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Current Issues Blog & More

 

The Close Up Current Issues Blog, updated weekly throughout the school year, helps teachers connect current events to their students and classrooms. We know that teaching the news can be time-consuming; by the time you find important issues and identify how to teach them, they are old news. That’s where our blog comes in: unpacking issues in the headlines by providing relevant context, links to classroom-ready news items, and suggested prompts for thoughtful discussion.

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Ranked-Choice Voting: A Curiosity or Coming Reform?

Post | September 6, 2022

In August, Democrat Mary Peltola won Alaska’s lone seat in the House of Representatives in a special election to replace Don Young (R), who passed away in March 2022.1 Peltola defeated two Republicans, former Governor Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III. Peltola becomes the first Alaska Native person to be elected to Congress.2 This election […]


Summer Roundup: Back to School with the Supreme Court, the Midterms, and the Search of Mar-a-Lago

Post | August 30, 2022

In communities across the country, teachers are welcoming students back to school as the summer draws to a close. The beginning of the school year is an exciting and important time for establishing good civic habits in students. To help facilitate dialogue among students and spark civil discussion in the classroom, we are reviewing several […]


Diversity, Discord & Democracy

Post | August 24, 2022

We do not have to look far to find evidence of strong partisan hostility in the United States. People are ending long-term friendships, or even cutting off communication with family, over political discord.1 Partisan animosity—feelings of anger, fear, and distrust toward those with whom we disagree—has been steadily increasing for decades.2 Earlier this month, the […]


Should Members of Congress Be Banned from Trading Stocks?

Post | February 15, 2022

Last month, Senators Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., introduced the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act, a reform bill that would require members of Congress to divest their stock market investments or face fines totaling the entire amount of their congressional salary.1 So, should members of Congress be allowed to trade stocks? According to […]


Censure Divides the Republican Party

Post | February 9, 2022

On February 4, the Republican National Committee (RNC) officially censured two members of the party, Representatives Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., for their role in the ongoing House of Representatives investigation into the Capitol riot that occurred on January 6, 2021. The RNC resolution claims that Cheney and Kinzinger “support Democrat efforts to […]


Capitol Hill: Internships, Careers & Opportunities

Videos | November 23, 2021

During this #CloseUpConversations webinar, sponsored by Johnson and Johnson, we discuss internships and career pathways that drive policy-making on Capitol Hill.


A Supreme Court Preview

Videos | October 14, 2021

During this Close Up Conversations webinar, Close Up’s, Joe Geraghty discusses the Supreme Court with guest speaker Steven Schwinn, professor of law at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.


Teaching the 26th Amendment

Post | September 16, 2021

One of the most important things that schools can do to promote civic and political engagement is to explicitly teach about elections and voting.1 While this can include teaching about current elections and ballot initiatives or processes such as voter registration, education on voting should also include lessons on the struggle for voting rights by […]


Building Bridges – The 20th Anniversary of September 11th

Podcast | September 10, 2021

After 20 years, eyewitnesses to the events share the impact of 9/11 on their lives and on the lives of their family members. 


Public Service In America

Videos | May 21, 2021

During this Close Up Conversations webinar, Close Up’s, Joe Geraghty discusses ‘Public Service In America’ with guest speaker Tim McManus, COO of Partnership for Public Service. Public Service is key to making many sectors of our government run smoothly. Service comes in many different forms, in this Close Up Conversations we will discuss the importance […]


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