Search

On a recent rainy afternoon, our 20 kindergarteners were kept indoors for playtime. I stood near a group of four children stringing beads for bracelets and necklaces. Levi explained he was making a bracelet for his daddy. The child next to him, Catherine, blurted out angrily, “I hate daddies!” Levi searched for words, looked at Catherine and asked, “Why do you hate daddies?” He repeated it a few times. “I don’t have a daddy,” Catherine replied. “I hate daddies.”

In the course of the day, sometimes, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices and decisions to be made, I miss the big moments. Take a day last fall. We were coming from lunch when I noticed that Brendan was crying. “Malia, why is Brendan crying?” I asked. “Oh, he’s sad that his caterpillars got let go,” she said.

A high school student with Down Syndrome talks about his world -- and his life at school.

On Feb. 10, 2015, three Muslim university students of Arab descent were shot and killed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, leaving an educational community shocked and reeling. Criticisms quickly surfaced in the United States and internationally that many U.S. media organizations did not adequately cover this horrific crime or its aftermath. This toolkit offers a media literacy activity that educators can use to explore these topics with students.

What does a commitment to pluralism look like when working with children under five?

This toolkit provides a lesson plan that expands students’ knowledge and understanding of the religious diversity (or lack thereof) in their city, county or state. The lesson ends with an activity around the role of interfaith coalitions in increasing religious understanding.

Invariably, issues are raised in classrooms that bring charged responses from students. How can educators set the stage for safe, respectful dialogue and learning?

Tracking and ability grouping remain common practices in schools across the country despite research showing these practices contribute to segregated classes and opportunity gaps. In Walla Walla, Washington, a group of educators decided to try something different.