Words Matter
A plain-language glossary for the words that shape public life.
Political Systems & Ideologies
Government structures and political philosophies that shape how power is distributed, who makes decisions, and how authority is justified. These terms are often used loosely. This section pins down their actual meanings and explains how they function in practice.
Shadow Docket
The Supreme Court’s emergency decisions and procedural orders issued without full briefing or explanation. These fast, often unsigned rulings can have significant legal and policy effects.
Special Education
Provides individualized supports and instructional services for students with disabilities under federal law. It uses IEPs, accommodations, and specialized instruction to ensure access to grade-level learning.
School Board
The local governing body that sets policy, oversees budgets, and supervises the superintendent of a public school district. Boards adopt rules for curriculum, staffing, and operations and serve as the connection between state requirements and local implementation.
Sanctuary City
A local jurisdiction that limits its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement to encourage community trust and access to local services. Sanctuary policies vary but generally separate local institutions from federal immigration activities.
Solidarity
Solidarity describes the commitment individuals or groups have to supporting one another based on shared interests, goals, or identities. It emphasizes collective responsibility and mutual support, especially in moments of vulnerability or conflict. Solidarity strengthens social cohesion and helps communities address shared challenges.
Structural Inequality
Structural inequality refers to patterns of unequal outcomes that are produced and sustained by social, economic, and political systems—not solely by individual actions. These inequities arise from rules, norms, and institutional practices that distribute opportunities and burdens unevenly across groups.
Sovereignty
The supreme legal and political authority of a state to govern itself without external interference. It is the foundational principle of the modern international system, defining who has the right to make laws, control territory, and represent a population.