36 TOOLS

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Classrooms

Diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, is a way of thinking and being in the world that helps us respect and transcend our differences. Through DEI, learners understand that while we all experience the world differently, there's power in honoring our shared humanity. Solidarity is our only path to a better world where everyone is given dignity and security.

Schools are perfect places to build these critical skills. In classrooms, students can discuss how to create a more inclusive world that values diversity, builds solidarity, practices empathy, and battles racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and more. The resources we've curated below -- which highlight our world's vast diversity and promote equity -- will open students' minds, get them to reflect on their own privileges, and help them better understand other people, perspectives, and cultures. Some of these picks will also cultivate students' perspective-taking and integrity, putting students on the path to social change and activism.

Wee You-Things

Kids join the story celebrating uniqueness -- including their own

Bottom Line: Wee You-Things may not be a book that kids revisit many times, but the message is powerful.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Paid

Anti-Defamation League

Toolkit equips teachers to tackle bias with ready-to-go resources

Bottom Line: This site fuses meaningful curricular connections between challenging current events and class content, and is a helpful go-to for teaching tough issues.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free

Asian Art Museum

Inventive lessons and activities integrate Asian history, art, and more

Bottom Line: It offers an in-depth look at Asia’s influence on art and history and provides lots of creative tools for educators.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free

TeachingBooks.net

Comprehensive site collects resources on authors and books in one place

Bottom Line: This rich database of literary resources is a must-bookmark for teachers looking to extend learning experiences with books and their authors.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Equity Maps - Chart Dialogue

Real-time participation tracker shows who's talking

Bottom Line: If used delicately, this is a potentially eye-opening tool that can help teachers modify discussions.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Paid

Learning for Justice

Thought-provoking classroom resources support diversity education

Bottom Line: It's an invaluable teacher tool to help reduce prejudice and encourage tolerance in schools, as well as within society as a whole.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Powerful stories and media centralize African-American history

Bottom Line: While there aren't ready-to-go curricular materials, this modern, well-curated, and well-contextualized digital collection is sure to inspire compelling lessons.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

Statistics in Schools

Interactive data, practical plans bring the Census to the classroom

Bottom Line: Engaging and authentic material connects the U.S. Census to many subject areas.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

Tate Kids

Hands-on activities and explorations give the art world a splash of color

Bottom Line: A wonderful site that really engages kids in the world of art and provides great inspirations.

Grades: 3–8
Price:
Free

Belouga

Impressive cross-curricular platform establishes global connections

Bottom Line: Versatile video-based curriculum inspires reflection and action.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free to try

EDSITEment

Extensive humanities resource offers deep well of great content

Bottom Line: The National Endowment for the Humanities has put together an outstanding place for art, history, language, and literature.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility

Brave, caring approach to teaching social justice tackles tough topics

Bottom Line: An important free resource for educators seeking to embed social justice education.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

PenPal Schools

Give students global perspective with pen pal projects in any subject

Bottom Line: This is a thoughtful, ready-to-go platform that facilitates authentic and safe cross-cultural collaboration.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

SDGs in Action

Empowering sustainable development app organizes, educates

Bottom Line: It's a well-packaged way for teachers to educate students about the current challenges facing the world and to give them a conduit for social justice.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

Quandary

Slick ethics game teaches students to make tough decisions

Bottom Line: This versatile game that can teach ethics, argumentation, and civics is light on interactivity but will come alive through discussion.

Grades: 5–8
Price:
Free

Global Problem Solvers

Free animated series and companion materials bring problem-solving to life

Bottom Line: If teachers go beyond the videos and worksheets, students can apply what they learn to hands-on, collaborative problem-solving projects.

Grades: 5–9
Price:
Free

Digital Public Library of America

Organized digital library features piles of useful primary resources

Bottom Line: DPLA is at the top of the list of high-grade, online primary source collections if teachers make effective use of what's on offer.

Grades: 5–12
Price:
Free

Never Alone: Ki Edition

Illuminating native Alaskan folktale supports SEL skills

Bottom Line: A beautiful achievement developed in cooperation with indigenous folk that offers players valuable SEL skill building and a respectful window into Inupiat culture, ways of life, traditions, and stories.

Grades: 5–12
Price:
Paid

Facing History and Ourselves

A wealth of resources explore racism, prejudice, and anti-Semitism

Bottom Line: These valuable materials empower students to understand and address difficult ethical choices -- past and present.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

Google Arts & Culture

Well-curated art and history site inspires curious learning

Bottom Line: A beautifully presented one-stop shop for compellingly curated and contextualized art, history, and culture resources, but it's lacking educator supports.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

Listenwise

Bring real-world stories from public radio into the classroom

Bottom Line: A fantastic resource that brings both historical and current event public radio stories into the classroom.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free to try, Paid

Proven Sustainable

Globally minded materials spotlight the wisdom of resilient cultures

Bottom Line: This is a valuable resource, with perspectives often kept out of curricula, but it'll require a motivated teacher to turn it into actual lesson plans.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

StoryCorps

From the everyday to the extraordinary, personal interviews get kids listening

Bottom Line: It's a great resource to help demonstrate the value of listening and the importance of storytelling and interviewing skills.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

Zinn Education Project

Resources, lessons help teach a more inclusive version of U.S. history

Bottom Line: Free downloadable resources encourage critical thinking and active learning in search of a more accurate picture of American history.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

Kialo Edu

A terrific, troll-free zone for structuring student discussion and debate

Bottom Line: A valuable platform for students to learn about social and political issues while practicing digital citizenship and argumentation.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

The Learning Network

High-powered news site offers daily resource to process current events

Bottom Line: Backed by a world-class news team, this stunning free resource can fuel daily topical discussions.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

National Museum of the American Indian

Valuable resources offer needed perspectives, require adaptation

Bottom Line: This site is great for the planning phase and has excellent resources for bringing in Native perspectives and histories, but it will need some tweaking to fit well into classrooms.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

YourCommonwealth

Engage with passionate international perspectives from youth

Bottom Line: Offers a rich variety of news and opinion stories on global issues, and its young writers will get U.S. students hooked on civic engagement.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

Write the World

Global community helps young writers write, revise, think, and grow

Bottom Line: With interest-based writing prompts and thoughtful feedback from peers and pros, this is a great tool for writing for authentic audiences.

Grades: 8–12
Price:
Free

YR Media

Dynamic site harnesses creative young talent to speak truth to power

Bottom Line: This fresh and socially aware website will draw students in with catchy -- often controversial -- topics, but keep them there with quality content.

Grades: 8–12
Price:
Free

Bury Me, My Love

Moving portrayal of the dangers and uncertainty of a Syrian refugee

Bottom Line: It effectively connects students with the harrowing journey of a Syrian refugee, even though some of the interactive elements are underwhelming.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Paid

Fandom Forward

Pop culture site promotes social justice critique, activism

Bottom Line: This site offers smart, fun resources for exploring the layers of meaning in media and finding causes to fight for.

Grades: 10–12
Price:
Free

Global Oneness Project

Captivating, cross-curricular stories increase cultural awareness

Bottom Line: Teachers looking to enrich their curriculum with high-quality, thought-provoking videos and photos will find plenty of inspiration, but may need to create or fine-tune some lessons.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free, Paid

K-TOWN'92

LA riot videos shake up dominant narrative

Bottom Line: This artful re-examination of the '92 LA riot can offer new insights and diverse perspectives, if students don't get too lost in the design.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

NPR: Borderland

Illuminating, up-close-and-personal visit to the U.S.-Mexico border

Bottom Line: As a truly unique resource that's worth using, teachers will need to create lessons that scaffold students' understanding of the complex issues found within.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

Parable of the Polygons

Dynamic interactive helps classrooms explore topics of bias, diversity

Bottom Line: A fascinating way to address how communities become segregated due to individual bias.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

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