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About Facing History and Ourselves

Facing History and Ourselves is an international leader in civic education for middle and high school students, reaching young people at a time in their development when questions of identity and how they can make a difference are relevant and accessible. For more than 30 years, Facing History has produced classroom resources and effective educational strategies that promote student engagement, critical thinking, and a rigorous approach to the study of history.

Our work engages students, educators, scholars, and the general public in important conversations around themes of identity and belonging, citizenship and human behavior, and community participation, and the role of the individual in decisions that shape a democratic society. By teaching students to think critically, to empathize, to recognize moral choices, to reflect on their own ethical decision making, and to make their voices heard, we put in their hands the possibility—and the responsibility—to do the most serious work demanded of us all as citizens.

Since Facing History was founded in 1976 in Brookline, Massachusetts, the organization has grown from an innovative course taught in a single school district to an international organization with more than 150 staff members. Through nine offices in North America, an international hub in London, a website that attracts 700,000 visits annually, and educational partnerships that span the globe, Facing History supports a large network of educators—28,000 of whom have participated in in-depth training—with professional development opportunities, ongoing follow up, and rich resources in a variety of media. Teachers in our active network currently reach 1.9 million young people each year.

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Facing History for Educators

Since 1976, we have been providing educational resources and professional development programs to teachers, both person-to-person and online, to bring Facing History into classrooms around the world. At week-long seminars, multi-week online seminars, full-day and after-school workshops, and in-depth sessions tailored to the needs of individual schools and districts, teachers of the humanities are introduced to  high-quality classroom strategies, content, and resources about important events in contemporary history that make teachers more effective and lead to increased student engagement and learning.

Among our many resources are the core case study, Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior, as well as Choices in Little Rock, Eyes on the Prize and a study guide on Elie Wiesel’s Night.

For more information about resources we offer to teacher, please visit: