Students in urban areas across the country are routinely denied access to the educational opportunities that will allow them to be successful in life. In order to change these circumstances, young people must be educated, empowered, and trained to make a difference. The purpose of Social Justice: Empowering Students to Lead Educational Change is to do all three. The curriculum was designed for a predominately African-American student population attending an urban high school that was recently converted into a charter school in 2003. Because many of the students were products of various...

There is a great diversity of opinions in American education stemming from important and controversial questions of what, who, and how children should be taught. Although Americas social, economic, and political landscapes have changed since the inception of public schools in the mid-1800s, the method of educating has barely evolved. The teacher-centered model seen in the mid-nineteenth century that favored student imitation and rote learning disconnected to contemporary life continues to dominate to this day. The lack of student-centeredness in education has failed our students and...