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Understanding Matters: Holocaust Curricula and the Social Studies Classroom Over the past two decades, interest in Holocaust education has grown substantially as individual states, starting in the 1980s, began to mandate and/or recommend Holocaust studies as part of the social studies curriculum. As a result, these mandates and/or interest in the Holocaust have spawned any number of curriculum products, some of which seek less to help the student of history acquire an understanding of this historical event, and more in terms of dictating to the social studies student what he or she should understand. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to critique Holocaust curricula that have been developed under the auspices of a state department of education (SDE) or endorsed by a SDE, as we believe that teachers unfamiliar with the Holocaust will turn to these products as sources of authority. We base this critique on what we refer to as three approaches or considerations to understanding history—the body of work on historical thinking which we view as the underpinning of historical empathy and positionality, historical empathy as articulated by Elizabeth Yeager, O.L. Davis, Jr., and Stuart Foster, and the guidelines on teaching the Holocaust developed for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum by William Parsons and Samuel Totten. These three elements, each in their own way, help us to understand the challenge for teachers and students whose foundation for understanding the Holocaust may solely rest upon curriculum products whose curricular aims and/or design often obstruct the quest to “understand,” e.g., lack of historical accuracy, lack of depth, and historical gaps. (By the author) 
Educator Resources from Facing History and Ourselves Facing History and Ourselves fights racism, antisemitism, and prejudice and nurtures democracy through education programmes worldwide, with specific focus on the history of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide and mass violence. Facing History proposes various resources, workshops, seminars and online learning opportunities for educators and students. 
Holocaust Education: Analysis of Curricula and Frameworks: A Case Study of Illinois This article addresses how far educational institutions have come in designing authentic and meaningful curricula for teaching the Holocaust at the secondary level. Examined in this article are the historical development of Holocaust education in the United States, with a focus on the state of Illinois as a case study, what contributes to the development of a full curriculum, and what constitutes the boundary between a curriculum and a framework, based on examination of the work of scholars and institutions in the field. Analysis of existing frameworks according to criteria developed by the authors has yielded the finding that a framework can only guide teachers to an extent because of its looser structure. A full curriculum, however, is structured with greater detail and more direct ways of determining evidence that demonstrates understanding of the content and mastery of essential skills. Recommendations are provided for Holocaust Education curriculum development, underscoring the significance of an engaging design that makes learning more lasting and meaningful. (By the author) One country, many cultures! Does Holocaust education have an impact on pupils' citizenship values and attitudes? The Holocaust has been regarded as the defining moment of modern history and perhaps of all time. For most people it still evokes the ultimate in barbarism and inhumanity. The focus of this paper is to examine the impact that Holocaust education has on citizenship values in the primary and secondary stages of schooling. Previous research on teaching the Holocaust, primarily case studies in either the primary or the secondary sectors, suggests that the contribution of Holocaust education to citizenship includes developing pupils' understanding of the notion of justice, tolerance and the many forms of racism and discrimination, and provides opportunities for developing the positive values of empathy, awareness of antiracism, and an understanding that the individual can make a difference. Further, it can make a significant contribution to citizenship in developing pupils' awareness of human rights issues and genocides, the concepts of stereotyping and scapegoating and the exercise of power in local, national and global contexts. Our ongoing longitudinal research (sponsored by the Scottish Executive Education Department and running from November 2003 until summer 2005) aims to examine the value of Holocaust education in achieving aspects of citizenship. It is concerned with the immediate and longer term effects of Holocaust education on pupils' values and attitudes. Initially focused on primary pupils aged 11-12 years, it will follow them into secondary and compare their values and attitudes with pupils in their year who did not study the Holocaust in their primary schools. The proposed paper, which will report on the first stages of this ongoing research, will concentrate on: the relevance of Holocaust education to citizenship; the research methodology; the first results of the understanding of pupils and the impact of Holocaust teaching; tentative conclusions. (By the author) Citizenship Initiatives and Pupil Values: A Case Study of One Scottish School's Experience As the education for citizenship agenda continues to make an impact on schools, there is a need to discuss and examine the kind of initiatives that can push it forward. In Scotland the proposals should, it is argued, permeate the curriculum throughout the school. Yet there is the fear that the responsibility of all can become the responsibility of none. This research is designed to examine the impact on the young people involved in a dedicated and intense citizenship programme in one large secondary (high) school in Scotland. The results suggest that there was a marked change in the general values of the young people involved. Further, that there are some stark gender differences in the findings. (By the author) The Holocaust, 1933-1945 : Educational Resources kit Corporate author: Simon Wiesenthal Center This educational kit released by the Simon Wiesenthal Center Library and Archives proposes numerous teaching materials educational staff can appropriate. It offers a timeline of the Holocaust, a glossary of terms, places and personalities, a History lesson under a "questions/answers" session, information about each Nazi camp (number of deaths, present status...) readings, resources and a list of associations working on this topic. 
Rewriting the nation: World War II narratives in Polish history textbooks This chapter examines the processes of rewriting nationhood in educational narratives regarding the Second World War (WWII) in Poland. Using mixed methods, this case study analyzes narrative change in state-approved history textbooks published between 1977 and 2008, thus covering the period of political transition from a communist to a democratic Poland. Although trends in learning theory and international norms suggest that attention to diversity should have increased in textbooks, in Poland these trends have been subsumed by more long-lasting Polish specific cultural tropes. WWII narratives, in particular, emphasize an ethnically homogeneous nation. Throughout the 31-year sample, educating youth about WWII in Poland continues to be focused on reclaiming “Polishness” rather than on espousing global understandings and citizenship. (By the author) History at the gates: How teacher and school characteristics relate to implementation of a state mandate on Holocaust education This quantitative study examines implementation by one Florida school district's fifth grade teachers of a state mandate to teach about the Holocaust. Teachers' responses to survey questions were analyzed to determine the relationships between choosing to teach about the Holocaust and factors like exposure to Holocaust content and teacher/school demographics. In addition, this study explores descriptive data about the nature of resources, materials, and teaching methods used to teach about the Holocaust in elementary classrooms. The findings of this study demonstrate the background knowledge and resources that teachers need to increase their implementation of Holocaust education in the classroom. Suggestions for the development of more effective workshops, information dissemination strategies, and teacher resources for Holocaust education and other mandated areas are also included in this study. To provide the necessary background for the exploration of the implementation of Florida's Holocaust education mandate, this study examines: the importance of Holocaust education; effective instructional practices in Holocaust education; connections between Holocaust education and multicultural goals; and the history of the passage of legislation related to Holocaust education. As the title suggests, teachers are the final "gatekeepers" of the curriculum: their decisions determine the extent to which topics will be taught. For this reason, this study examines the connections between teachers, their experiences, and their decisions to teach about crucial, mandated subjects like the Holocaust. (By the author) Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust through Visiting an Exhibition This article evaluates a teaching initiative that aimed to teach about the Holocaust through a traveling exhibit on Anne Frank. Data from 10 case study schools show the success of the approach and some ways in which the teaching relevance might have been strengthened. (By the author) 
Does the Singularity of the Holocaust make it Incomparable and Inoperative for Commemorating, Studying and Preventing Genocide? Britain’s Holocaust Memorial Day as a Case Study This article is a response to the controversy surrounding the first national Holocaust Memorial Day in Britain, held on 27 January 2001. The discussion is centred on the British experience, but it is intended to have a wider resonance and relevance. It begins by summarizing the aims of Holocaust Memorial Day and then looks at some of the significant interventions in the nationwide debate about it. Much of the discussion was informed by the work of the American historian Peter Novick, so the article examines his influential argument about Holocaust commemoration and education. It concludes with an attempt to answer the question set out in the title, showing briefly that researching and teaching about the Holocaust as well as the work of remembrance and memorialization are crucial to commemorating, studying and preventing genocide. (By the author)