It’s time to reject historical uniformity and historical integration. Black history has its own historical entry points, historical timelines, and historical perspectives.  

Educators can get an inside look at how some classrooms have shifted to inquiry-based social studies with four documentary films featured in the The Making Inquiry Possible project. 

Studying the nineteenth-century educator and civil rights leader Octavius Catto can help students move beyond the simplistic U.S. narrative of racial progress to a more complex understanding of race and resistance in America.   

What do an exploding car, Taylor Swift’s assailant, and a “killer building material” all have in common? In these examples, wrongdoers were brought to justice with tort law and trial by jury! The American Museum of Tort Law, founded by noted consumer advocate Ralph Nader, has announced its 2018 Tort Law and Democracy Essay Contest. A prestigious panel of experts—many of them law professors—will judge the entries. Contest details, rules, and registration can be found at tortmuseum.org/contest. Who is eligible: All high school students, grades 9 through 12 in the United States, Puerto Rico,…

Watch a 26-minute conversation sponsored by the Albert Shanker Institute and the American Federation of Teachers at http://www.shankerinstitute.org/event/teaching-democratic-citizenship. Two of our nation’s leading public intellectuals, Harvard Professor Danielle Allen and Yale Professor Timothy Snyder, joined American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten in January 2018 to discuss vital questions on the topic of "Teaching Democratic Citizenship When Democracy is at Risk"is the topic. In a letter to James Madison, Thomas Jefferson wrote: "Educate and inform the whole mass…

These key prompts can help social studies teachers and students gauge a compelling question’s rigor, relevance, and functionality.

The featured primary documents related to white violence against African Americans in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921, and Red Cross relief efforts, can springboard into an important classroom discussion about who gets to tell history.

Teaching controversial issues is both pressing and difficult in today’s world. Many teachers fear that these issues will spark classroom conflict, backlash, or harm to students. This two-part webinar is for novice and experienced teachers, teacher educators, and school leaders who want to develop the practice of teaching controversial issues. Dr. Judy Pace of the University of San Francisco, Dr. Eric Soto-Shed of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Dr. Elizabeth Washington of the University of Florida will lead these interactive sessions and facilitate discussion among participants…

A “Dinner with Democracy” event encourages civil discourse, promotes deliberation, and exposes students to different perspectives. 

Studying local history stimulates student interest and can provide an entrée into studying larger national narratives.