Curriculum written by an Anderson University professor is part of a new initiative announced today by the South Carolina Department of Education that will provide high-quality civics education resources to South Carolina teachers and students at no cost to local districts.
Drawn from the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights: A Global Perspective curriculum is authored by Dr. Matt Daniels, Distinguished Professor of Law, Human Rights, and International Affairs at Anderson University. Lessons on “Hope,”drawn from the curriculum, will be made available to all South Carolina high school teachers and students in the months ahead.
Today marks the anniversary of Dr. King’s landmark “I Have a Dream” speech, which was a watershed moment in the American Civil Rights movement. To commemorate the 61st anniversary of that speech, SCDE announced a new partnership with McGraw Hill and the Good of All Foundation to provide South Carolina students with access to inspirational civics instruction grounded in Dr. King’s unifying message of hope and progress through non-violence.
Commenting on the announcement, State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver shared: “It is fitting that we announce this partnership on the anniversary of one our nation’s most iconic Civil Rights speeches. With only 44 percent of South Carolina high schoolers earning a passing grade on the U.S. History End of Course exam for the 2023-24 school year, it is imperative that we renew our focus on educating students prepared to assume the privileges and responsibilities that are our shared birthright as American citizens.
South Carolina played an outsized role in our nation’s founding sin of slavery but has also been the scene of some of our nation’s greatest acts of forgiveness and racial reconciliation. By presenting this full historical picture, we respond to Dr. King’s belief that ‘With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.’”
Anderson University is a “more selective,” comprehensive Christian university offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus and online. Anderson University is the #2 private university in South Carolina, according to Niche.com, is among U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Regional Universities South,” and is on the publication’s “Most Innovative,” and “Best Online Programs” lists. Anderson is a four-time Apple Distinguished School and on the honor roll of the prestigious Great Colleges to Work For® program.