Schools around the United States are modifying their curriculum in response to the Black Lives Matter movement as students return following a summer of protest. 

The weeks of unrest sparked by the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor has jumpstarted the response from educators. 

It has also led to increased demands for teaching materials and practices that help black students better understand their history and place in the country. 

A June survey by the EdWeek Research Center, which is affiliated with the prominent trade publication Education Week, found that 81 percent of US teachers support Black Lives Matter.  

'We can't control what happens with the police, but we can control what happens in our school systems,' said Michael McFarland, head of the National Alliance of Black School Educators and a superintendent of the Crowley Independent School District in Texas. 

After a summer of teacher workshops focused on updating curricula, millions of students will return to U.S. classrooms in coming weeks - virtually or in person - that focus more on black history and experiences, according to interviews with teachers, officials, publishers and others.

John Marshall keeps a picture of Breonna Taylor in his office at the headquarters of Kentucky's largest school district, a visual reminder, he says, of the need for curriculum changes that better honor and focus on black stories.