Pittsburgh Oliver High School teacher Ken Smith doesn't want students to take history; he wants them "doing history."

And so the Pittsburgh Public Schools' new African-American history course is designed to stretch students' research, writing and thinking skills while taking them far behind the scenes of a people's struggle for freedom.

The district yesterday kicked off Black History Month by gathering civic leaders and school supporters at the Senator John Heinz History Center to introduce the course and a program bringing black artists into three schools.

The initiatives are intended to promote achievement among black students who, as a group, trail white students academically.

"We have to connect with the kids. We have to be relevant to them," history center President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Masich said.

Mr. Masich said the new initiatives "deal with tough issues of race and tolerance and whether the American dream and the American experience can be shared by all equally. These are issues that affect the students, as well as their parents, every day."

Mr. Smith taught a mini-lesson from the new course, asking the guests to analyze the "celebration of freedom" in a sculpture, a song and an autobiographical passage by black artists.

The exercise typified the hands-on approach Mr. Smith plans for the course, which he has spent months developing. The course debuted last week at Oliver and will be offered in other district high schools next school year.

Mr. Smith said he wants students to develop their own interpretation of historical events, based on insights they glean from such sources as political cartoons, photos, manuscripts, music and oral histories.

The curriculum goes beyond key dates and events.

Mr. Smith plans to address finer points of black political culture, such as nationalism, feminism and pan-Africanism. He also plans to introduce students to lesser known events and figures in black history.

"Nobody knows who Jim Haskins is," he said, referring to the late author and professor whose many books added to the annals of black literature.

The district used the gathering to announce that three schools -- Pittsburgh Lincoln K-8, Pittsburgh Montessori PreK-8 in Friendship and Pittsburgh Sunnyside K-8 in Stanton Heights -- have been selected to participate in the "culturally responsive arts education" program supported by $1 million in grants from The Heinz Endowments.

The district has selected about 20 artists to work with the schools. Through the three-year program, art will be infused into a variety of subjects, including reading, math, science and social studies.

Eight schools applied to take part in the program. Regina Butler, Sunnyside art teacher, and Deonne Arrington, curriculum coach, said they believed a candid assessment of their school's need to boost achievement of black students was one of the reasons they've been invited to participate.

Mr. Masich called the history center an appropriate place to showcase the district's new initiatives. Thanks to PNC Charitable Trust, the center is offering free admission this school year to students who visit the center on school trips.