From Cincinnati's riverfront to Chicago is about 300 miles, but through distance-learning technology, the kids in Chicago's public schools will experience Cincinnati's
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Using high-quality, digital media and distance-learning technology, the Freedom Center's curriculum content will be worked into the classrooms of the 110 schools in Chicago's system, reaching up to 300,000 students. The high-tech tools mean "We are able to take the Freedom Center content -- developed and continuing to develop -- to interested learners across the globe," says Donald Murphy, the Center's CEO.
Opened in 2004, the Freedom Center offers education programs, interactive exhibits, nationally-known speakers, and year-round programming from its downtown riverfront location. Its mission: educate the public about the historic and continuing struggle for freedom, with a focus on stories from the Underground Railroad. The Chicago initiative is being funded by Ariel Mutual Funds.
Writer: David Holthaus
Source: Ernest Perry, Freedom Center
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