“Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ) is an organization of teachers, administrators, pre-service teachers, and other educators working in public, independent, alternative, and charter schools and universities in the Chicago area. We believe that all children should have an academically rigorous education that is both caring and critical, an education that helps students pose critical questions about society and ‘talk back’ to the world.”
After being unsure about how to answer questions about the death of Derrion Albert, teachers and educational stakeholders from Chicago developed this guide to combat root causes of youth violence and support students in dealing with its aftermath. The curriculum is dedicated to all youth who have succumbed to violence, and the organization hopes the curriculum will inspire a local solution to the systematic oppression that contributes to youth violence.
- Understanding Oppression Unit (short and long version lessons)
- Root Causes
N/A
- Worksheets
- Survey Results
- Tips for Facilitation
Presence Evaluation: Full Presence
Evaluation Notes: This curriculum facilitates reflection on how social inequity impacts one’s life.
Presence Evaluation: Full Presence
Evaluation Notes: Unit 5 focuses on how youth can organize, conduct research, and develop solutions to problems of violence in their own communities.
Presence Evaluation: Full Presence
Evaluation Notes: This curriculum is comprehensive and includes community perspectives, personal perspectives, and calls to action. Students are asked to identify strengths of their communities and how these can be utilized when taking social action.
Presence Evaluation: Some Presence
Evaluation Notes: Students are urged to think of violence in larger contexts and challenged to look closely at roots of power.
Presence Evaluation: Full Presence
Evaluation Notes: The lessons support students with key terms and phrases while providing real-life examples.
Presence Evaluation: Full Presence
Evaluation Notes: Students are encouraged to self reflect on their personal connections with oppression.
Presence Evaluation: Not Present
Evaluation Notes: To date, there has been no empirical study of this curriculum to evaluate its effectiveness.
Presence Evaluation: Full Presence
Evaluation Notes: There is a direct emphasis on inclusion and equity
Presence Evaluation: N/A
Evaluation Notes: We are unable to evaluate this domain since it is best measured through observation.
Presence Evaluation: Some Presence
Evaluation Notes: There is an emphasis on self-reflection on students social identities such as race and gender as a lens for understanding oppression.