In response to the war, Choices released a free Teaching with the News lesson in February 2022 titled “The Ukraine Crisis” that examined the geographic and historical background of the conflict, political cartoons about the war, and coverage of Ukraine in the news.

Within a month, the lesson had received nearly 109,000 page views, according to Rebecca Nedostup, faculty director of the Choices Program. This was the most hits a single page on the Choices site had received in the previous two years. The lesson was highlighted by the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and scholarly and educational networks. Scholars, teachers, and administrators across the U.S. and beyond shared it hundreds of times on social media.

“Choices balances providing such timely, free lessons with strategically planned updates and additions to our core units, drawing on our educational expertise and Brown scholarship,” said Nedostup.

Currently, the program offers 40 social studies curriculum units addressing such topics as immigration, international trade, colonialism, climate change, and genocide. Several units focus on individual countries, exploring their histories through the lens of critical issues. Choices also provides teachers professional development opportunities through work- shops and webinars.