The Dallas Independent School District has entered into “Upstander Partnership” agreements with the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum for TEKS-aligned civics and citizenship teaching resources for grades K-12.

The museum said that Dallas ISD joins Coppell ISD in partnering on the curricula.

“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,” Mary Pat Higgins, museum president and CEO, said in a statement. “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 program builds year over year to give school districts lessons and resources to better inform students’ academic careers and positively impact their futures beyond the classroom, the museum said.

According to the museum, the Upstander Partnership is a program that allows districts to integrate its history-informed civics and citizenship education via 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), which are the state standards for what students should know and be able to do according to academic subject and grade level, the museum said.

The Upstander Partnership provides grade-tailored curricula covering a student’s academic career until graduation.

Teaching North Texas students to be ‘upstanders,’ not bystanders

Per the museum, here’s what the partnership entails:

:: Kindergarten through grade three 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 four and five are introduced to upstander versus bystander behavior in the “What is an Upstander” phase;

:: Grades six through eight focus on civics and one’s personal role in society in the “Don’t be a Bystander” phase.

:: And grades nine through 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.

Program partners include Amazon, Toyota, and others

The museum noted the support of 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.

Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.

Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.