Public School Textbook Project Succeeds
Minda Rae Amiran | Published on 3/11/2024
The Bellingham Public Schools are purchasing 500 copies of The State We’re In, the Washington League’s civics textbook, in its version for grades 3-5. This purchase is encouraging for many reasons, primarily because it means that children in the Bellingham schools will be learning about good citizenship early on, and doing it through a book that is inclusive in dealing with tribal governments as well as state, local, and national governments.
Much of the credit for bringing the book to the attention of the Bellingham Schools’ Department of Teaching and Learning should go to Polly Rae, the first chair of our League’s present Civics Education Committee. She organized meetings with all the County’s school superintendents and curriculum leaders, and led the Committee in distributing sample copies of The State We’re In to all the middle schools and high schools in the County. Polly has since moved to the Seattle area, but continues to work with the State League on further editions of the book.
—Minda Rae Amiran