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December 10, 1998, marked the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Classrooms around the country participated in a yearlong commemoration by exploring human rights issues across the curriculum.

Junior high school students and members of their school's student civil rights team felt that no one was taking them seriously in their efforts to improve the school's climate. Recently they'd visited classrooms and offered presentations on Maine's civil rights laws and the harmful impact of bias-based derogatory language. They did not get a warm reception from their peers.

This year's civil rights anniversaries can be a call to action.

Did America’s most divisive war start over slavery or states’ rights? Too many educators get it wrong.

Scripted curricula can limit teachers and hurt morale. But living social justice ideals in the classroom still imparts valuable lessons to students.