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…

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 case centers on a Black woman school administrator and efforts to disrupt Whiteness among an urban elementary school teaching staff. The case details the resistance she encounters while encouraging teachers to confront "White fragility" and consider how their fragile perspectives on race and racism shape how they educate Black…

Social justice might be considered too complex a topic to address with 6- and 7-year-olds, particularly through mathematics. How would first-graders understand social justice? The author believes that by focusing on inequality in relation to power and access to resources, freedom, and diversity, children could understand social justice issues. The…

Using a framework grounded in critical literacy, the author describes her 1st-grade students' responses to works of literature that portray the impact of war. When given opportunities to read works of literature that address social justice issues, such as the consequences of war, her primary-age students' written, drawn, and spoken responses were…

In this article, the author shares how she created a "peaceable classroom" through activities which she incorporated into a 1st-grade curriculum and which fulfilled academic requirements. As a 1st-grade teacher at Redlands Adventist Academy in Redlands, CA, she wanted to create a learning environment that would foster values like…