Examine the re-segregation of public schools in a thought-provoking resource. Young scholars read articles and primary sources, complete worksheets, and watch a video to explore the idea that desegregation made schools more segregated....

Letter-writing, e-mail and telephone campaigns, petitions, marches, meetings, with lawmakers. Options for influencing elected representatives are the focus of resource that details how to craft each of these approaches to influencing...

Fifth graders debate the issue of school uniforms. They research, finding supporting evidence supporting their stance. Using the Lincoln-Douglas form of debate, 5th graders discuss the positive and negative issues of the topic. They...

Need topics that are sure to engage your debaters? This list of public policy questions includes such topics as school mascots, regulation of major league baseball, physician-assisted suicide, and violence in video games. A great...

Is interacting with people from different backgrounds part of a well-rounded education? A big question awaits young readers as they explore two New York Times articles that discuss modern-day segregation, population statistics, and...

Although the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education declared segregated schools unconstitutional, huge inequalities still exist in U.S. public schools. Learners analyze and discuss data presented in two...

The right to public education was not always so clear in American history. Readers study several primary and secondary source documents, including property deeds, maps, and photographs, about the founding of local schools during the...

Despite how it sounds, Boston's busing crisis wasn't a transportation problem. Academics address the problems faced by African Americans following school desegregation and the struggle to receive equal educational opportunities. Scholars...

Your pupils may not know that school was not always required. Teach them a bit about the history of public education with a reading passage and related questions.

Students examine the French draft law to ban religious symbols from public schools. They research "secularist" and "pluralist" positions regarding this ban, debate the topic in class, and draft a position paper on the ban.

Your class can read about the changes Obama considered making to Bush's No Child Left Behind Act. After reading the article, pupils answer 13 questions that ask, who, what, when, where, and why.

As if surviving a journey to America wasn't enough of a feat for early 20th century immigrants, they then needed to settle into American life. Learn about the ways New York public education attempted to meet the needs of its students,...

Students examine how school segregation is affected by funding gaps. In this equity lesson,students read the article, "Crossing the Gap." Students analyze funding gaps between schools. Students understand that every students is...

Explore the influence social activism can have on important issues, and create a class full of young citizen activists. This plan calls for learners to participate in a whole class discussion and brainstorm about ways to effectively...

Is separate but equal actually equal? The 1950 Supreme Court case Sweatt v. Painter discusses the law of segregation and inequality. Scholars investigate the impact of the case on the desegregation of public schools across the nation...

It's so interesting to see kids respond to articles about education. To start the day, prompt learners to discuss the words colorblindness and diversity. Then, split your class in two and have one side read an article from 2007 and...

Students research the history of a school system. In this school system instructional activity, students list the grade levels and subjects taught in their school and interview their teachers and administrators. Students collect past...

Students examine drug and alcohol abuse by American teens. In this health journalism lesson, students read the USA Today article titled "Boomers Assess High School", respond to discussion questions regarding the article, and...

Students discuss the problem of wrestling on the playground that has resulted in injuries to classmates. They research the problem using print and Internet resources. They listen to a presentation by the high school wrestling coach. They...

Students examine the funding gap in school systems. In this diversity education lesson, students read an article regarding the inequitable school funding. Students research information pertaining to school funding in their state.

Students research Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), interview school officials to see how FERPA is interpreted in local schools, speak with community journalists to find out if they have ever had a hard time getting...

Upper graders investigate how the Seventh Day Adventists are objectors to the practice of war. The lesson covers the Civil War and examines the church's position about the practice of war. The research extends to modern wars and learners...

Alternative facts? After watching the We The Voters film, "MediOcracy," viewers compare how cable news outlets CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC report the same story about politics or public policy. After a whole-class discussion of their...

Students explore education requirements for different professions, and define the skills and knowledge that adults use in their everyday lives. They define and describe what students, teachers and parents expect from formal schooling.