The UK-JHF Holocaust Education Initiative led by the Interdisciplinary Program in Jewish Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky features a collaboration with educators from across the Commonwealth to enhance K-12 Holocaust education and provide professional learning and teaching tools necessary to meet the requirements of the 2018 Ann Klein and Fred Gross Holocaust Education Act.
Funded by a grant from the Jewish Heritage Fund (JHF), with additional support from the Central Kentucky Community Foundation and the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, the UK Holocaust Education Initiative creates a network of teachers across the Commonwealth who feel confident and capable of including Holocaust curricula in their classrooms. The initiative creates opportunities for interdisciplinary content sharing, pedagogical training, and collaborative planning. From a pool of highly qualified applicants and through an extremely competitive process, the steering committee chose 21 teachers to lead this initiative for 2023-2024, one of which was our very own Ms. Kimberly Thompson!
Teachers worked with UK Faculty in Jewish Studies, the College of Education, and other content experts during the summer and will continue throughout the 2023-24 academic year- Deepen understanding of the Holocaust and related genocide studies
- Collaborate to design school and district-speci c lessons
- Plan and execute Holocaust education workshops for up to 250 teachers across Kentucky
- Become content leaders in schools and districts
Instructional materials created by Kentucky teachers through the UK Holocaust Initiative will be professionally peer-reviewed and then shared freely on the Initiative’s website.
“UK faculty will use their expert knowledge to empower Kentucky teachers with extensive middle and high school classroom experience and expertise by educating and collaborating with them and their peers. Through these multiple layers of collaborative work, we will create networks of experts at the local level and a sustainable model for educational excellence,” Initiative Co-Director Janice Fernheimer explains.
A steering committee of experts from UK’s College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education, Fayette County Public Schools, the 2022-2023 Cohort of UK-JHF Teacher Leaders, and St. Francis of Assisi School in Louisville will guide the grant's implementation. UK’s Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning collaborates on program design, pedagogical framing, and the development of instructional materials.
UK-JHF Steering Committee:
- Janice Fernheimer (UK Jewish Studies, Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies) Initiative Co-Director
- Karen Petrone (UK Jewish Studies, History) Initiative Co-Director
- Jill Abney (UK Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning) Associate Co-Director
- Lauren Hill (Leestown Middle School, Fayette County Public Schools) Associate Co-Director
- Renee Boss (Woodford County High School)
- Trey Conatser (UK Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning)
- Aaron Davis (Fayette County Public Schools)
- Sheila Jelen (UK Jewish Studies)
- Jeremy Popkin (UK Jewish Studies)
- Kelly Pratt-Booth (Highlands High School)
- Andy Smith (Dunbar High School)
- Lane Springer (Calloway County High School)
- Kathy Swan (UK Curriculum and Instruction)
- Kristina Whatley (Fayette County Public Schools)
- Fred Whittaker (Holocaust educator, St. Francis of Assisi, Louisville)
For more information or additional comment, contact Dr. Janice Fernheimer at jfernheimer@uky.edu