"Why Didn't Anyone Teach Me This?" 

Reform to Equal Rights: K-12 Disability History Curriculum is now open!

Update: Session slides and materials now available

How to empower students by participating in IEP and 504 team meetings

By Laurel Peltier, Collaborative for Educational Services

Emerging America has benefitted at key moments from Laurel's deep experience as a teacher and leader in support of students with disabilities. We are pleased to add her insights on ways that History and Civics teachers can support IEP and 504 teams to the Accessing Inquiry clearinghouse of resources.

There are two new opportunities for teachers to learn more about culturally relevant pedagogy, in addition to the excellent videos and other teaching materials linked on the Engagement Strategies page of the Accessing Inquiry section of our website at EmergingAmerica.org. 

 “As of last year, I started working with ELL students and have become far more cognizant of vocabulary.  I’ve always taken for granted that students know certain vocabulary words, but now I find myself going over many words and to my surprise, it’s not just ELL kids who benefit from it!”

-Kevin, Spring 2019 Online Accessing Inquiry course participant

How can we teach students the most vital skills to function as citizens? Since the early 19th century, preparation for civic life has been the central reason for public schools. As part of a multi-year effort to reinvigorate the civic mission of schools, in 2016 the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) added “readiness for civic life” to its core definition of what it means to be educated in the state. http://www.doe.mass.edu/ccr/