The Americans All® in Wichita Television Taping was convened under a grant from The Hitachi Foundation as part of a planning meeting to bring together representatives of various sectors with a stake in the education of the nation’s youth. The meeting’s goal was to determine how best to expand the dissemination of the diversity-based social studies curriculum materials called Americans All®, which were created under a grant from Hitachi and other funders in the early 1990s and are now owned by the People of America Foundation. The planning meeting’s organizers believed that a discussion with teachers and students on the lessons learned in the seven years Americans All® has been in the Wichita school district would be valuable for developing strategies to replicate the program nationwide.

Americans All® relies on the nation’s common heritage of diversity and democracy to respond to today’s demographic imperatives and school and workforce needs. The information it provides makes it possible to promote appreciation for self and others and to teach U.S. history as a history that recognizes the contributions of all people. These resources can also help the nation’s schools better prepare diverse and underserved youth for full participation in a democratic society.

The Hitachi Foundation’s continued involvement in this program reflects its keen awareness that modern-day immigration levels and other demographic trends are changing the face of this nation and that the pace of change is greatest in our schools. Dr. Gail C. Christopher, a senior advisor to the People of America Foundation and a former co-director of Americans All®, moderated the meeting.

Other meeting participants were Linda Hoobler, Focht Instructional Support Center; Margaret Hoy, Mayberry Middle School; John LeFeber, curriculum and instructional developer, National Council on Economic Education; Allan Kullen, president, People of America Foundation; Denise Nickens-Randle, Robinson Middle School; Paul Oberg, Museum Projects; Lelia Pratt-McAdoo, Marshall Middle School; Rebecca Racunas, Riverside Elementary School; Cynthia Marie Vieyra, Bryant Elementary School; Leonard Wesley, former assistant superintendent for elementary education, Wichita Unified School District 259; and three Wichita High School East students, members of the school’s Students Against Prejudice—Anjali Chandra, Paget Cooks and Balil Farhat.