Current Issues

Students watch videos with Martin Luther King III and Rev. William Barber, co-founder of today’s Poor People’s Campaign, and discuss the continuing fight for economic and racial justice.

Here's a collection of online lessons and resources to help you talk with students about the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Ideas and resources for you to consider as you prepare for conversations with elementary students about the January 6 insurrection and the issues surrounding it. 

Students learn about the history of policing in African American communities and connect it to the controversy over how police treated insurrectionists at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The election of Raphael Warnock to be Georgia's first Black senator was the result of decades of organizing by voting rights activists. Students discuss that history and the news.

Students reflect on the state of democracy in the U.S. in light of the insurrection at the Capitol, and discuss news stories about events during the first week of 2021. 

Why are some people skeptical about getting a Covid vaccine, even though evidence shows that the approved vaccines are safe and effective? And who should be vaccinated first? Students read about and discuss the vaccination news. 

Students practice their critical thinking skills by analyzing an image and then articles about conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine myths.

Students read about and discuss three key policy debates as a new administration prepares to take office.

Students (grades 6-12) reflect on and write about Kamala Harris and the continuing "fight to be heard," and hear the voices of young people about the barriers she has broken and what it means to them. Also see our elementary lesson.