Early purposes of education in the United States concentrated on preparing young citizens to understand democratic principles in order to participate in their democratic communities. Today elementary instruction has contracted in response to years of high stakes accountability measures. Social studies has not been a focus of federal accountability…

With a change in access to information and a rising social and political consciousness for young people, elementary schools must start to think more about their role in shaping kids' understanding of social issues. While researchers certainly have not agreed upon a single definition of social justice education, Bell (2016) defines its aim as…

In a 2018 study conducted by Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), school mental health experts screened close to 3,000 LAUSD students and determined "almost half (48%) of the students were found to be at-risk for traumatic stress, which manifests in behaviors [such as emotional outbursts, arguments and defiance] that impede…

Black experiences and discourse concerning citizenship are unique. Moreover, Black access to full citizenship is often a matter of life and death. The civic purposes driving this pursuit are often negated in conventional curriculum and pedagogy, especially in early childhood settings. Still, it is essential for educators and policymakers to…

In this article, you will read about three early childhood justice-oriented teachers and the ways in which they develop pedagogy and curriculum that is deeply invested in the histories of their students as well as inclusive of their voices and lived experiences. The goal of this article is to contribute to a growing body of scholarship on social…

This paper draws on qualitative research that examines the biliteracy practices of Black Language (BL) speakers in an elementary, two-way immersion (TWI), dual-language bilingual program, using Raciolinguistics as a theoretical lens. Specific questions that guided the study addressed the features of communicative contexts where BL was utilized and…

Drawing upon the methodological approach of thinking with theory and the theory of "the wake," this article details the process of teaching and learning about race and racism with first graders and their responses to the picturebook, "Let the Children March." The theoretical concept of "the weather" and the…

Previous work has provided evidence that both merit and social relationships guide resource distribution in children. However, no prior studies have addressed the question of how children as third-party distributors balance the 2 factors when they are in conflict with one another. Two studies tested 7-year-old Chinese children's allocation of 3…

Since the 2016 presidential election, American society and education has been assaulted with a barrage of overt racial bigotry. Consequently, educators across the U.S. have reported an alarming increase of racialized incidents and harassment in schools, referred to as the 'Trump Effect' (Costello, 2016). As a result, educators can no longer…

This article unfurls in the aftermath of an event where three first grade children at a reputable progressive elementary school were found playing slavery during school recess. As word caught on, parents ignited into a frenzy: some railed against the teacher, others demanded an answer, while still others believed this was precisely the meaning of…

Located across 30 different states, there are more than 1,700 symbols of the Confederacy including 772 monuments and statues on public property, and 100 schools named after prominent Confederates. Questions about the appropriateness of keeping these tributes to the Confederacy in places of honor have become flashpoints for public controversy in…

This article presents seven social justice-oriented model activities for 1st and 2nd grade Korean-English bilingual students. Considering the age and language ability of the target students, two picture books addressing social justice issues were selected as a main instructional material for those activities. Through the suggested model…

This guided inquiry launched a year-long study centered on social justice issues and people who have championed change in our communities and nation. The article, offers resources and activities that highlight Patsy Mink's congressional achievements and experiences, and push young students to think about the institution of Congress with a gendered…

This article is an analysis of picture books and chapter books involving lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender characters. Over 30 picture and chapter books were reviewed, each of which would be appropriate for use in elementary classrooms. For grades K-2, several picture books highlight different types of families, including families that…

As new standards require that teachers and schools move to incorporate argument writing beginning in the earliest grades, young children's interactions with opportunities to formulate claims require further investigation. This article, part of a yearlong ethnographic study of a first-grade class, examines young children's practices of argument…