What Is Georgia's 7th Grade Teaching About Israel? Help Us Find Out.
- Apr 28
- 3 min read
SHIELD is building the first district-by-district picture of what 7th grade social studies classrooms across metro Atlanta are actually using to teach the Middle East and the modern State of Israel. We need parents to help us fill in the gaps.
Most parents have no idea what curriculum their child's school district uses for social studies. That is not a criticism. It is simply the reality of how public education works. The state sets the standards. Districts choose the materials. And unless something surfaces in a homework assignment or a dinner table conversation, the details rarely reach parents at all.
For most subjects, that gap is manageable. For instruction about the Middle East and the modern State of Israel, it is not.
What Georgia's Standards Actually Require
Georgia's 7th grade social studies standards include specific instruction on the modern Middle East. Under standard SS7H2, students are required to learn about the historical connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, the factors that led to the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948, and the ongoing conflicts in the region.
These are twelve-year-olds. And what they learn in those units, and how it is framed, matters.
The state tells districts what to teach. It does not tell them how, and it does not tell them which materials to use. That decision is made at the district level, and it varies. Widely.
The Problem We Are Trying to Solve
Right now, there is no clear, centralized picture of what metro Atlanta school districts are actually using to deliver this instruction. We want to understand how Israel's history and establishment as a modern state are being presented in these classrooms. That starts with knowing what materials exist.
Here is what SHIELD has been able to confirm so far:
District | Curriculum Status |
Cobb County | Clairmont Press + internal materials for the Israel unit |
DeKalb County | Under review, likely Studies Weekly or Gallopade |
Fulton County | Unknown |
Gwinnett County | Unknown |
Atlanta Public Schools | Unknown |
The gaps in that table are exactly why we are asking for your help.
What We Are Asking Parents to Do
If you have a child in 7th grade in any Georgia public school, we would like to hear from you. This includes families in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Atlanta Public Schools, Marietta City Schools, Decatur City Schools, Cherokee, Forsyth, Douglas, Paulding, and any other district across the state.
We are asking three simple questions:
What district and school does your child attend?
What curriculum are they using for social studies? Even "I'm not sure" is helpful.
Do they have a unit covering the Middle East or Israel? If you have access to any materials, that is a bonus, not a requirement.
No judgment. No conclusions. Just data.
If you would prefer to share privately, you can also reach us directly at [contact email].
This Is the First Step in Something Larger
We are not collecting this information casually. Once we have a clear picture of which materials are most widely used across the region, SHIELD will evaluate those materials specifically for how Israel's history and the Jewish people's connection to the land are presented. Our goal is to understand whether instruction in these units is accurate and fair, and to advocate for improvement where it is not.
That work requires a complete picture first. Right now, we are building it.
Get Involved
If filling out the form feels like the beginning of something you want to be more deeply part of, we want to hear from you. SHIELD is building a coalition of parents across metro Atlanta who are committed to this effort, one to three representatives per district, working together toward real and measurable change.
If that sounds like you, reach out. We would love to connect.
