Category: News and Updates

National Council for the Social Studies invites you to submit a proposal to present at the 104th NCSS Annual Conference to be held November 22-24, 2024 in Boston, MA

The NCSS Annual Conference is the largest gathering of K-12 social studies classroom teachers, college and university faculty members, curriculum designers and specialists, district and state social studies supervisors, international educators, and social studies discipline leaders.

Please review the information below before submitting your proposal.

Proposal deadline: February 29, 2024.

>> Learn more

To achieve the vision of a just society, young people need the tools to build a multiracial and inclusive democracy. Learning honest history—history that is accurate, comprehensive and inclusive of perspectives beyond traditional, dominant narratives—helps students to understand the forces that shape our world and to make connections between the past and the present. In today’s political environment, with numerous states censoring teaching accurate history and critical learning about race and racism as well as gender and identity, fighting for young people’s rights to research-based practices and inclusive education is essential. 

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Let’s Talk
Using the Let’s Talk! guide, this interactive, virtual professional development will provide participants the opportunity to learn strategies for creating supportive learning environments that encourage risk-taking.

• Thursday, January 18, 2024 | 5:00 – 6:30pm CST

Speak Up at School
Become familiar with strategies that educators and students can use to interrupt bias and injustice instead of letting them go unaddressed.

• Wednesday, January 17, 2024 | 5:00 – 6:30pm CST

>> Learn more and register

On Saturday, January 20, 2024, D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice will host a virtual curriculum fair featuring keynote speaker Enid Lee and workshops set to uplift the national demands based in the Black Lives Matter guiding principles that focus on improving the school experience for Black students.

Educators around the country are invited to virtually connect, collaborate, and prepare for the 2024 National Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action (February 5–9, 2024) and Year of Purpose.

Stay tuned for more updates! Read about the 2022 and 2023 curriculum fairs.

Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 11:30am–2:30pm (ET), virtual

>> Register

Are you looking for effective ways to reduce exclusionary discipline and lost learning time — and their disproportionate impact on marginalized students?

Please join us for a free virtual convening for district leaders on restorative and equitable discipline, and ways to create safe, welcoming, and inclusive school communities:

January 30, 2024

3:15 – 4:45 pm ET

Space is filling up so please register today by filling out the registration form presented after you click on the date and time in this link.

Engaging Schools staff will facilitate the convening, joined by two of our district partners who will share their experiences implementing a systemic approach to restorative and equitable discipline called Codes of Character, Conduct, and Support:

• Dr. Effie McMillian, Chief Equity Officer, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (NC)
• Joseph (Joe) Curtis, Superintendent, Pittsfield Public Schools (MA)

We’ll discuss systems and policies needed for transformative change. We’ll also drill down to explore the classroom practices that promote student engagement and prevent off-track behaviors, and schoolwide interventions that help students learn key SEL skills, repair harm, and reenter the classroom ready to learn.

Please join us to learn more about District Codes of Character, Conduct, and Support and the difference this approach is making in two districts. Register today by clicking on the date and time in this link and filling out the registration form that follows!

What are you teaching to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day? If you’re looking for free, high-quality, adaptable, standards-aligned resources carefully crafted by teachers, we’ve got you covered.

Check out the Center for Civic Education’s new civics inquiry lesson, “Has Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream Been Fulfilled?” The lesson is perfect for upper elementary to middle school students and can be adapted for high school learners. This multimedia lesson, aligned to Center programs and national standards, is sure to immerse teachers and students in this important question.

Looking for more resources to teach Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement? We invite you to explore these options for grades 7–12: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Six Principles of Nonviolence (podcast series) Martin Luther King Jr. and the Power of Words (lesson plans)

Visit this page to get up to date on the latest HRE USA news.

Thursday, January 11th, 4pm CT
Register Here

What are climate stories? How can they be useful tools for teaching about climate change? What else can we learn through personal climate storytelling? Explore these questions and more in a two hour interactive workshop, “Engaging Youth Through Climate Storytelling.” The workshop will begin with an introduction to climate storytelling: what it is and why it matters, before grounding it within the classroom experience. Participants will then transition into a reflective writing exercise meant to get them started thinking about their climate story. The workshop will end with an invitation for participants to share their own experiences talking about climate change, and walk away with some practical resources and next steps for bringing climate storytelling to their students.