African American History Initiative

James Weldon and John Rosamond Johnson (Image provided by Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)

  • This opportunity is now closed.  Thank you to all of our student writers, our college student interns, and our amazing teachers from Summer 2022!  Stay tuned for Summer 2023 opportunities to be shared this Spring.

    STUDENT OPPORTUNITY 

    Our City, Our History, Our Time:  200 Years of Jacksonville African American History

    AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY TASK FORCE

    SUMMER WRITING PROJECT

     

    Would you like to know more about Jacksonville’s African American History?  Do you wish we had additional resources in our classrooms so you could learn about local events and influential African Americans from Duval?  Are you a strong writer who would like to earn a little extra money this summer?  Then this program might be right for you!

    We are currently taking applications for DCPS students to participate in a summer writing project.  You will be working with DCPS teachers and other students grades 10 through 12 to research topics of our local African American History.  Finished workgroup products and research resources will be made available to DCPS classrooms for the upcoming school year.

     

    Program Dates:       Monday through Thursday, June 13 through June 30

    Student Hours:        8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

    Location:                 Stanton College Preparatory School

     

    Student Participation Requirements:

    • DCPS students entering 10th, 11th, and 12th grade for the 2022-2023 school year
    • Minimum 2.5 GPA
    • Able to provide their own transportation to Stanton each day (JTA buses will offer free transportation) *
    • Available to attend for the complete program June 13-June 30
    • A sincere interest in researching our local African American history

     

    Applications must be submitted by Monday, May 2 at 5:00 p.m. at the following link:   https://dcps.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3x5QuRfCwC31SAK

    Students accepted into the program will receive a $585 stipend for successful completion.  If you have questions or need additional information, contact Dr. Kriznar, Deputy Superintendent, at kriznard@duvalschools.org. 

    *We are committed to working with students to find solutions if transportation is an issue.

  • Want to recommend a resource for our schools?

    Do you know someone who would make a riveting guest speaker in our classrooms?  Have you watched a film or read something recently that would be a great resource for our students?  Are there famous landmarks or historic places that could be field trip ideas for classes?  Do you have ideas for teacher professional development that would be a benefit?  We want to hear from you!

    To recommend a resource to be used for professional development, classroom use, student research, or to increase stakeholder awareness, please click on the following link:

    African American History Resource Suggestion Form

     

  • Initiative Information

    In 2020-2021, Duval County Public Schools earned the designation of "Exemplary School District" for a three-year period.  The district is reaffirming our commitment to the African American History Initiative to retain our Exemplary status.

    There are six components to the designation, including the following:

    1. School Board approval of the African American History Initiative
    2. Structured Professional Development
    3. African American Studies Curriculum
    4. Structured Teaching of the African American History Curriculum
    5. University-School District Collaboration
    6. Parent/Community Partnerships


    The district has convened a team consisting of representatives from the following departments:

    • Curriculum & Instruction
    • Family & Community Engagement
    • Schools
    • Professional Development
    • School Counseling
    • Equity and Inclusion

    We are seeking additional Task Force members, including teachers, students, parents, caregivers, business partners, and community stakeholders.

    Get Involved!

    We encourage all stakeholders to review our draft plan and provide input including nominating students, teachers, and community members to serve on the district's Task Force Team.

    Draft Plan:

    African American History Initiative Plan, Revised Draft February 2020 (Revised 2/27/2020)

    We need to hear from our students!  If you are a student who would like to get involved in this initiative, please submit an application to participate:

    African American History Task Force Student Application (Click Here)

    Would you like to become a member of the Task Force or receive information about upcoming meetings?  Do you have an event you would like us to add to our calendar?  Click here to send us an email