Frameworks and Resources

As a Teaching and Learning Specialist with Learning for Justice, I authored a set of anchor standards and age-appropriate outcomes called the Social Justice Standards (SJS). I often refer to the SJS as “a roadmap for anti-bias education at every stage of K-12 instruction” because they provide concrete ways for educators to embed complex concepts such as identity, diversity, justice, and action into their curricula. The SJS can be used in countless creative ways, and they are the foundation of much of the work we do at Education for the Good. You can download the SJS below and learn more about how to use them in the free resources I’ve provided.

What Are the Social Justice Standards?

Ways to Engage the Social Justice Standards

  • From Learning for Justice, the Social Justice Standards offer a road map for anti-bias education at every stage of K-12 instruction. Comprised of anchor standards and age-appropriate learning outcomes, use the Standards to guide curriculum development and make schools more just and equitable. Available in English and Spanish.

  • This magazine feature article explores the origin of the Social Justice Standards and offers a case study about how one teacher used the Standards to address bullying in her school.

  • An Education for the Good signature offering, this year-long professional learning cohort trains and empowers educators to implement the Social Justice Standards through instructional planning and backward design.

  • This series of kid-friendly books, four of which were written by Emily, demonstrate how the Social Justice Standards can be part of young people’s daily lives–at home, in school, and in their communities. `

  • This is an introductory chapter from the book by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards that inspired the four domains of the Social Justice Standards.

  • Combining elements of UbD and the Social Justice Standards, the Blueprint is a unique tool created by Education for the Good. This template helps educators think about and plan for standards-based anti-bias instruction.

There’s no such thing as neutral education. Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom.

Paulo Freire