Hello and welcome back! Believe it or not, it’s somehow 2025. The December holidays already feel like they were ages ago, but I hope you still feel re-energized by the break from your busy schedules and many responsibilities. Returning to the academic environment after being away for a little while can be a jarring reality check—but it’s also a chance to reconnect with those we serve and recommit ourselves to the demanding and rewarding work of guiding students, educators, and larger communities towards a brighter future. I know that in polarized times like these, each new calendar year brings fresh challenges and questions. But it also brings new opportunities to reflect on who we are, where we’ve been, and where we go next.
We are living in a moment of rising incidents of hate, of unchecked divisiveness, of alarming headlines. But by centering compassion and leading with intention, we can uplift and find common ground through our shared humanity—no matter the situation—and forge connections across differences.
Here at Facing History & Ourselves, each new year is filled with excitement, fresh eyes, and new perspectives. Regardless of the outside noise, we’re committed to supporting educators and students in all 50 states with rigorous curriculum, professional development, and resources to be their best selves: engaged citizens who stand up to hate of all kinds and know the role they play in building and upholding a healthy democratic society.
With that ultimate goal in mind, I’d love to take this opportunity to share with you just a small selection of what Facing History & Ourselves will be up to in the coming months. From conference presentations and educator learning sessions to collaborations with partner organizations and continued strengthening and showcasing of our tentpole curriculum, we look forward to spending more time building relationships and making an impact with educational leaders, teachers, and students across the country.
Connect With Us in Person
- From February 2-4, members of the Facing History & Ourselves team will attend, present, and exhibit at the Prizmah Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. The presentation—entitled "Media Literacy and Jewish Perspectives on Truth: Confronting Misinformation, Disinformation, and Mal-information"—will discuss how the next generation can build civic agency, curiosity, and critical thinking skills to navigate the increasingly digital world with confidence and responsibility.
- Facing History & Ourselves will be at the 2025 AASA National Conference on Education in New Orleans, LA from March 6-8! While we won’t exhibit or present, multiple staff members will be in attendance to make connections and share more information about how our organization can support the goals of educational leaders.
- I'm thrilled to head to Austin, Texas for SXSW EDU from March 3-6 after our panel was selected from more than 1,400 entrants. My friend and colleague Jean Desravines from New Leaders will join me for a session entitled “Transformative School Leadership for Youth Civic Engagement,” where we’ll discuss how educational leaders can build inclusive learning environments, champion civil discourse, and have those tough conversations that we know are so important to nurturing relationships and empowering students in tumultuous times.
Professional Learning Designed for Leaders
- I'm especially excited for this April 3 virtual workshop that's geared specifically for school and district leaders. Attendees will learn more about Facing History & Ourselves' pedagogical approach, our rigorous professional development and academics, and all the ways we help educational leaders meet their goals and support their students in an engaged and inclusive school community.
- Following up on a year where we published so many rich civics resources—and with so much on the line for the future of our democracy—Facing History & Ourselves will participate in Civic Learning Week. We'll join other organizations for a week of activities on this vital subject including webinars, highlighting of on-demand civics professional learning and educational resources, and an all-day in-person National Forum in Stanford, CA.
- Looking ahead a bit further, we'll host two residential seminars for school and district leadership teams this summer. Join us in Florida June 23-26 or in California July 21 - 24 to focus on civic learning and inclusive education. Leveraging core Facing History & Ourselves curricula, these events will give insight to our approach and empower leaders and educators with key tools and strategies for shaping schools and classrooms where students thrive and succeed academically.
Dive Into Our Teaching Materials
- As part of our mission to give educators the tools they need to discuss contemporary antisemitism in their classrooms, we're offering another course from our Brave Classrooms series from January 30 through March 6. Participants will closely examine modern manifestations of anti-Jewish hatred to better understand how it affects our young people and the world in which we live.
- We know that the teenage years are so important when it comes to processing who we are, how society works, and how we can find our place in the world. From February 13 through March 12, this ELA mini-course will support educators in how to use coming-of-age texts and social-emotional learning to help students build critical reading skills, develop their sense of agency, and understand the complex nature of "identity."
- From February 13 through March 27, we're proud to offer another online professional development course built around our seminal case study: Holocaust and Human Behavior. In this increasingly divided climate full of very real threats to democracy, it’s paramount that educators are able to convey the profound moral questions raised by this dark era in history so students can reckon with their ethical responsibility to never let it happen again.
As you can see, we’ve got our hands full—and what a privilege that is. I can’t wait to see everything we accomplish together in 2025 to serve our educators, our youth, and the vision we have of a future free of hate.
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