Karissa is an award-winning writer, seasoned editor, and former educator with a passion for storytelling and marketing. When not searching for the perfect word or phrase, she's busy trying (unsuccessfully) to convince people that plaid is a color.

racial equality

Thinking on Education: Why are Discussions about Equality Flashpoints in the Classroom?

Gender Equality.Feminism. Civil Rights.Racial Equality. Human Rights Issues These are some of the topics considered “controversial” in society, on social media, and in the classroom. But why? In today’s society — more than 150 years since the end of America’s Civil War, almost 100 years since women gained voting rights in America, and 55 years…

Students raising hands

On Education: Creating a better Multicultural Curriculum

How do you teach today’s culturally and socio-economically diverse students when often their history and literature curricula are predominantly Eurocentric? That is a question we’ve been grappling with at Studies Weekly. In the past, some of our own publications included this unconscious bias. Recognizing that, we’ve been working diligently to completely revamp and reframe them.…

The power of yet

On Education: The “Power of Yet” in the Classroom

Most successful entrepreneurs say they overcame many mistakes, challenges, and setbacks to get where they are. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance,” the late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, is quoted as saying. Students — from elementary to secondary — can and should learn…

Political polarization

On Education: Confronting Political Polarization in the Social Studies Classroom

Politics today are highly polarized, and are in danger of becoming more so. “Politicians used to recognize that their opponents had the same goal: Make the world a better place for their constituents. Now debate’s greatest accomplishment has been to diminish the integrity of office,” said Lawrence Lhulier in his March 2017 Education Week article,…