1. Why is Ethnic Studies so controversial?

 

It doesn't have to be! Ethnic Studies is an interdisciplinary subject, which means that it involves many fields including history, literature, economics and political science. Ethnic Studies is usually taught as a stand-alone high school course. It has been part of the course offerings at US schools for many years. Tam Union High School District (TUHSD) has offered Ethnic Studies as a high school elective for several years.

 

According to the California State Legislature, Ethnic Studies should be implemented "with the objective of preparing students to be global citizens with an appreciation for the contributions of multiple cultures." It is sometimes called “inclusive” Ethnic Studies.

 

Some groups are encouraging schools to teach a different type of Ethnic Studies - one that focuses primarily on certain marginalized groups and often advances political ideologies. This form of ethnic studies is referred to as "liberated" Ethnic Studies.

 

For an excellent primer on the differences between "liberated" ethnic studies and “inclusive” ethnic studies and why it matters, see this commentary written by former CA State Superintendent of Public Instruction Bill Honig. 

​​​

​

 

2. Is Ethnic Studies currently a high school graduation requirement in California public schools?

 

No. A law (AB 101) approved by the CA legislature and Governor Newsom in 2021 states that all of CA's public high schools are to offer an Ethnic Studies course, and requires all students starting with those in the graduating class of 2030 to complete this high school course to graduate. However, AB 101 was drafted to require additional legislation to fully fund it before it becomes a graduation requirement. As of January 1, 2025, such funding legislation has not been enacted. 

 

Some school districts, nevertheless, have read AB 101 as a requirement and have already begun developing Ethnic Studies courses. Districts such as the TUHSD have even mandated their own Ethnic Studies graduation requirement that applies to seniors in earlier graduating classes. 

​

The overall cost to California for Ethnic Studies is expected to be significant. A November 2023 paper published by Stanford and UC Irvine faculty estimates that AB 101 will require 2,000 new Ethnic Studies teachers statewide for the 420 school districts with high schools. Again, as of June 1, 2024, funding expressly for AB 101 has not been allocated by the California Legislature. See EdSource article "The clock is ticking, ethnic studies remains an unfunded mandate: what will Newsom do?"

 

 

3. What does an “ethnic studies” lens mean when applied to non-Ethnic Studies classes?

 

An Ethnic Studies "lens" refers to including race and ethnicity in all course work including non-Ethnic Studies courses.  In California and elsewhere, an Ethnic Studies ”lens” has been applied in all grades to a variety of classes including Math, Art, English, and even Physical Education.  

​

In June 2024, the Tam District suspended its district’s 2023-24 English Ethnic Studies elective for being "one-sided" and advocating a particular political stance (students’ final assignment was to write a manifesto “inspired by the Black Panthers”), The district also concluded the curriculum did not align with what the trustees had approved. The teacher who designed the curriculum defended her elective, calling it reflective of an “authentic” Ethnic Studies course, teaching students  how to become "change agents."​

​

​

4. Is discrimination prohibited against religions and nationalities in California classrooms?

 

Yes. State of California's "Educational Rights” June 2023 guidance letter and the CA Department of Justice's January 2024 Legal Alert warn school districts that California law prohibits them from adopting textbooks or other materials, or providing or sponsoring instruction or activities, that “promote discriminatory bias against or that reflect adversely on persons on the basis of [among other categories] ethnicity, nationality [and] religion."  The State of California also advised school districts that the law does not support indoctrinating students and prohibits their using instructional materials “that contain any ‘sectarian or denominational doctrine’ or other propaganda.”

 

The June 2023 letter mentions the “guardrails” in AB 101 (the law stating that Ethnic Studies is a high school graduation requirement, as described above). These guardrails were included to provide an extra layer of legal protection against discriminatory content in Ethnic Studies courses, like that which was embedded in the first draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum in 2019 (see “What is the CA Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum,” below).   

​

 

​

5. What is the CA Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC)?

 

The CA Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) is an Ethnic Studies guide (not a full curriculum or a requirement) that the CA State Board of Education approved in 2021. It includes K-12 Ethnic Studies course pedagogy (approach) and offers lessons centered on different races and ethnicities, along with religions such as Muslims, Sikhs, and Jews. All of these lessons are offered as options for districts and teachers.

 

The first ESMC draft (2019) was controversial due to its resistance theory-informed content and its pronounced anti-Jewish bias. That draft was rejected after the CA Jewish Legislative Caucus objected and 19,000 people spoke out against it. 

 

​​

6. Who decides what content will be taught?

 

Generally, school boards select the courses and curriculum that will be taught in their districts after obtaining input from teachers and the public. 

 

Individual teachers, staying true to the school board’s direction for a course, choose how to teach the curriculum. This includes supplementing courses with their own lessons and resources. What is taught for the same course may vary by teacher.

 

Teachers do not have the freedom to teach anything they want; they are constrained by the school board’s approved standards, curriculum, federal and state law, and school district policies.  For example:

 

• CA Education Code Sections 51014, 51220.3, and 51224 state that the school board is responsible for setting an appropriate, planned content that students study.

 

• CA Education Code Section 51500 does not permit school districts and teachers to promote a discriminatory bias for or against a religion, nationality or other protected group. 

 

• TUHSD board policy requires the adoption of academic standards for student achievement that are developed through a process involving staff, students, parents/guardians, and community members; this is reflected a commitment to inclusive stakeholder engagement when creating educational policies. See TUHSD Board Policies & Regulations.

​​​​​​

​

7. What does “liberated” Ethnic Studies emphasize and who advocates for it?

 

There are approximately 20 private and university-sponsored Ethnic Studies consulting firms in California. Almost all of them advance “liberated” Ethnic Studies.  Many are members of the national Coalition for Liberated Ethnic Studies (CLES). CLES members promote Ethnic Studies courses that include Critical Race Theory and Arab and Palestine Studies.

 

In January 2024, California’s legislators issued a stark warning about “liberated” Ethnic Studies consultants and their approach: “a group promoting so-called ‘Liberated Ethnic Studies’ has been shopping its services to often-unsuspecting school districts [making] it a top priority to promote  bigoted, inaccurate, discriminatory, and deeply offensive” content.  See also Governor Newsom Administration’s similar warning letter to schools about Ethnic Studies vendors which promote “bias, bigotry or discrimination.”​​​​

 

Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (LESMC) sees anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism, and anti-Zionism as essential topics to teach in Ethnic Studies courses.  LESMC’s co-founders were members of the State of California's ESMC Advisory Committee which produced the controversial first draft the State rejected.

​

*NOTE: Adapted from Palo Alto Parents Alliance

​​