Our Teaching Tolerance program is working to foster school environments that are inclusive and nurturing – classrooms where equality and justice are not just taught, but lived. The program points to the future, helping teachers prepare a new generation to live in a diverse world.
As one of the nation’s leading providers of anti-bias education resources, we reach hundreds of thousands of educators and millions of students annually through our award-winning Teaching Tolerance magazine, multimedia teaching kits, online curricula, professional development resources like our Teaching Diverse Students Initiative and special projects like Mix It Up at Lunch Day. These materials are provided to educators at no cost.
Teaching Tolerance has produced award-winning documentary films about the civil rights movement and the struggle for social justice, bringing history to life on the screen and teaching students that they can make a difference in the world around them. Two of these films – Mighty Times: The Children’s March and A Time for Justice – have won Academy Awards in the short documentary category.
Teaching Tolerance magazine reaches more than 400,000 educators across the country. Published twice a year and provided free to educators, the magazine was the first national forum where K-12 educators could exchange fresh ideas for teaching about diversity.
Teaching Diverse Students Initiative
The Teaching Diverse Students Initiative, launched in 2009, is an online project designed to improve the quality of instruction experienced by racially and ethnically diverse students.
Developed in conjunction with the American Association for Teacher Education, the National Education Association, prominent education scholars and expert teachers, it offers tools to help educators identify and address their own perceptions and practices that may inhibit the success of students of color in the classroom.
Mix It Up at Lunch Day
National Mix it Up at Lunch Day provides a way for students to take the lead in promoting tolerance and understanding.
The premise is simple: Students are asked to sit with someone new in the cafeteria for just one day – a small step that can go a long way toward breaking down social and racial barriers. Interaction with people of other racial, ethnic or social backgrounds has been shown to create a significant reduction in bias.
Since Mix It Up at Lunch Day was launched in 2002, it has been embraced by thousands of schools across the country. Many schools use the event – held each year in November – as a jumping-off point for daylong programs that teach tolerance and respect. Some schools have programs throughout the year – activities that go to the heart of Teaching Tolerance’s mission of promoting respect and understanding in the classroom and beyond.
