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Understanding how school discipline policies can contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline is essential for educators and families. Harsh punishments, automatic out-of-class time and police involvement for discipline can push young people out of classrooms and into the criminal legal system. But educators, parents and caregivers can help to change this harmful system by advocating for and implementing practices that prioritize mental health and well-being. 

If young people are to make the vision of a just and peaceful world a reality, we must give them the tools to build a strong multiracial democracy—and those tools include an accurate, comprehensive and inclusive history of the United States. We are thrilled to introduce Teaching the Civil Rights Movement, our newest curriculum, which begins in 1877 with Reconstruction and continues the narrative of the movement for equality and civil rights to the present. At this critical moment in which states and districts are attempting to censor discussions of race and racism in U.S.

From an early age, each of us must navigate numerous social institutions, many of which were designed to perpetuate centuries-old inequities. For us to move in those spaces with power and agency, civic knowledge, skills and dispositions are essential. But alarming trends reveal a sharp decline in civics competency among adults in the United States, and participation in places that bring people together to solve common problems has withered, too. Civics education needs a critical social justice lens so people can fulfill the potential of a multiracial and inclusive democracy.

In an increasingly polarized climate where disinformation is rampant, people need the skills to engage responsibly with digital media. But how can we help young people to withstand this torrent of manipulative disinformation? Start with supporting their mental health and well-being. To teach media literacy, we must also do due diligence to understand the emerging media landscape and recognize the mental health challenges it presents. These Learning for Justice resources provide concrete guidance for supporting and engaging young people as they navigate the current media environment.

The tools for inquiry and dialogue are crucial if we are to build a just and thriving society. As professor of education Gregory M. Anderson points out: “Democracy cannot be sustained, let alone flourish, in the 21st century without open and robust spaces for rational discussion and analysis about our different experiences and viewpoints. This is an essential reason why inclusive education is crucial to our basic self-interests and our collective success.

Most parents and caregivers support inclusive education based on credible, research-based pedagogy that values the well-being of all students.