1. Holocaust Studies:
Bringing Together Levels of
Expertise
Stephanie Hartman
Nevada Department of Education
Karlye J. Mull
Clark County School District

2. In the Beginning …
• Many disparate groups
– Two universities: University of Nevada Reno
and University of Nevada Las Vegas
– Governor’s Advisory Council on Education
Relating to the Holocaust (est. 1989)
– Nevada Department of Education
– Holocaust Libraries in Reno & Las Vegas
– School districts – Washoe County and Clark
County – 2 largest school districts in Nevada

3. There Were Isolated Events
• Teacher / Student conferences
• Guest speakers
• Some teacher trainings
• However, there was no statewide,
cohesive professional development plan
for Holocaust education

4. Then a Meeting Took Place
• February 2007
• Hosted by the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum (USHMM)
• Most importantly, all of Nevada’s groups
started to talk and plan…
• The goal: Create a sustainable, statewide
plan for Holocaust education in Nevada

5. By the End of the Two Day
Meeting
• The group had a name: the Nevada
Holocaust Education Task Force (HETF)
• A 5 year plan to work together on Holocaust
initiatives in the state

6. Collaboration
• The HETF was composed of leaders from
school districts, the universities, the
Governor’s Council, and the libraries
• HETF developed a five-year, rotating plan for
professional development
• The Governor’s Council agreed to provide
some funding with additional support from the
USHMM & other community partners such as
NV Humanities, the Teaching American History
Project, and the NV Dept. of Education

7. The Five-Year Plan
Based on a 5 year plan with trainings in the North and the
South
– Year 1: The Holocaust & Critical Issues
– Year 2: Connecting the Holocaust to Contemporary
Genocides
– Year 3: Exploring Genocide Through Multimedia
– Year 4: Teaching the Holocaust Through Primary
Sources - Art, Music, and Literature
– Year 5: Teachers Training Teachers – Joint trip to the
Shoah Museum in Los Angeles or USHMM in
Washington, DC

8. Yearly Events: Fall Conference
• Content sessions focused on the annual theme
• Organized in conjunction with the USHMM
– USHMM provides some funding (food) & provides
materials and speakers
– Other support from local schools, museums, and textbook
companies
• 2010 Conference  Exploring Genocide Through
Multimedia
– Propaganda: http://www.ushmm.org/propaganda/
– Webquest: www.zunal.com/webquest.php?w=71599

9. Teacher Outcomes
• Teachers submit a lesson plan following
the fall workshop
– Top 10 lesson plans are chosen based on
criteria specified on the website and posted
for all teachers to use in the classroom
– Selected teachers are given a certificate
• Teachers receive 1 state inservice credit
following submission of the lesson plan

10. Yearly Events: Spring
Symposium
• Teacher/Student symposium in the spring
North South
– Students attend sessions
planned and taught by
pre-service teachers
– Teachers and students
are provided with dinner
and a keynote speaker –
usually a survivor
1. Students attend 2
breakout sessions:
– Hear from local
Holocaust survivor
– Classroom activity:
Table Top Blog to
discuss causes &
effects of genocide
2. Teachers and students
are provided with dinner
and a keynote speaker –
usually a survivor or
liberator

11. Sustaining the Plan
• HETF Website:
http://nvholocausteducation.org
– Sponsored by: Gender, Race, Identity Program:
Holocaust, Genocide & Peace Studies, University
of Nevada Reno
• Cost: $10 a month
• Webmaster: Stephanie Hartman
• Site through Yahoo websites
– Purpose: Advertise, registration, resources
– Post teacher submitted lesson plans

12. Sustaining the Plan
• Other events: Statewide partnerships brought Eva Kor to
Reno.
– Spoke at a Reno area high school
– Her presentation was broadcast live via the internet
– 75 teachers and their students watched Eva’s presentation live &
were able to ask her questions
– the presentation is available at:
http://centra01.ccsd.net/GA/main/000001d81ec900000122b0b04f1
58b3e
– Clark County School District – Moodle class through which
teachers are submitting their lesson plans
• Funding and support through community sponsorships -
Governor’s Council, Nevada Humanities, Teaching American
History grant, educators, and volunteers

13. Just the Numbers…
• Number of teachers trained statewide: 275
• Number of students reached: approximately 3000
(through teachers and the spring symposium)

14. Questions?
Please feel free to contact either of us at:
1. Stephanie Hartman: shartman@doe.nv.gov
2. Karlye Mull: kjmull@interact.ccsd.net