The recent events of what has unfolded in Minneapolis and across the U.S. are heartbreaking to witness. This affects us all. As we stand in solidarity to the Black Lives Matter movement, we also stand in commitment to the work of organizations across the United States and other countries around the world to fight for racial equality and social justice. Composer is a growing, global ecosystem of nearly 30 curriculum providers working together to educate, inspire and support students to ultimately transform systems of oppression into systems of compassion. Our hearts are heavy, but our determination is strong. We are ever committed to meeting this moment with collective action and impact.
Composer provides searchable access to the best civic education materials available online, including resources from Facing History and Ourselves, Teaching Tolerance, and other organizations on the issue of reckoning with the injustices of the past and present. Research shows that learning is more likely to 'stick' when students have multiple opportunities to experience, practice, and apply new skills or knowledge. At Composer, we have distilled insights from the field of learning science into different types of experiences (elements) that can be combined into sequences of learning (strings) so that educators can more effectively help students build mastery in skills like understanding racism or intersectionality. We believe in empowering educators including parents, with relevant resources to ensure these skills can be thoughtfully and systematically taught over sustained periods of time to ensure young people feel prepared to be engaged citizens.
Check out our comprehensive collection of powerful content for teaching justice, equity, and civic learning here.
Composer is the first digital platform to offer educators a comprehensive collection of resources for citizenship education. Composer was founded in 2018 as a collaborative initiative between High Resolves, Facing History and Ourselves, iCivics, Generation Citizen, and Peace First for teaching citizenship through civic learning, social justice, social and emotional learning, and global competence. Composer features 1,000 learning experiences from dozens of the world’s leading content providers. The platform is grounded in learning science to support educators with curriculum planning. In Fall 2019, 455 users from 113 schools across North America and Australia participated in a private beta of the platform. Since launching in April 2020, Composer is publicly available as a free tool for educators.
For more information contact: info@composereducation.org
About the Authors
Ali Berry is CEO of Composer, an online platform for educators to access the top citizenship education resources from around the world. Ali began her career as a teacher in Houston, Texas. She is committed to advancing educational equity, with experience across the education system including K-12 practice, higher education, education technology, philanthropy, and research. Ali has worked at innovative education initiatives KIPP, Amplify, Relay Graduate School of Education, and the XQ Institute which she helped launch and grow from 2015 to 2019.
LiAnn Ishizuka is the Head of Product Marketing of Composer, leading the work of expanding Composer’s reach to thousands of schools globally. LiAnn has worked at the intersection of technology, social impact, and marketing at organizations like Facebook, XQ Institute, Acumen and United Way. She is passionate about making a positive impact in the world and brings nearly a decade of experience working in marketing and communications in the social enterprise and non-profit sectors.
