Students at Maumee High School in Ohio are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking with a hands-on history project. The initiative, led by social science teacher Jamie Naragon, explores the ship's local ties, including crew members from Toledo, and Naragon said the project is aimed at teaching students the value of local history and individual impact.

Ali Sabir, a high-school senior and co-founder of TEDxMoorestown Friends School, highlighted the importance of local civic engagement through his talk about "Civics Week," an initiative he developed to teach students about local government and its impact. The program, which introduces lessons on topics like gerrymandering and local governance, has grown to include neighboring schools, and Sabir emphasized that understanding and participating in local government can have a more direct effect on students' lives than federal politics.

The Education Department has resumed operations after a record 44-day government shutdown, thanks to a continuing resolution that funds the government until Jan. 30. The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, led to furloughs and disrupted programs such as Head Start and Impact Aid.

Supporters and critics are eagerly awaiting details of the first federally funded tax credit scholarship program, included in a Republican-led bill signed July 4 by President Donald Trump. The Treasury Department is expected to issue proposed rules for the program, which allows taxpayers to donate up to $1,700 to scholarship-granting organizations in exchange for a federal income tax credit.

Google Docs can be a powerful educational tool beyond its basic word-processing capabilities, says middle-school teacher Steffannie Alter, who uses the platform to facilitate real-time student collaboration, independent learning and multimodal assignments. Alter also leverages features such as Suggesting mode for peer feedback and document history for process tracking, and uses color coding to ensure balanced participation in group work.

Geography is not just about memorizing countries but understanding systems of power, technology and trade, writes Demian Hommel, an associate professor at the University of Oregon. The subject is essential for navigating a world shaped by borders, infrastructure and inequality, and geography should be central to education to help students see and address systemic injustices, Hommel writes.

A long-lost Civil War painting by Julian Scott has been unveiled at the Vermont Statehouse after being discovered by educator Tyler Alexander, who teaches social studies at Champlain Valley Union High School, during research for his book. Despite initial uncertainty over its whereabouts, Alexander traced it to the University of Houston, which was preparing to auction the artwork, and this rediscovery set in motion a rapid effort to secure the painting and bring it back to Vermont.