We are excited to announce the launch of the DC Area Educators for Social Justice network's second annual Anti-Bias Early Childhood Working Group, a collection of classroom educators, librarians, social-emotional specialists, non-profit directors, teachers trainers, and arts educators experienced and committed to anti-bias education.

Last May, Teaching for Change’s D.C. Area Educator’s for Social Justice, hosted a session for early childhood educators on teaching about disability. There was a variety of educators and specialists in attendance including therapists and teachers of inclusive and self-contained classrooms. Read more >>

As the buzzing energy of a new school year filled the gym at James K. Polk Elementary School, staff arrived for a full-day professional development on Central America. On August 27, 2019, staff engaged in descriptive and informative sessions that detailed the history of Central America to provide background context about many of the students and families they serve, as well as interactive workshops with hands-on activities and strategies to teach Central America through art and children’s literature.

For attendees at the 2019 Indigenous People’s Curriculum Day and Teach-in, it was a day centered in learning and development to be able to better teach students about Indigenous People’s history and life today.  Read more >>

On the morning of Saturday, June 1, members of the Anti-Bias Early Childhood Education Working Group met at the offices of Teaching for Change for the final session of the year. The working group met monthly throughout the school year to provide feedback on children’s literature, support teacher growth and development, and collectively create new curricular resources.To culminate the year together, they gathered for a final workshop focused on Teaching About Family Structures and Fairness. Read more >>

Beth Barkley, a finalist for the 2020 D.C. Teacher of the Year, encourages students to tackle social justice issues in their community and beyond through creative coursework and hands-on learning. Barkley teaches English at Cardozo Education Campus and spearheaded two elective courses, Global Perspectives and Human Rights and Social Action. Read more >>

On Saturday, April 27, 2019, the Antiracist Research and Policy Center held the First Annual National Antiracist Book Festival at American University in Washington, D.C. Among the hundreds of attendees were Teaching for Change staff and a board member. In addition to being mesmerized by the panel presentations throughout the day, we had the honor of offering a teacher workshop in the afternoon. Read more >> 

Middle school students at Capital City Public Charter School and educators Lapeta Solomon and Mrs. Amanda Yeager have formed the school's first Gender Neutral Alliance. Lapeta Solomon is the 8th Grade Inclusion Humanities teacher at Capital City Public Charter School and a 2018 Education First, SEL Innovation Award winner for her work in founding the MS Gender Neutral Alliance and Gender Sensitivity Training for teachers and staff. Read more >>

Can you name a historical figure from Central America? This was one of the opening questions Teaching for Change Executive Director Deborah Menkart asked a class of graduate students in Dr. Elizabeth Langran’s Cross-cultural/International Curricula class at Marymount University. Read more >>

We all know what “The End” means when reading a children’s book. The story has concluded. The last sentence of a book can also indicate to a reader that there is closure. But what are the consequences of that closure when it comes to books about ongoing social movements? Isn’t there always more to the story? Or is the struggle for justice over? Read more >>

The 5th Annual Food Justice Youth Summit, a collaboration between Capital City Public Charter School and the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability & Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), was an all-day (April 12), interactive event where DC youth lead workshops focusing on various issues related to food justice. Read more >>

Close to 80 teachers convened at Howard University on April 13, 2019, to participate in a Reconstruction Teach-In as part of the Teach Reconstruction campaign. Read more >>

During Native American Heritage Month, more than 25 teachers and librarians from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia spent the morning of Saturday, November 10 reading and critiquing children’s literature about Native Americans. The event was hosted by Project Unlearn and Teaching for Change's D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice at Eaton Hotel. Read more >>

Every seat was full for the Indigenous People's Curriculum Day and Teach-In on September 8, 2018 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). Read more >>

On our one year anniversary, we share highlights from our accomplishments. Read more >>

On Saturday, June 2nd at the beautiful Halcyon Arts Lab fifteen early childhood educators gathered to discuss gender, bias, and stereotypes in children’s literature. The session began with a community building activity through storytelling. Read more >>

On Saturday, May 19th at the beautiful Halcyon Arts Lab, forty D.C. area educators met to discuss how to address issues of race, representation, and history in developmentally appropriate ways. Read more >>

Twenty educators from D.C. area schools gathered at the Anacostia Community Museum on April 27th for a curator tour and workshop on their new exhibit A Right to the City. Following the tour, led by Samir Meghelli, Teaching for Change staff Faye Colon and Deborah Menkart led educators through several activities they could use with their students in preparation for a visit to the museum. Read more >>

More than 70 Alexandria City Public School (ACPS) administrators gathered at the Lee Community & Senior Center on April 24 for a workshop on culturally relevant curriculum facilitated by Teaching for Change staff Faye Colon and Deborah Menkart. Read more >>

On April 24, close to 100 D.C. area educators filled the Blackburn Center at Howard University for a teach-in on the hidden history and relevance today of Reconstruction. The event was hosted by the Howard University School of Education, Teaching for Change’s D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice, and the Zinn Education Project as part of the Zinn Education Project campaign to teach Reconstruction. Read more >>