Can you name a historical figure from Central America? This was one of the opening questions Teaching for Change Executive Director Deborah Menkart asked a class of graduate students in Dr. Elizabeth Langran’s Cross-cultural/International Curricula class at Marymount University. Read more >>

Jerome Foster II opened the Third Annual D.C. Area Climate Justice Summit with a moving speech that encouraged his peers to take a stand and speak up about the importance of climate justice. The summit, organized and run by Youth Climate Summit USA, is completely youth led. This year’s D.C. area event took place on April 24th at the Silver Spring Civic Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. Read more >>

Dr. Ivory Toldson, author of No BS (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear about Black People, shared this profound statement at the talk hosted by D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice and  Eaton DC. on Wednesday, April 24.  Read more >>

We all know what “The End” means when reading a children’s book. The story has concluded. The last sentence of a book can also indicate to a reader that there is closure. But what are the consequences of that closure when it comes to books about ongoing social movements? Isn’t there always more to the story? Or is the struggle for justice over? Read more >>

The 5th Annual Food Justice Youth Summit, a collaboration between Capital City Public Charter School and the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability & Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), was an all-day (April 12), interactive event where DC youth lead workshops focusing on various issues related to food justice. Read more >>

Picture high school students filing into a school boundary town hall meeting for their local school district. They sit down amongst parents, community members, administrators, and teachers, waiting patiently for the opportunity for public comment. As the meeting breaks into small group discussion, students disperse and share their concerns about the racism and segregation they witness in their own community. They not only draw from their powerful and moving personal experiences, but tie in literature, examples from history, and data. Read more >>

Close to 80 teachers convened at Howard University on April 13, 2019, to participate in a Reconstruction Teach-In as part of the Teach Reconstruction campaign. Read more >>

The National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Early Childhood Education Initiative hosted a Family Day on Saturday, April 13th inspired by the the museum’s first children’s book, A is for All the Things You Are: A Joyful ABC Book, written by Anna Forgerson Hindley and illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo. Each child in attendance received their very own copy of the book to take home! Read more >>

By Ashley Chu.

One of the earliest stories children hear is the familiar tale of Cinderella. While there are hundreds of Cinderella narratives from dozens of cultures, the most common one in American households is the version that traces its origins to French author Charles Perrault’s 1967 Histoires ou contes du temps passé, Cendrillonin… Read more >>

Revisiting the incident, I learned never to doubt the abilities of my students to communicate meaningful information. Jack is sometimes inattentive in class, playful, and has some speech challenges, so I developed a misconception about him.

On February 6, students at Francis L. Cardozo Education Campus (DCPS) hosted lunchtime events for Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.

On March 20th, 2019 the District of Columbia State Board of Education ceremonial resolution was officially passed, recognizing the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, CR19-6. The resolution proposed by Ward 8 member and Vice President of the State Board of Education, Markus Batchelor, received unanimous consent for the resolution.

Over the course of two weeks, an early childhood teacher explores each of the 13 Black Lives Matter Movement guiding principles with her students through discussion and read alouds.

In my 5th grade ELA class at Munda Verde Bilingual PCS, each day during the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, a family member from our class came in and described what Black Lives Matter means to them. With gallery walks and dialogues, students became experts on the 13 guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

I knew exactly where to find it. It has been in the same place for years, top shelf sitting with the other influential books of my life. I reached for it, remembering that the cover is no longer attached to the well loved book. I blew the dust off and began to reminisce about the life changing moment when I first sat down with it.

Mark McCants, the math resource teacher at Stoddert Elementary School (DCPS), shared this description of the school’s activities.

As a part of the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, students in Beth Barkley’s Human Rights and Social Action classes at Cardozo Education Campus (DCPS) created a tribute to the young Black men who have lost their lives to police brutality.

Third grade art students read Milo’s Museum as they prepare to be “curators” of their own shadow box projects.

While we try to make decisions that elevate our students of color all year long, the focus on Black Lives Matter Week of Action at School presents a unique opportunity to concentrate our efforts in order to create the best “soil” to help our students grow.

Fifth grade students interview immigrants from Latin America about their experiences and present their stories.