Op-Ed: Why an Ethnic Studies Mandate Can’t Do it All Disclaimer: While the author aims to present an argument about the logistical hurdles of the CA Ethnic Studies mandate from a nonpartisan standpoint, her writing operates on the prerequisite acknowledgement of the subject’s merit as a class. Although this paradigm is contentious, the author believes that the empowerment of young individuals to critically examine systems of power through a racially-conscience lens is a noble academic pursuit.

Gaining traction just over 50 years ago, Ethnic Studies has become an indispensable component of various academic circles. Offered at some high schools and many universities, the course examines the histories of African American, Latinx, Asian American, and Native American groups and dissects how they have interacted with power structures. Because Ethnic Studies explores topics like colonization, social hierarchies, and U.S. hegemony through a critical lens, it has attracted some adamant opponents. As a result, when Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 101 designating Ethnic Studies as a California public school graduation requirement, he received national pushback (Fensterwald). Though this CA legislation has the potential to empower students to think critically about the world, the underfunding of the public school system and a deficit of teachers well-versed in the subject matter may challenge the success of its implementation. Furthermore, a more holistic policy that addresses the public school system’s institutional failures and allocates funds to California’s public universities to expand their Ethnic Studies programs may better achieve the state legislature’s goal. An exploration of the course’s history, its benefits, and its challenges gives further insight into the requirements of future policies to maximize success.

In 1968, The Third World Liberation Front (twLF), an organization of students at San Francisco State University and University of California, Berkeley, initiated a strike to push for a

departure from a Eurocentric curriculum (Berkeley Center for Race and Gender). Disillusioned by the shortcomings of progressive Civil Rights Era legislation and inspired by the surrounding political climate amplifying the anti war movement, diverse students joined forces to host protests, rallies, and sit-ins to advocate for institutional changes. Among the twLF’s list of demands was the reinstallment of a former teacher who was fired due to his involvement with the Black Panther Party, unconditional acceptance of people of color into CA public universities, and the establishment of a Black studies department with funding allocated to it. Though the universities did not meet all the students’ demands after their five-month strike, Ethnic Studies gained its own departments (albeit poorly funded).

As Ethnic Studies has made its way through education systems, schools have seen a plethora of academic benefits, especially in high-risk communities. In 2010, the San Francisco Unified School District required all students with a GPA of 2.0 or less to take Ethnic Studies (90% of whom were Black, Asian, or Hispanic). A Stanford study found that those who took the course had higher attendance rates and were 15% more likely to enroll in a university than their peers who did not take the class (Dreilinger). As students were able to find themselves within the class’s content, they felt empowered to take ownership over their education. Students are more likely to invest in a curriculum that seems to invest in them. Ethnic Studies has acted as an intervening force in students’ academic lives, with decreasing absenteeism rates matched with a proportional increase in academic performance. Effectively, it helps disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and helps put students on paths to gain higher education, improving their financial circumstances and generating national economic productivity. But perhaps most importantly, the course equips students with a toolset to better understand the origins of socioeconomic power struggles and potentially fight back against prevailing injustices. While the California

Department of Education finds that 50% of its public schools offer an Ethnic Studies course or some equivalent, only 0.2% of students are actually enrolled. This data indicates an underdevelopment of existing Ethnic Studies programs. It is clear that the course is essential, but the implementation of Newsom’s bill is likely to face logistical and institutional hurdles.

While the CA state legislature has established curriculum guidelines for schools to implement Ethnic Studies, existing funding issues will likely undermine the quality of the course. The California Department of Education has created a variety of documents outlining lesson objectives and plans for the course, allowing teachers to pull from existing resources.

Chapter 2 of the Model Curriculum Guide encourages districts to seek community partners as they work to implement Ethnic Studies. The guide suggests teachers involve local organizations like museums and nonprofits as well as create “steering committee(s)” that could integrate local stakeholders into the education process (California Department of Education). The state department suggests these measures in order to make the information learned within the classroom more relatable to students. Additionally, creating an organized framework for kids to participate in positive social change at the community level can help them find a sense of purpose and make them develop a cognitive empathy for those around them. However, it may be difficult for already constrained public schools to fully implement state suggestions. Despite California having the largest state economy in the nation, it ranks 44th out of 50 for per-pupil funding (Evolve California). Additionally, California has the second most overcrowded classrooms in the nation, averaging about 29 students per high school class (Postma). A 2021 survey conducted by the Teacher Salary Project in California found that 80% of respondents “currently or previously worked multiple jobs to make ends meet as a teacher” (Kreidler). Since California public schools already lack existing resources to provide their students optimal

education and teachers’ time and energy are already overstretched, it is unclear how schools will succeed in implementing Ethnic Studies according to Newsom’s vision. Though the California Department of Education reports that the state dedicated $50 million to public high schools to implement Ethnic Studies programs, this is a one time payment that will not sustain schools over the long term. Additionally, divided among California’s 10,430 public schools (Bouchrika), this only leaves just under $5,000 for each school, which is hardly enough to equip the state’s large public schools with textbooks, learning resources, and opportunities to collaborate with community organizations.

In addition to structural funding issues, a lack of teachers well-versed in Ethnic Studies may also make the implementation of the course challenging. CalMatters, a nonprofit newsroom, finds that many California teachers question whether or not they and their colleagues have been equipped with the tools necessary to successfully teach the course. Theresa Montaño, a professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at Cal State Northridge, mentions that simply caring about social justice issues “isn’t enough to give [teachers] the knowledge [they] need” to teach the class (CalMatters). Chapter 4 of the Model Curriculum Guide includes a plethora of sample lessons, ranging from spoken word about Japanese incarceration to AfroFuturism (California Department of Education). These nuanced topics require a deep commitment to the course and prior in-depth exposure. Similarly concerned about teacher preparedness, Assemblymember Wendy Carillo proposed legislation in 2023 that would require the state to create a credential for Ethnic Studies by 2025. The specifics of these credentials remains unclear. Because Ethnic Studies is a young subject, future generation of teachers and students will shape what the class looks like as it gains traction.

A solution to the issue of expanding access to quality Ethnic Studies education is not clear-cut, but investing in the public school system and university-level programs could provide some answers. First, the state has to initiate a variety of institutional reforms to the public school system. Providing extra resources to inner-city schools and less affluent areas will buttress educational spaces. Though the Local Control Funding Formula, a policy enacted in 2013, helps allocate need-based funding for schools with high populations of low-income students, foster students, and English learners, financial barriers still prevent some students from reaching their full academic potential (California Teachers Association). The state providing financial incentives to public universities to expand their Ethnic Studies programs could help create the next generation of teachers ready to jump into the course. Though enacting these policy suggestions will require some sort of initial economic loss or disruption—increased taxes for the wealthiest demographics or some other reallocation of funds—some compromise must be made in order to accommodate a new era of education.

Overall, Ethnic Studies has been a transformative course for those who have taken it, and its integration into the public school system could empower students to become critical thinkers who understand complex social dynamics and can effectively analyze systems of power.

However, lawmakers must dissect and address the current systemic struggles of the public school system in order to make the course mandate successful. As California, a national policy leader, looks forward to the future, legislators must prioritize equipping students with the tools they need to soar academically and in life.

Works Cited “California’s K-12 Funding Crisis.” Evolve California , www.evolve-ca.org/k12-funding.

Accessed 11 Sept. 2024.

Carrillo, Wendy. “Bill Text.” Bill Text - AB-1255 Teacher Credentialing: Ethnic Studies Task Force.

, 16 Feb. 2023, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1255.

Dreilinger, Danielle. “Research Finds Sustained Impact from an Ethnic Studies Class.” Stanford Report , 6 Sept. 2021, news.stanford.edu/stories/2021/09/research-finds-sustained-impact-ethnic-studies-class.

Fensterwald, John. “California Becomes First State to Require Ethnic Studies in High School.” EdSource , EdSource, 11 Apr. 2022, edsource.org/2021/california-becomes-first-state-to-require-ethnic-studies-in-high-school/6 62219.

“History.” History | The Third World Liberation Front , twlf.berkeley.edu/history. Accessed 11 Sept. 2024.

Kreidler, Mark. “California Public Schools Are Losing Underpaid Teachers at a Steep Rate.” Capital & Main - Investigating Power & Politics , Capital & Main, 2 June 2022, capitalandmain.com/california-public-schools-are-losing-underpaid-teachers-at-a-steep-rat e#:~:text=As%20of%202019%2C%20the%20most,that%20has%20tripled%20since%201 996.

https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esfunding.asp#:~:text=Ethnic%20Studies%20One%2DTim

e%20Funding&text=appropriated%20%2450%20million%20from%20the,in%20grades%2 0nine%20to%20twelve.

“Local Control Funding Formula.” California Teachers Association , 3 Feb. 2021, www.cta.org/our-advocacy/local-control-funding-formula.

Postma, Amanda. “The Top 10 Most Crowded Schools by State (Average Class Size by State).” Zippia , 4 Jan. 2023, www.zippia.com/advice/states-most-crowded-schools-largest-classes/.

Tagami, Megan. “California High Schools Are Adding Hundreds of Ethnic Studies Classes. Are Teachers Prepared?” CalMatters , 29 Mar. 2023, calmatters.org/education/higher-education/college-beat/2023/03/california-high-schools-et hnic-studies/.

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