Teach Central America Week
Educators Teach About Central America
It is U.S. foreign policy, and the climate crisis, that force many Central Americans to make the agonizing decision to leave their home country and make the treacherous journey to the United States. Now those Central American communities in the United States are among the most targeted for ICE raids — and they are bravely taking the lead on challenging the arrests and deportations.
In 2019, Teaching for Change launched Teach Central America Week (held the first week of October annually). We’re here to support you with free lessons, poetry, art, films, and more to help bring these stories to life in your classroom.
Each year hundreds of teachers nationwide commit to teach about Central America during Latinx Heritage Month. Add your name and participate in the annual Teach Central America Week, October 6–10, 2025.
Resources for Teaching about Central America
LESSONS
POETRY & PROSE
BOOKS
HISTORY
FILMS
BY THEME
MORE
Endorsement
Educators who sign on are expected to participate in AT LEAST ONE of the following ways:
Implement lessons about Central America in my classroom
Share a lesson I created about Central America with other educators
Encourage my colleagues to get involved. Tell at least one other person in my building about what I'm doing!
Attend an event during the week
Share the story! (Invite a visitor, social media, etc.)
For school administrators who sign on for whole school partnership, the school community agrees to participate in ALL of the following ways:
Endorse: School is publicly listed as supporting Teach Central America Week
School leadership is publicly supportive
Teach Central America Week is on the school calendar
Parents are informed of Teach Central America Week
School shares the resources to teach about Central America with teachers
Every student engages in some type of activity related to Teach Central America Week’
Share the story! (Invite a visitor, social media, etc.)
Organizations who sign on agree to ENDORSE Teach Central America Week, have their organization publicly listed, and participate in AT LEAST ONE of the following ways:
Share a public statement in support of Teach Central America Week
Promote the Teach Central America Week
Host/cohost an event
Align events and/or programming with Teach Central America Week
Community members who sign on and are expected to participate in AT LEAST ONE of the following ways:
Have a conversation at your dinner table
Share a public statement (on social media or other platform)
Attend an event
Promote teacher/student work; share stories/elevate the voices
Donate your space for an event
Donate your skills
Make a financial donation
Endorsers
In addition to educators who sign up to participate in Teach Central America Week, the organizations listed below endorse the week and help with outreach. To add your name (as an individual) or organization, sign up here.
Organizational Endorsers
What Teachers are Saying
“With Central America in the news every day, we educators — and all people — need to know the history of USA involvement in Central America.”
“I am K-12 school counselor at a small rural school in South Dakota. We have two female students who are new to the country from Guatemala. While I am trying to build and ELL program, I am also trying to educate our local students on the girls' culture.”
“I must admit that I felt a sense of shame upon seeing this email — I have taught practically nothing about Central America! The only lesson I did last year was a way-too-rushed day about US intervention in the 1970s using Howard Zinn's People's History of Empire. I am excited to dedicate a week to the topic and would be eager to receive any additional materials that others recommend.”
“Approximately 60-65% of our school population have recently immigrated from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras. LatinX Heritage Month is already a critical cultural celebration at our school, and Teach Central America Week will help us further strengthen our school wide community building.”