigenous and Afro-Latin communities, denying their cultural difference and the discrimination they have experienced as minorities within their own countries. Several research participants noted that the under-recognized presence of African-descendent communities in Latin America and the Caribbean represents an oft-missed opportunity for immigrant and African American communities to build relationships and a common understanding of structural racism.

Racial and ethnic identity discussions are central to the African Diaspora Dialogues, which bring together African Americans with African immigrants, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latino immigrants in conversation. Challenging discussions included conversations founded on African Americans' assumption that African immigrants would see themselves as part of the African American community because "we're all Black" when African immigrants tend to identify primarily by their national or ethnic identity rather than with African Americans through notions of "Blackness."

Moreover, even when curricular materials are designed to open up a space for dialogue on race, facilitation is key to ensuring that these conversations are constructive and unifying rather than divisive. Facilitators must be well-versed in the mechanics and effects of structural racism and be experienced in leading others through conversations on race and inequality. As noted in the our section on facilitation challenges, a dual-facilitator arrangement with individuals representing two different identity groups can be an asset when talking about race in intergroup settings.

The Center for Intercultural Organizing (CIO) utilizes two facilitators for its Refugee and Immigrant Solidarity (RISE) workshops. This six week political education course invites participants from across cultural lines to learn about the dynamics of immigration, immigration policy, and community organizing. In the words of CIO executive director Kayse Jama,

We had two facilitators for each workshop, and this is important. One would be an immigrant person of color, and the other would be a mainly-white ally. So we have both perspectives presented. Having cross-race facilitators was also a strength of the workshop because, as a person of color, when someone tried to dismiss the things that I was saying, it was helpful to have that white U.S.-born ally to step in and support my point. And, vice versa was true too. Having cross-race facilitators was an extremely, extremely effective method that we used.

Hope in the Cities also supports facilitators working in pairs, as this provides a greater mix of racial/gender backgrounds to reflect the diversity in the room.

Other project participants warned that discussions about race and racism need to be carefully crafted to resonate with people's own experiences. Race, white supremacy, sexuality, and other aspects of an intersectional analysis may be perceived as too academic and abstract if they are not presented in a manner to which participants can relate and connect.

Helpful materials

Talking about Race Resource Notebook (.pdf) - This is a Kirwan Institut e publication that covers topic such as framing and the strategic elements of a transformative dialogue on race.

Race Matters: How to Talk About Race (.pdf) - This document from the Annie E. Casey Foundation is part of the foundation's Race Matters Toolkit.

Ten Lessons for Talking About Racial Equity in the Age of Obama (.pdf) - This short series of talking points from The Opportunity Agenda outlines 10 principles that can help facilitate productive communications on racial justice problems and solutions.

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack (.pdf) - This piece by Peggy McIntosh is frequently used by anti-racist educators to highlight the multitude of ways and realsm in which white privilege operates.
Image: Angela Stuesse

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Talking about Race - Intergroup Resources

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Engaging in frank discussions of race and race-based issues is often a delicate task, requiring participants to recognize their own status and privileges (or lack thereof) with respect to another, differently situated group. Many people remain ill-equipped with the skills necessary to navigate these encounters constructively.

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Intergroup Resources

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This section compiles the names, production information, descriptions, and additional contact information for films and other video clips potentially useful for intergroup dialogue and political education. The summaries for the films and video clips below have been borrowed from official websites, reviews, and other online sources. The language is not our own and Intergroup Resources takes no credit for them; we merely reproduce them here to point potential viewers in the right directions. Wherever possible, we have hotlinked the title back to the official website or other site with more information.

A Time for Justice
1995 / 38 minutes
In A Time for Justice, four-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Charles Guggenheim captured the spirit of the civil rights movement through historical footage and the voices of those who participated in the struggle. Narrated by Julian Bond and featuring John Lewis, the 38-minute film allows today's generation of students to witness firsthand the movement's most dramatic moments-the bus boycott in Montgomery, the school crisis in Little Rock, the violence in Birmingham and the triumphant 1965 march for voting rights.
Film, Teacher's Guide, and Civil Rights Timeline poster available free from Teaching Tolerance.

Continent on the Move
1993 / 60 minutes
This ten-part series examines the constantly shifting social, political, and economic forces at work in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean basin. Viewers are taken behind the scenes to gain a historical perspective on the turmoil that has developed in these countries. Experts share their opinions on how these countries' leaders might better manage the unique challenges they still encounter as they try to govern their diverse citizenry. This episode examines how Mexico has been coping with the large migration of its citizens from rural areas to the country's large, metropolitan regions. Crowded conditions are causing an entirely new set of problems.

Eating Welfare
2001 / 57 minutes
This film explores the lives of Southeast Asian refugee families of the Bronx who are struggling to survive the welfare "reform" years under the Giuliani Administration. It's told through youth in the community who eventually organize a take-over of the welfare center. Film contact organization is the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence.

Frontiers of Racism
2010 / 7 minutes
This video makes a connection between contemporary anti-immigration bigotry particularly against Mexicans and Mexican Americans, which seems to be growing, and historical, institutional racism against African Americans.

30 minutes
With tensions mounting between the U.S. and the Muslim world, integrating newcomers from those countries raises a whole set of sensitivities and challenges. That's where Hawo's Dinner Party: The New Face of Southern Hospitality comes in. This half-hour DVD serves as a tool for community leaders - including educators, clergy, law enforcement, public officials, and employers - who are helping to integrate newcomers with unique needs, often against considerable obstacles. By focusing on the experiences of several Somali residents in Shelbyville - including Hawo, a refugee and former nurse who now works at a local poultry processing plant, and Mohamed, the local imam - the module puts a human face on the complex issues we face in this time of increasing globalization.
Resources to support these activities include a Recipes and Discussion Guide, Event Planning Toolkit and Facilitation Guide and an online Recipes section.

Journey of a Badiu
2010 / 54 minutes
This enlightening film focuses on Cape Verdean-American musician Norberto Tavares, a composer, bandleader, social activist and humanitarian, whose influence throughout the Cape Verdean diaspora has become legendary.

2004 / 3 episodes. 7 hours total.
The New Americans follows four years in the lives of a diverse group of contemporary immigrants and refugees as they journey to start new lives in America. The detailed portraits-woven together in the seven-hour miniseries- present a kaleidoscopic picture of immigrant life and a personal view of the new America.
A discussion guide and related materials are available here.

Understanding the U.S. Economy Part 1
2009 / About 5 minutes
Robber barons, the great depression, and demand-side economic policy

Understanding the U.S. Economy Part 2
2009 / About5 minutes
U.S. Economy: Reaganomics, Supply Side, and the Global Pool of Money

2000 / 2 hours
Well-Founded Fear documents a variety of dramas unfolding in INS offices in the New York City area. The filmmakers focus on both the pleas of immigrants to stay in the United States, and the consideration of their cases by INS officers. At issue in every case are the requirements of asylum. To be granted, applicants must demonstrate a "well-founded fear" of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
The film's website includes a discussion guide and materials for planning an event around this film.

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This section compiles the names, production information, descriptions, and additional contact information for films and other video clips potentially useful for intergroup dialogue and political education. The summaries for the films and video clips below have been borrowed from official websites, reviews, and other online sources.

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History-Social Science Framework - History-Social Science Framework (CA Dept of Education)

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The State Board of Education adopted the History-Social Science Framework on July 14, 2016. This is the final digital version of the Framework.

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Join the 2020 #LGBTQHistorychallenge. See the calendar of events for LGBTQ History Month activities around the state.

This website is dedicated to "Teaching LGBTQ History" which primarily focuses on providing resources and materials that fulfill the requirements put forth by the FAIR Education Act with regards to LGBTQ history.

As Tom Adams, Deputy Superintendent of the California Department of Education once stated, "These standards are the floor, not the ceiling, for what we want to teach." As the website and resources develop, we will be including lesson plans and materials that educators in California, and beyond, can use to teach about LGBTQ history in every time period.

This site serves as a comprehensive reference hub for information regarding the FAIR Education Act, as well as for History Framework Lesson Plans and General LGBTQ Lesson Plans, and resources to support teachers as they work with the new content required by the FAIR Education Act. We are honored to work together with you to help California's history and social sciences education be more Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful for all K-12 students.

The dozens of lesson plans, books, and video resources are sorted into Elementary School ( Framework and General), Middle School ( Framework and General), and High School ( Framework and General) grade-levels. Once you've used a lesson plan or a resource, please consider providing feedback, to help fellow educators benefit from your experience. Our Resources page list additional sources for LGBTQ history materials.

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FAIR - ACCURATE - INCLUSIVE - RESPECTFUL Join the 2020 #LGBTQHistorychallenge. See the calendar of events for LGBTQ History Month activities around the state. This website is dedicated to "Teaching LGBTQ History" which primarily focuses on providing resources and materials that fulfill the requirements put forth by the FAIR Education Act with regards to LGBTQ ...

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Find parenting tips and advice on PBS KIDS for Parents! Explore articles written by parents and experts to help raise kids who thrive at every age.

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Teaching Tolerance Guide

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NPR Education Resources

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Open up the newspaper or turn on the news these days, and you'll find plenty of talk about race and racism. But it's a different story in many classrooms.

Some teachers don't consider race germane to their math or English syllabus. Others strive for colorblindness in the classroom, wanting to believe we live in a post-racial society. Unfortunately, says H. Richard Milner, we don't.

Milner directs the Center for Urban Education at the University of Pittsburgh. He spends much of his time researching effective teaching methods and leading professional development for teachers, schools and districts, helping to implement teaching strategies that deal with race.

He's motivated by research that shows that people who feel good about their own race do better academically.

"I'm someone's father. I'm someone's husband. I'm someone's friend. I'm someone's son," says Milner, "but I'm also a black man. And my being black shapes my experiences, and so if you are not attuned to the part of my being that is race, then it's very difficult for you to understand and respond to my humanity."

Milner's new book, Rac(e)ing to Class: Confronting Poverty and Race in Schools and Classrooms, serves as a tool for educators who want to better understand what talking about race can sound like - with evidence-based approaches and practical classroom tips.
How did your work in classrooms drive you to write this book?
I often found that teachers would shy away from and were very uncomfortable talking about race.

I believe most educators in general have great intentions, but I do believe they are grossly underprepared for the types of complexity they face every day in school. So, until we get race right, until we get class right, until we get the intersection of race and class correct, we're going to reap the consequences of it. So we can continue walking around like race and racism and issues of discrimination are not pervasive, but the students are the ones who are grossly underserved. As adults, even if it might make us uncomfortable, we've got to engage in these uncomfortable conversations. Even if we disagree.
So where does a teacher's work start and where does it end?
One of the reasons this work is so complex is because the outside school experiences of students are quite often inconsistent with what the expectations are inside school. It's the schools' responsibility to take on the onus of understanding language patterns, of understanding what the students experience outside of school.

For instance, if students read particular kinds of books outside of school, if they engage in social media outside of school, then teachers must figure out how to utilize that as an anchor for what happens inside of school.

Instructionally, it's the teacher's responsibility to really research and develop learner lenses to understand what's happening with the student outside of school, so that she or he can be responsive to that reality.

Teachers want lessons that make connections, that make it real for students.
So how can teachers incorporate those outside realities into curriculum? You mention a case study in the book that involves a robbery that happened right around the corner from a middle school. When you talked to teachers at that school, what did you recommend?
I was doing a professional development session with the teachers, and I just posed a question. I said, "I'm wondering why you guys didn't mention the robbery in the classroom," and the educators in the room just got offended.

There was a guy who sat in the back and said, "I teach math and science, what does a robbery have to do with my teaching math and science?"

So I gave some examples: You could talk about the relationship between well-lit communities and those that aren't. You could count the number of streetlights in a particular vicinity. You could pull up Google Maps and have the students guesstimate the amount of time it would take the police to drive from the police precinct to the robbery scene at different rates of speed. You could have the students look at the relationship between gun shop access and crime.

There are all these mathematical ways of engaging the incident and being responsive to the things that the students are concerned about. But it takes the teachers' willingness to delve into, to be creative, and to be consistent with and align with the things that they're supposed to be teaching. I would never tell a teacher to teach anything that they are not supposed to teach. Teachers can make lessons relevant and accessible to students and still align with and be consistent with the Common Core standards and so forth.
In the book you give examples from your classroom visits - but you don't always offer solutions or answers. Why? Is that intentional?
So this work is contextual. With the cases, I really want teachers to read them to reflect about their own practices, to problematize them, to call me out and say "I disagree with this."

Just because it's complex and we don't know for sure what's going on doesn't mean we shouldn't be interrogating and trying to figure it out. And that's where I think we really fall short.

We see that particular groups of students, like black and brown male students, are constantly being suspended and expelled from school, and we've got to stop it. We've got to recognize what's going on, and we've got to address it. So with each case, it invites readers to strategize about what they would do in a particular situation.
In the book, you talk about community assets - how negative circumstances can be viewed in positive ways. How does this apply to teachers?
It's the lenses by which we look at situations. On an individual level the fact that a student is able to work six or seven hours every night at McDonald's or Hardee's or wherever it happens to be for several nights a week demonstrates an asset. Rather than saying, "Poor thing, she's barely getting by in my class." That's looking at it from a deficit.

An assets perspective: "Carla demonstrates the capacity to balance her schoolwork and her part-time job. I should talk with her about how I can assist her ..."

Even when talking about neighborhood conditions, a student has made it through a situation where they walk through gang violence. The asset is: That student has been able to navigate and negotiate a challenging set of circumstances.
Do you get any pushback? What do you say to teachers or principals who say, "This is too much" or "This is not my job"?
I do get pushback. Some districts I go in, and the principal will say, "Well, we don't really have a race issue."

I always say that it's important for teachers and people to relax their egos and to realize that it is not only about them. This work is about how we better, more effectively meet the needs of every child, of every student. When I get teachers to a place where they are deliberate about and intentional about reflecting on why they're doing what they're doing in the classroom, people tend to come around, at least in terms of thinking about the possibilities.

I also stress that parents care about their children. They may not know necessarily how to support them educationally, but I have very rarely if ever met a parent who doesn't care about his or her child. All communities care about their children. I think that's important to show teachers.

We are in trouble. This is urgent work. Teachers can wait on parents to change. They can wait on policymakers to come up with something extraordinary. Or they can be proactive and say, "You know what, I am complicit in ensuring the underachievement of some of our students."
What should readers take away from this book?
We've really got to disrupt and confront the attempts to not address issues of race, racism and other forms of discrimination on a micro level as well as a macro level. We can't have conversations about poverty if we're not having serious conversations about race.

The other one is that we can talk about reform, we can talk about shifts to classroom level, but we also need to make sure we're deliberate about making serious shifts on a district level as well. Because there are outstanding individual teachers who go into the classroom, close their doors and great things happen. It really is about how we make changes for black and brown children on a broader level.

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Uncomfortable Conversations: Talking About Race In The Classroom

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Open up the newspaper or turn on the news these days, and you'll find plenty of talk about race and racism. But it's a different story in many classrooms. Some teachers don't consider race germane to their math or English syllabus. Others strive for colorblindness in the classroom, wanting to believe we live in a post-racial society.

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"Sharing tools to strengthen intergroup relations at the grassroots "

"Sharing tools to strengthen intergroup relations at the grassroots "

"Sharing tools to strengthen intergroup relations at the grassroots "

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Intergroup Resources - Intergroup Resources

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"Sharing tools to strengthen intergroup relations at the grassroots " "Sharing tools to strengthen intergroup relations at the grassroots " "Sharing tools to strengthen intergroup relations at the grassroots "

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The California FAIR Education Act | UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project

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UCBHSSP's FAIR Education Act Lesson Plans Charley Parkhurst and the California Gold Rush (4th & 8th grade applications) Love, War, and Honor in Ancient Greece (6th grade) The Lavendar Scare and McCarthyism (11th grade)

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Guidelines for Discussing Difficult or Controversial Topics | CRLT

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The following guidelines can help instructors facilitate classroom discussion around controversial issues. Whatever the context, it is helpful to structure such discussions in a way that defines boundaries for the process and provides some degree of closure within the classroom.

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Download the PDF
A presidential candidate wins election after denigrating Muslims, Latinos, women and people with disabilities. A young white man opens fire and kills nine African Americans who welcomed him into Bible study at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, telling his victims, "I have to do it." A Muslim woman is seated on a bench in front of a coffee shop in Washington, D.C., when a woman begins screaming anti-Muslim epithets. A swastika and other anti-Semitic graffiti appear at an elementary school in Stapleton, Colorado. A lone gunman carrying an assault rifle and a handgun storms a well-known gay club in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others.

Bias is a human condition, and American history is rife with prejudice against groups and individuals because of their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or other characteristics. As a nation, we've made a lot of progress, but stereotyping and unequal treatment persist.

When bias motivates an unlawful act, it is considered a hate crime. Most hate crimes are inspired by race and religion, but hate today wears many faces. Bias incidents (eruptions of hate where no crime is committed) also tear communities apart and can escalate into actual crimes.

Since 2010, law enforcement agencies have reported an average of about 6,000 hate crime incidents per year to the FBI. But government studies show that the real number is far higher - an estimated 260,000 per year. Many hate crimes never get reported, in large part because the victims are reluctant to go to the police. In addition, many law enforcement agencies are not fully trained to recognize or investigate hate crimes, and many simply do not collect or report hate crime data to the FBI.

The good news is, all over the country people are fighting hate, standing up to promote tolerance and inclusion. More often than not, when hate flares up, good people rise up against it - often in greater numbers and with stronger voices.

This guide sets out 10 principles for fighting hate in your community.

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Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide

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Download the PDF A presidential candidate wins election after denigrating Muslims, Latinos, women and people with disabilities. A young white man opens fire and kills nine African Americans who welcomed him into Bible study at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, telling his victims, "I have to do it."

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Page not found – School Reform Initiative

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It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search?

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Some more stuff about us or quicklinks or other things

The Mission of the School Reform Initiative is to create transformational learning communities that are fiercely committed to educational equity and excellence.

Follow the links below to learn more about how we fulfill our mission.

Join SRI as an Affiliate

Becoming an affiliate is easy, free of charge, and a way to deepen your work with SRI tools and practices. Please join us.

Bring SRI to Your Work

Bring SRI's tools and practices to your school, district, or organization. Learn more about our services.

Support SRI

We rely on the generous support of people fiercely committed to educational equity and excellence. Your support is appreciated.

Whether you're new to our work or an experienced facilitator, SRI's workshops and other events help you launch and facilitate powerful professional learning communities.

Upcoming Events

04/01/2020 - 04/15/2020 - Facilitating Virtual Learning Communities Webinar

04/22/2020 - 04/24/2020 - Leading Reflective Learning Communities Institute

05/14/2020 - 05/15/2020 - Equity First Institute - Tier 2

06/21/2020 - 06/24/2020 - SRI's "Teaching & Leading for Student Equity" Educator Institute

See all upcoming events

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School Reform Initiative - A Community of Learners

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Some more stuff about us or quicklinks or other things Follow the links below to learn more about how we fulfill our mission. Becoming an affiliate is easy, free of charge, and a way to deepen your work with SRI tools and practices. Please join us.

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The National Equity Project is a nonprofit, social impact organization committed to increasing the capacity of people to achieve thriving, self-determining, educated and just communities.

Our mission is to transform the experiences, outcomes, and life options for children and families who have been historically underserved by our institutions and systems.

Our approach focuses on systemic change through leadership development. We support leaders across systems to build culture, conditions, and competencies for excellence and equity in school districts, organizations, foundations, and communities.

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Through consulting and coaching, National Equity Project supports leaders in transforming their systems into equitable, resilient, and liberating environments.

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Restorative Justice: Resources for Schools

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Explore resources and case studies that demonstrate how to bring restorative justice to your school or classroom.

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Tips and strategies for parent and family roundtable discussion with youth about mass shootings, violence, guns and gun laws.

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How to Talk to Your Kids About the Attacks in Paris

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parents, parenting, Paris, terror attacks, explaining, reassuring, fear.

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Trauma-Informed Lesson Plans and Resources

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Visit this collection of free trauma-informed resources and explore designed for students who have experienced recent tragedies.

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Deadly Shooting at a Pittsburgh Synagogue: Resources for Jewish Educators

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As we process the horrific event at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, it is essential that we provide our youth with a sense of security, comfort and empowerment in the face of anti-Semitism. Jewish youth may be experiencing a deepening sense of anxiety and insecurity as a result of this...