A tale of two curricula: California school districts should be early to ethnic studies

Credit: EdSource file

Recently, my student Jeremiah finished the Newberry-winning graphic novel “New Kid” by Jerry Craft. It’s a story about a young artist named Jordan, whose parents enroll him at a prestigious art school where is one of the few young people of color.

My student Jeremiah loved everything about it, and so did six other students in my room — all young men of color too. I had to buy the sequel for them, they said. Excited to see them so pleased, I reflected how for the first time in my 24-year teaching career, my school district, San Diego Unified, purchased a large order of books specifically with the intention of putting culturally affirming texts in the hands of kids like Jeremiah.

Led by our youth advocacy department, SDUSD’s leadership has decided to celebrate diverse perspectives through the lens of underrepresented groups. In at least some way, we’ve decided to address the traditional narrowing of our full California and U.S. history, too. In fact, SDUSD’s school board recently elected to begin an ethnic studies curriculum for all high school graduates. And they did it years earlier than will be required by state law.

SDUSD’s school board isn’t alone. A majority of Californians agree that teaching diverse perspectives through the lens of underrepresented groups, known as ethnic studies, is important enough to be part of a high school requirement. Assembly Bill 101, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, will require every graduating high school senior to complete one course on ethnic studies by the 2029-30 school year.

But not all school districts are as courageous as ours. There is a tale of two curricula sweeping the country. You’ve heard about it, particularly in places like Florida, but its effects are everywhere. It can be a tale of white America, of cherry trees and Pilgrims’ pride. It can often be a tale that is not inclusive of the many stories of nonwhite men and women. These are real stories, similar to the fictional one Jeremiah found in “New Kid.” These are stories that Jeremiah and his mom, Yolanda, still have to seek out on their own.

As Yolanda put it to me recently, “Thank you, Mr. Courtney, for including these books and lessons in your curriculum. I never saw books like this when I was a kid in school, nor did I hear stories about people who look like me and my family. I love you for it, even though I feel like I shouldn’t have to be thankful for it.”

I don’t believe she should have to be thankful, either. And by moving our plans up to teach ethnic studies in California, we can show parents like Jeremiah’s mom that we think so, too.

Because to me, the current tale that we’ve been sharing keeps the status quo for too many students of color. It also does a really good job of keeping white children from feeling bad. It keeps a select, small group of concerned citizens safe from teachers like me, who they believe wish to indoctrinate children over something called critical race theory, or CRT. The claim about indoctrination in schools is nothing new, but it’s been renewed with CRT — with vigor.  Teachers like me have been labeled communists, and right here in Solana Beach, we’re purveyors of “damaging” materials, and encouragers of same-sex relationships. In places like Florida, we’re now cleaning off our shelves to avoid a potential felony charge, a $5,000 fine, and up to five years in jail. To a minority of Californians, it would be to rewrite our history, to harm kids, for me to present a broader view of history than what has been traditionally depicted in textbooks.

But that tale to me has never put books that affirm Jeremiah in his hands, nor given him the truthful aspects of our history that show contributions from all Americans to our great nation. That matters to me, and I am not alone.

At times, listening to people debate what ethnic studies is (instead of actually reading the proposed curriculum), it feels like there is a tale of two Californias waiting for Jeremiah. It’s a tale of two histories he either will or will not be exposed to — a tale of two futures for our schools ahead of us. It also feels sadly like a tale of two pasts — one which tells the whole story, and the other which still does not.

Meanwhile, a model curriculum created for AB 101, which will require California high school graduates to take one ethnic studies course, waits for the debate to settle. It isn’t filled with indoctrination. Just sample lessons of the contributions of minority ethnic groups to our great state. With Newsom’s signing of Athe bill, California will be the first state to require such study, but not until the 2029-30 graduating class. Some districts like LAUSD, Fresno Unified and my own SDUSD have chosen to move up their requirement date. Many others have not.

California, in the vast majority, agrees that our students deserve to hear our full story through ethnic studies now instead of later. But someone else, far more important to I, is glad that his school district agreed early to make this change.

“Mr. Courtney,” Jeremiah asked me on the last day of school, “Do you know where I can get more books like “New Kid” to read over the summer?”

Thanks to SDUSD’s commitment to our diverse communities, my answer to Jeremiah was yes. And I hope California will join me in saying the same thing to all of our students.

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Thomas Courtney is a sixth grade humanities and English language arts teacher at Millennial Tech Middle School in southeast San Diego. His first book, “A Window at 45th and Market Street,” will be available in 2024.

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