Giving Compass' Take:

• The USC Shoah Foundation is combatting intolerance, hate, and violence in schools with digital learning strategies that help students explore cultural differences in the classrooms.

• How can schools measure progress with programs like this one? What are the main challenges in teaching cultural acceptance?

• Read more about why building tolerance for other cultures starts in the classroom. 

If you looked at news headlines from the last couple of years and concluded that racism and intolerance were growing within our country, you would be correct, according to The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University. Following a review of their data, the Center’s researchers concluded that the total number of hate crimes in the 10 largest cities in America has increased annually for the past four years.

We believe teachers and school administrators across the country are uniquely positioned to help stem the wave of racism, intolerance and violence that threatens our nation.

To empower educators to counter hate, USC Shoah Foundation is providing educators nationwide the digital curriculum and long-term strategies they need to help students of all ages to explore identity and difference and ultimately conquer intolerance.

Arkansas library media specialist and English teacher Karen Wells recently shared, “It seems as if now, more than ever in my teaching career, I am searching for trusted resources to help my students cope with the hate that often surrounds them in the media, in their personal lives, and even in the classroom. Ultimately, how do we offer support as we encourage our students to move from an existence of passive indifference to a life of service that will, in turn, inspire others to take-action?”

One outcomes-based method to combat intolerance we’ve developed at USC Shoah Foundation creates empathy and understanding by integrating digital resources that include eye-witness testimony from survivors of genocide into the classroom instruction. First-hand recollections provide a unique view of some of the darkest times in history and connect the past to the present. Students observe the emotion on individuals’ faces, encounter a deeply personal perspective, and experience a powerful way to learn about the human cost of intolerance, hatred and indifference.

Read the full article about education is stronger than hate at Education Dive