Disparities in American Holocaust Education:
A Case Study of New Jersey and Texas
By Linda Nakagawa
Wide disparities exist between each state in the United States in terms of educational curriculum. These gaps are particularly evident when examining the differences of Holocaust materials in educational curriculum. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research published a report that examined the disparities in Holocaust education throughout the United States. These findings showed that only five states enacted legislative mandates to teach the Holocaust, ten states have “legislative regulations” that encourage Holocaust education and twelve states created specific Holocaust commissions(“United States-Holocaust Education Report”). Holocaust education remains necessary to teach America’s children about prejudice, genocide, and tolerance. The lack of federal regulation of Holocaust education accounts for the major disparities between state curricula. Texas outwardly exhibits a progressive educational program, however a closer look reveals the negligible amount of resources and criteria for educators. The state suggests that students be taught minimal historical information about the genocide as an event of WWII. In contrast, New Jersey mandates its educators to provide a substantial amount of information about the Holocaust and genocide for students beginning in elementary school. Additionally, they provide educators with hundreds of pages curriculum, detailing endless possibilities and opportunities to educate students in diverse and creative ways. Both states cite the importance of literature as a tool for Holocaust curriculum. The issue of which texts provide superior knowledge and integration endures as a point of contention with The Diary of Anne Frank, a particularly controversial novel. Nevertheless, literature must be used in parallel with historical teachings to create personal connections and educate students on the greater context of the Holocaust.
Citations:
“United States-Holocaust Education Report.” Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research. Holocaust Task Force, 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
Wide disparities exist between each state in the United States in terms of educational curriculum. These gaps are particularly evident when examining the differences of Holocaust materials in educational curriculum. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research published a report that examined the disparities in Holocaust education throughout the United States. These findings showed that only five states enacted legislative mandates to teach the Holocaust, ten states have “legislative regulations” that encourage Holocaust education and twelve states created specific Holocaust commissions(“United States-Holocaust Education Report”). Holocaust education remains necessary to teach America’s children about prejudice, genocide, and tolerance. The lack of federal regulation of Holocaust education accounts for the major disparities between state curricula. Texas outwardly exhibits a progressive educational program, however a closer look reveals the negligible amount of resources and criteria for educators. The state suggests that students be taught minimal historical information about the genocide as an event of WWII. In contrast, New Jersey mandates its educators to provide a substantial amount of information about the Holocaust and genocide for students beginning in elementary school. Additionally, they provide educators with hundreds of pages curriculum, detailing endless possibilities and opportunities to educate students in diverse and creative ways. Both states cite the importance of literature as a tool for Holocaust curriculum. The issue of which texts provide superior knowledge and integration endures as a point of contention with The Diary of Anne Frank, a particularly controversial novel. Nevertheless, literature must be used in parallel with historical teachings to create personal connections and educate students on the greater context of the Holocaust.
Citations:
“United States-Holocaust Education Report.” Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research. Holocaust Task Force, 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.