Current Events and Social Issues Blogs for Teachers

The Current Events and Social Issues Blog for teachers, updated weekly throughout the school year, helps them connect current events to their students and classrooms. We know that teaching the news can be time-consuming; by the time you find important issues and identify how to teach them, they are old news. That’s where our blog comes in: unpacking issues in the headlines by providing relevant context, links to classroom-ready news items, and suggested prompts for thoughtful discussion.

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News

Biden drops out. Finally, someone listened to us. | Opinion

July 23, 2024

Sriya Tallapragada was at the “America in One Room” conference-a gathering of 500 first-time voters from across America in DC to discuss policy issues-when someone shouted, “Biden just dropped out!” READ FULL ARTICLE>

News

Young Voters Will Be Surveyed About 2024 in Innovative Polling Model

July 21, 2024

This weekend’s America in One Room: The Youth Vote kicks off with a feature in Axios. About 500 young voters are flying into D.C. this weekend to take part in a unique election poll — spanning three days, with group discussions and information sessions. “How it works: Unlike normal polls that produce rapid responses, Stanford […]

News

NBC’s interview with America in One Room attendee Tyler Kunkowski

July 21, 2024

America in One Room students processed today’s election news in real time, capturing first-time voters’ reactions to President Biden’s withdrawal from his campaign, including NBC’s interview with @americain1room attendee Tyler Kunkowski. READ FULL ARTICLE>

News

Arizona Cardinals, students arrive in Washington, D.C., ready to learn

June 14, 2024

Close Up President Mia Charity gives @arizonasfamily a glimpse into this civics-centered program for 200+ Arizona students in the nation’s capital, in partnership with the office of Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Cardinals. VIEW VIDEO>

Foreign Policy

The International Criminal Court Seeks Arrest Warrants for Leaders of Israel and Hamas

May 28, 2024

Karim Khan, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced on May 20 that he has applied for arrest warrants for leaders of Hamas and Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity over the October 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. A panel of judges will now consider Khan’s application […]

Constitutional Issues

Gun Violence & Public Health

May 21, 2024

In September 2023, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) declared gun violence in Albuquerque and the surrounding Bernalillo County a public health emergency, mirroring similar declarations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The declaration was accompanied by the immediate imposition of a 30-day ban on carrying firearms in public areas and state-owned property in the region. […]

The 13th Amendment, Crime Legislation, and America’s High Incarceration Rate

May 08, 2024

Today, 25 percent of the world’s documented prison population is incarcerated in the United States. Despite America being the land of the free, there are more recorded prisoners here than in any other country: 2,068,800. So, how did the United States get here? Over the last 40 years, numerous factors have contributed to the dramatic […]

Energy & Environment

Government Initiatives in Protecting Native Habitat

April 23, 2024

Conservation efforts to promote native habitat hardly ever make national headlines, but they have been a consistent part of both federal and state government initiatives for decades. However, if you live in states such as Missouri, Kansas, and Virginia, you may have seen your state government take up environmental legislation this past week against the […]

News

2024 ESOL Close Up – Lee County Youth Policy Summit Expo

April 10, 2024

One hundred sixty ESOL high school students from Lee County Public Schools recently presented their Florida Legislative Proposals, in the very first Lee County Youth Policy Summit Expo. VIEW VIDEO>

News

Close Up – Broward Youth Policy Summit

April 05, 2024

More than 300 BCPS high school English Language Learners presented their legislative policy proposals and recommendations for improving their communities during the Close Up – Broward Youth Policy Summit. VIEW VIDEO>