To engage students in social studies lessons, teacher Irene Fusilli incorporates movement-based activities, such as human timelines, decision walks and running dictation. Fusilli says that the activities enhance focus, memory and motivation, and she advises teachers to start small, set clear expectations and connect activities to curriculum standards.

Hundreds of Mississippi students participated in lessons about Native American culture from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians during a visit to the Two Mississippi Museums. The event featured demonstrations of stickball, traditional dances and storytelling, and teachers noted the educational value of the experience, which helped students connect classroom lessons with real-life cultural practices.

A federal judge ordered 14 Texas school districts to remove Ten Commandments posters, saying the state's new requirement to display the religious text in every classroom likely violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. The decision, combined with an earlier injunction affecting other districts, now blocks the mandate for about 20% of Texas students as courts in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas weigh similar laws.

A federal judge has refused to grant a preliminary injunction that would have blocked the ongoing removal of books from Rutherford County school libraries in Tennessee, meaning the bans will remain in effect until a full trial scheduled for next year. The judge stated that the school board's decision to remove books from library shelves did not prohibit students from accessing these titles elsewhere, and signaled that plaintiffs face a challenging legal path ahead.

The Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology has launched a professional development webinar series for educators to utilize digital museum resources in celebration of the US' 250th anniversary. The series, "Cultivating Learning: Celebrating America at 250," includes sessions from various Smithsonian institutions, focusing on inquiry-based learning and historical case studies.

Lawton, Okla., fifth-grader Daphne Tanequodle has been named Kid Secretary of State through the Oklahoma Kid Governor program, which teaches students about civics. Tanequodle, who attends Comanche Academy Charter School, plans to focus on helping people experiencing homelessness in her community during her one-year term.

LGBTQ youth are increasingly civically engaged, with 60% of those ages 13 to 24 motivated to vote or participate in political causes, according to a Trevor Project survey. However, 70% report anxiety and 56% report depression, driven by concerns about anti-LGBTQ policies.