On Board Online • March 16, 2026
By Robin L. Flanigan
Special Correspondent
While discussing the Civil Rights Movement, social studies teacher Marci Kivo realized many of her middle school students were finding it difficult to grasp that various forms of racial oppression have existed beyond the plantations of the South.
Kivo, who works in the Jericho Union Free School District on Long Island, pulled out an issue of a state magazine called New York Archives Jr! The issue explained a 1961 federal court ruling in Taylor v. Board of Education of the City School District of New Rochelle. It was one of the earliest successful legal challenges to school segregation in the North.
"When my students read this article, they could not believe that something like that happened in New York so close to where they live," said Kivo, who has been using New York Archives Jr! for two years. "I like using these magazines because they make history more relatable."
New York Archives Jr! is a four-page magazine that explains important events in New York State history and profiles both well-known and lesser-known individuals who have influenced change. Topics covered have included:
- The Marquis de Lafayette, hero of the American Revolution.
- The Little Falls textile strike of 1912, which followed the loss of life in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City in 1911.
- Virginia Kee, a New York City teacher who co-founded an organization that helped Chinese immigrants learn English and get help with finding jobs and homes.
Each issue features a short history article, a set of related facts and a list of resources. "Learning activities" on the back page are teacher-created, standards-aligned worksheets focused on primary source analysis.
The magazine is published quarterly by the New York State Archives Partnership Trust, a not-for-profit organization created by the state Legislature.
The governor appoints 13 members of the Trust's 25-member board. The majority and minority leaders of the state Senate and Assembly individually appoint a total of eight members, and the Board of Regents names four.
The Trust's other quarterly magazine, New York Archives, also covers historical subjects. The New York State Archives is part of the State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education.
Since the first issue of New York Archives Jr! was published in spring 2023, more than 350,000 free copies have been delivered to nearly 1,200 teachers in 61 of the state's 62 counties, according to Jordan Jace, assistant director of education and development at the Trust.
Content is created by the Trust's education staff with the help of teachers who serve as consultants to the magazine. They help ensure that the content is grade-level appropriate and accessible for students in grades 4-8.
Although the magazine is targeted at younger students, many high school teachers use it, as well, Jace said.
"A lot of our local histories don't show up in textbooks, and this magazine gives those histories some voice," Jace said. "It really starts the whole inquiry process. What can I learn here? What do I still not know? Where might I find the answers? What are some questions I have that I may never have the answer to?"
Issues include suggestions for further exploration. For the issue covering Taylor v. Board of Education, students were encouraged to find out what roads or landmarks were used to determine local school zone boundaries, as well as attend a school board meeting to learn how various issues considered may affect students.
Occasionally, the magazine produces special editions. In one on how a bill becomes a law, students learned about how elementary school children in North Syracuse got a bill passed to make the apple muffin the official muffin of New York State. Students were advised to learn the names of the state's representatives and to brainstorm about a local issue that might warrant a new state law.
"We thought this was a really nice way for teachers to introduce the process of legislation without hitting controversial topics," Jace said.
Trust staff try to ensure that content in New York Archives Jr! represents the entire state. The most recent edition notes that, after the French and Indian War (also called the Seven Year's War), the king of England gave land in the Champlain Valley to about 100 British soldiers of Scottish ancestry. The issue noted that towns in New York State with Scottish names include Argyle (Washington County), Dundee (Yates County) and Glens Falls (Warren County).
Local and regional references give students a sense of being connected, Jace said. Even if they feel as if they grew up in the middle of nowhere, they can learn that "history happened here, as well," he said.
Kivo, the Jericho teacher, said a resource like New York Archives Jr! is a welcome alternative to various online resources. She said teachers can trust the content because the articles are curated specifically for students in New York State, based on the resources of the New York State Archives and the State Education Department.
To view copies of New York Archives Jr!, go to considerthesourceny.org/new-york-archives-jr .