Learning for Justice (SPLC) Professional Development

Learning for Justice — a programme of the Southern Poverty Law Center — has been providing educators with free, high-quality resources for teaching about social justice, equity, and civic engagement since 1991, when it was founded as Teaching Tolerance. The organisation's professional development offerings centre on helping educators build classrooms and schools where every student feels valued, respected, and empowered to participate fully in democratic life. At the heart of their work are the Social Justice Standards — a comprehensive framework organised around four domains (Identity, Diversity, Justice, and Action) that provides educators with a common language and structured approach to anti-bias education at every stage of K-12 instruction. Their Learning Centre offers self-paced and facilitated professional learning opportunities covering critical topics including teaching hard history honestly, developing students' digital and civic literacy skills, building a culture of belonging in diverse classrooms, and strengthening civic and political engagement. What distinguishes Learning for Justice from many PD providers is its dual commitment to providing rigorously developed curriculum resources alongside the professional learning needed to use them effectively. For educators seeking to move beyond surface-level diversity discussions toward substantive, standards-aligned instruction that prepares students to understand and strengthen democratic institutions, Learning for Justice provides both the intellectual framework and the practical tools.