The Dallas ISD African American Success Initiative (AASI) partnered with AT&T and The State Fair of Texas to provide more than 800 district students with a wonderful experience to see the educational movie feature Hidden Figures a few months ago when it opened in theaters.
“It is fundamentally important to expose all children, regardless of socioeconomic background, culture or ethnic background to various aspects of American history,” said Jamila Thomas, coordinator of AASI. “Hidden Figures is one example of many historical occurrences that should be shared with all of us.”
Students from several grade levels were given the chance to participate. More important, in order to adequately introduce various educational contents of the film, students were provided with study guides prior to viewing the feature. In addition, teachers were provided with TEK aligned instructional plans to support guided lessons in their classrooms.
“Educational field trips are suppose to embody many different components, including simply exposure to new life experiences outside of the classroom,” Thomas said. “Many concepts were expressed in this film from history, science and math to cultivating healthy human relationships. To see students from various ages and ethnic backgrounds have the opportunity to enjoy this experience was simply heartwarming.”
The goal of corporate and community partnerships such as this one is to share culturally relevant opportunities with as many children as possible.
