DFW School Districts Enter into "Upstander Partnership" with Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, Bringing Valuable Museum Curricula into the Classroom

Dallas ISD joins Coppell ISD to integrate custom TEKS-aligned educational resources for grades K-12

DALLAS, Aug. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is pleased to announce Dallas Independent School District has entered into Upstander Partnership agreements with the Museum to offer TEKS-aligned civics and citizenship skills curricula for grades K-12, joining Coppell ISD. Building year over year, the program gives school districts lessons and resources to better inform students' academic careers and positively impact their futures beyond the classroom.

 "The Museum is thrilled to partner with these forward-thinking school districts to bring our innovative programming to more North Texas students than ever before," said Mary Pat Higgins, Museum president and CEO. "Through this exciting partnership, 73,500 students and teachers in North Texas school districts gain exclusive access to the Museum's incredible educational resources and our remarkable education staff members who will assist teachers in guiding their students' primary and secondary education."

The Upstander Partnership is a program that allows districts to integrate the Museum's history-informed civics and citizenship education through a consistent and engaging cross-curricular learning plan for grades K-12 that encourages students to become upstanders in their community.

The Upstander Partnership curriculum is aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) – the state standards for what students should know and be able to do according to academic subject and grade level.

The Upstander Partnership offers grade-tailored curricula that cover a student's academic career until graduation. Kindergarten through grade 3 focus on community and diversity in the "Let's Talk Kindness" phase, becoming aware of core skills such as respect, empathy, inclusiveness, responsibility, and empowerment; grades 4-5 are introduced to upstander versus bystander behavior in the "What is an Upstander" phase; grades 6-8 focus on civics and one's personal role in society in the "Don't be a Bystander" phase; and grades 9-12 learn from the past, becoming aware of changemakers in their own lives and community, and implement upstander skills strategies in the "Becoming an Upstander" phase.

The Museum is grateful to the Constantin Foundation, the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission, and an anonymous foundation for their support of the pilot phase of the program and to Amazon and Toyota for their support of the Dallas ISD participation.

SOURCE Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum