Special Initiatives

Facing History is prepared to go broader, deeper, and further to bring the program to many more teachers and schools and to expand its influence on educational policy. To have more impact, we are working on new avenues for disseminating our resources and expanding partnerships that will build on our success in providing resources and follow-up services to teachers, students, and communities. We are raising public awareness and expanding our network by reaching out to alumni, educators, foundations, corporations, individuals, partners, scholars, and decision-makers worldwide.

Some of our special initiatives focused on furthering these goals include:

Choosing to Participate
Choosing to Participate: Facing History and Ourselves is an engaging interactive multimedia exhibition that has won national praise for encouraging people of all ages to consider the consequences of their everyday choices and for inspiring them to make a difference in their schools and communities.

Digital Legacies Project
In July 2007, Facing History and Ourselves facilitated a four-week digital filmmaking program for Boston Public School students focusing on the civil rights movement in Boston. Through research, writing, interviewing, video production, and dialogue, the students developed documentary films about local civil rights leaders who, through schools, churches, and community-based organizations, struggled for fair representation in the media and equal access to education and housing. Throughout a summer marked by increased violence in the city of Boston, the student interns explored the story of how a few courageous individuals sparked an ongoing effort to challenge racism and segregation in Boston's schools and neighborhoods.

Eyes on the Prize
We are a part of a national outreach campaign being managed by Blackside, the producer of Eyes on the Prize, the most comprehensive television documentary ever produced on the American civil rights movement. The initiative brings together a group of partners to undertake considerable outreach to students, teachers, and communities across the country, in support of the series' historic rebroadcast on PBS's American Experience.

The Facing History School
We are the New York Department of Education's lead partner in the creation of the new Facing History School, a small public high school in New York City. Opened in fall 2005, we are already seeing the benefits of integrating our mission, values, resources, and pedagogical approaches into the school's rigorous, relevant, and cutting-edge curriculum. This thorough work is also yielding new insights into how we can improve our work throughout the globe.

The Jewish Education Program
We have adapted our program for teachers in Jewish educational settings. The Jewish Education Program offers teachers from all disciplines an opportunity to explore the connection between Jewish history and identity and the moral questions inherent in everyday life. Through this program, teachers learn new ways to develop an integrated course in history and identity that is also grounded in Jewish ethics and values. Through an exploration of rich content and innovative pedagogy, teachers and students are immersed in a methodology that encourages interactive learning in history, literature, Judaic studies and the arts. >>

The Education for Democracy Initiative
Our work with Colleges of Education is aimed at achieving academic rigor, ethical reflection, and informed participation among teacher candidates. We offer both faculty and pre-service teachers a variety of introductory and follow-up professional development opportunities, with a focus on foundational questions about the profession. Our workshops feature internationally renowned speakers on history and education, as well as educational practitioners with years of classroom experience. To learn more about this initiative, please email edi@facing.org.