I Will Ride – Classroom Resources

Graphic with an I Will Ride logo, text that reads “Classroom Resources” and an image of a young student in a presentation learning about the California High-Speed Rail.

California High-Speed Rail is a major topic of interest for students, and educators are encouraged to bring the topic into the classroom. Here are some helpful resources to get you started!

Where to Begin:

Whether you are creating your own lesson plan and need to provide a high-level overview of the California High-Speed Rail Project or are a student group writing a paper about where the project is today, here are some helpful resources to get you started.

  • Project Overview: For the overall project vision and objectives, you can start by reviewing the most recent Authority Business Plan. This document, released every two years, provides a high-level overview of the program while also providing more specific regional updates in various chapters of the report. Business Plans can be found here on our website.
  • Sustainability: For all topics related to sustainability, the Authority publishes a Sustainability Report every year that provides details about our work within environmental, social, and governance as it relates to sustainability. The Authority Sustainability Report can be found here on our website.
  • Factsheets: For a quick look at many other California high-speed rail topics like safety, funding, and program benefits, take a look at our factsheets. These factsheets are print friendly and can be a great classroom handout. Authority factsheets can be found here on our website.
  • Websites: We have two key websites: hsr.ca.gov and BuildHSR.comExternal Link.

Free High-Speed Rail and Transportation Curriculum

This curriculum project developed a suite of standard aligned, rigorous lesson plans for secondary school teachers centered on transportation issues. Each grade level will receive 3 to 4 lesson plans to cover a complete 2-week unit of study. Each grade level will address a specific topic within the field of transportation. The designers of this project believe education on transportation issues from an early age can elevate awareness of these issues and boost interest in transportation careers.

In these lessons, students will learn about the history and current state of high-speed rail and how this speedy mode of transport will help California achieve its long-term climate goals by reducing transportation emissions and paving the way for high-speed rail around the nation.

You can learn about the future of transportation with a free online education series to explore the benefits, technology, and future of high-speed rail. This seven-week program is offered by the High-Speed Rail Alliance and teaches about the benefits and challenges of improving transit in the US, fundamentals of train engineering and operations, status of ongoing and future rail projects around the country, and how you can help bring high-speed rail to your community.

The E-cademy is an e-learning platform to prepare people for a career in the construction industry through a series of classes, courses, and camps. This platform allows you to explore the industry and experience the trades from a new perspective. Classes and courses are self-guided, on-demand, and completely virtual. You can take as many classes as you’d like, all for free.

More Information

You can contact representatives from the student outreach team at iwillride@hsr.ca.gov.

To request a California High-Speed Rail Authority speaker, fill out a form on the Speakers Bureau page.

You can find a full list of student jobs, internships, and fellowships in our I Will Ride newsletter.

Read the Newsletter

The California High-Speed Rail Authority makes every effort to ensure the website and its contents meet mandated ADA requirements as per the California State mandated Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA standard. If you are looking for a particular document not located on the California High-Speed Rail Authority website, you may make a request for the document under the Public Records Act through the Public Records Act page. If you have any questions about the website or its contents, please contact the Authority at info@hsr.ca.gov.