Fostering Civil Discourse: How Do We Talk About Issues That Matter?
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The ideas and tools in this guide will help you prepare students to engage in reflective conversations on topics that matter.
David M. Kennedy: "Twoness”
In this film clip from American Creed, historian David Kennedy discusses the complexity of American identity.
Big Paper Example
In a Big Paper activity, students respond silently to a text excerpt or image by writing their comments on a shared paper.
Taking Down the Confederate Flag
Learn about the recent debate over the Confederate flag in South Carolina following the murders at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston in 2015.
Political Polarization in the United States
This Explainer defines the term political polarization and provides information on how it impacts US politics and society.
Free and Fair Elections
This Explainer describes the standards that governments need to meet before, during, and after an election to ensure that the election is "free and fair."
White Nationalism
This Explainer is intended to describe key characteristics of the white nationalist ideology and clarify some of the terms surrounding it. It is important to note that many of the beliefs described here are based on false and dangerous assumptions.
How the Parkland Students Pulled off a Massive National Protest in Only 5 Weeks
Learn about the movement to end gun violence launched by Parkland students after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
"More in Common Than We Thought" – Chicago, Parkland Youth Stand in Solidarity
Read about the meeting of student activists committed to ending gun violence from Parkland and Chicago.
Glenn Ligon, Untitled - Four Etchings [A]
In this white on black etching, Glenn Ligon repeats "I do not always feel colored," a phrase from Zora Neale Hurston's essay "How It Feels to Be Colored Me."
Why MLK Encouraged 225,000 Chicago Kids to Cut Class in 1963
Learn about the 1963 Chicago Public School Boycott, when students demanded better schools for black neighborhoods and equal opportunity for all.