Gale In Context Databases Help Boise School District Develop Students' Critical Thinking and Information Literacy Skills

Gale In Context Databases Help Boise School District Develop Students' Critical Thinking and Information Literacy Skills
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2025-04-30

District Implements Gale Resources into Curriculum to Provide Students with Access to Accurate, Trustworthy Information That Fosters Research Skills to Develop Future-Ready Students

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. and BOISE, Idaho, April 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With the rampant spread of mis-, dis- and mal-information across the internet and social media platforms, Gale, part of Cengage Group is helping Boise High School students learn how to analyze and think critically about the information they read and the reliability of its source. The Boise School District in Boise, Idaho, is using Gale In Context, a suite of online databases designed to provide students with access to current, relevant and authoritative digital content for effective researching. These resources allow learners to develop a better understanding of where they're getting their information.

It's all about getting students to understand where they're getting their information from.

"We have a goal at Boise School District to create future-ready students so they can find good information and use critical thinking skills to be productive members of society," said Natasha Rush, a certified teacher librarian and building technology lead at Boise High School. "We found that Gale's resources allow us to do just that."

To support the district's strategic plan, Gale In Context was incorporated into Boise's classrooms. Rush worked closely with every ELA teacher at her high school to ensure teachers and students could benefit from Gale resources. She also made sure the resources were integrated into social studies, science, and multi-language classrooms, as well as used for AP and SAT prep.

Some of the Gale In Context features that Boise students and teachers have found useful include:

Curated, Grade-Appropriate Content: delivers age-appropriate, reliable, curriculum-related content that covers a broad range of subjects, enabling students to learn at a comfortable pace through trusted content.
Built-in Scaffolding: helps students learn to scan and evaluate sources quickly.
Citation Tools: integrated directly into the user's workflow, formatted citations can be easily imported from single or multiple documents to services like EasyBib or NoodleTools. MLA, APA, Chicago, and Harvard style citations are supported.
Google & Microsoft Integration: features integration capabilities with Google Workspace for Education and Microsoft Office 365 collaboration tools. These enable users to easily access, share, save and download content—including highlights, notes and other e-resources.
Topic Browse Searching: unique topic pages collect information from reliable sources, making it easy for students to search, compare and contrast different sources and headlines.

With Boise High School located just a block from the State Capitol, Rush's students are very engaged in government studies. "My kids are passionate about issues that affect them and have a strong desire to be active citizens," said Rush. But in a world full of misleading information and false truths, from social sites like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, Rush's students are challenged with telling fact from fiction. "It's all about getting students to understand that where they're getting their information is just as important as what information they're getting," said Rush.

Although today's students have grown up online, they still need to learn how to search. Gale In Context resources act as "training wheels" for students, explains Rush. Whether they're interested in the mental health of teenagers, the effects of school start times, or what it's like to be a college athlete, students can verify information from social media and other unvetted sources by cross-checking with credible material.

"Being able to sort information, ask questions about where it comes from, and determine its credibility is a critical thinking skill that affects not only students' academic performance but also their ability to function in society and be future-ready adults," Rush said. "The amount of information they have access to is only going to increase and teaching them how to handle that information responsibly is of the utmost importance."

Educators throughout the Boise School District have embraced Gale in Context and recognize the value. "It's so important to make sure teachers and students have access to a variety of supplemental materials that we know are credible, traceable to a reputable source, vetted by experts, and organized in a way that makes them easy to find," said district librarian, Erin Downey.

Gale In Context student databases have a long history of supporting academic achievement and future-ready skill development. From social studies to English language arts and beyond, the databases use eye-catching topic overview pages to bring together nonfiction materials in all digital, accessible formats. Students get access to current, authoritative information in articles, videos, charts, images, infographics, and more. In a nationwide study conducted by Project Tomorrow® on behalf of Gale, 91 percent of teachers said their students' research skills improved from using the Gale In Context databases to support their assignments and projects.

Read more about how Boise School District is using Gale in Context to create tomorrow's leaders.

For more information on Gale In Context, visit its webpage.

About Cengage Group and Gale

Cengage Group, an education technology company serving millions of learners in 165 countries, advances the way students learn through quality, digital experiences. The company currently serves the K-12, higher education, professional, library, English language teaching and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, part of Cengage Group, believes in the power and joy of learning. For schools, the company helps drive positive outcomes by providing essential, curriculum-aligned content that empowers educators to solve curriculum challenges and meet students where they are. Today that includes supporting distance and social and emotional learning as well as equity and inclusion goals. Gale's K-12 offerings extend from educational databases and custom eBook collections to instructional tools and professional development resources. For more information, please visit: www.gale.com/schools.

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Media Contact:

Kayla Siefker, Gale, part of Cengage Group

248-378-3376

kayla.siefker@cengage.com