Students attending RUSD schools "learn about the world and their place in it, think critically, read, write, and communicate clearly. History, civics and government, geography, and economics are integral to the mission of preparing California’s children for college, careers, and civic life. These disciplines develop students’ understanding of the physical world, encourage their participation in our democratic system of government, teach them about our past, inform their financial choices, and improve their ability to make reasoned decisions based upon evidence. Moreover, these disciplines play a vital role in the development of student literacy because of a shared emphasis on text, argumentation, and use of evidence" CA History-Social Science Framework (2016). They learn the content through inquiry-based instruction, which leads with important historical, geographic, civic, or economic questions. They build literacy skills by reading primary and secondary sources and writing arguments using their critical analysis of the documents. Citizenship is woven throughout the grades when teachers incorporate democratic classroom practices, hold class discussions around current and controversial topics.