Teaching and Advocacy About Human Rights

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) offers the following resources to educators and the general public to foster a national conversation on teaching about human rights.

Social Education Special Section on Human Rights (May/June 2015)

Background and Introduction: Lesson Plans on Children's Rights
William R. Fernekes and Noel Baxter

Studying the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child will engage students developing questions and planning inquiries about the situation of children worldwide.

What are Human Rights and How Can We Ensure Them?
Daniel Valentine

This high school lesson plan introduces two essential UN human rights documents and challenges students to reflect on the causes of child exploitation and ways to reduce violations of children's rights.

Child Labor and Consumerism
Sacha Batra

In this lesson, middle school students consider the links between consumer decisions and child labor.

Becoming Ethical Consumers and Making Wise Economic Choices
Tracy Schottanes

Elementary students learn to distinguish between a need and a want and contemplate how their decisions as consumers affect other children.

NCSS Position Statement

Human Rights Education: A Necessity for Effective Social and Civic Learning

NCSS House of Delegates Resolutions

International Humanitarian Crisis at the U.S. Border (2014)

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals; NCSS Support for Dreamers & Children of Undocumented Immigrants (2017)

NCSS to Encourage and Support School-Wide and District-Wide Programs That Promote and Model Respect for the Dignity and Humanity of Every Person (2017)