Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/569858
Ethnicities of California's Student Body American Indian or Alaska Native 0.6% None Reported 0.6% Black or African American 6.0% Asian 8.8% White 24.6% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.5% Hispanic or Latino 53.6% Filipino 2.5% Two or More Races 2.8% Up 134% since 1980 Up 199% since 1980 Down 20% since 1980 "It's great to have the opportunity to learn about my Mexican culture and history," says Norma Garcia, breaking into a wide smile. "It makes me feel good that my school cares about my culture and where I come from. I can't even explain, it's so exciting to me." Haley Mack, who is African American, enjoys looking at history from a black point of view. "I didn't know a lot about my culture before I took this class," says Mack. "Most of the focus in my other classes has been on white historical figures. Learning what my people have gone through to be treated equally makes me feel so proud." Social studies classes usually look at civili- zations, cultures and historical events from a western, largely Caucasian point of view. For students of color, the curriculum has little connection or relevance to their own experiences and culture. Ethnic studies classes change that. Espiritu, for one, sees ethnic studies as a means to empower students, instill them with a sense of "histor- ical consciousness and social j u s t i c e ," a n d p rov i d e p ro j - ect-based learning that meets A-G college entrance require- ments and is in alignment with the Common Core. " I t ' s a l s o a way t o b u i l d unity between black and brown students," says Espiritu, an Asociación de Maestros Unidos member. His students recently learned that César Chávez and Martin Luther King Jr. communicated back and forth a great deal, because both men realized their individual struggles were also shared struggles about freedom and human dignity. "I love bringing to light some of the 'hidden history' that's missing from our textbooks," says Espiritu, who belongs to Ethnic Studies Now, a coalition that has influenced increasing numbers of California school com- munities to support ethnic studies. Momentum is growing Ethnic studies, the interdisciplinary study of race, ethnic- ity and culture, was created decades ago to bring "cultural relevancy" to minority students and help prepare all stu- dents to live in a diverse world. Classes focus on one or more ethnic groups including African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asians. The battle to allow ethnic studies classes began at the university level and has trickled down to secondary schools. Last year, Montebello Unified School District voted to make ethnic studies a graduation requirement within two years and develop courses for pre-K–12 students within four years. Elec- tive courses are already offered. "Ethnic studies will provide a curriculum that will create a different kind of society and a different kind of school," comments Lorraine Richards, president of the Montebello Teachers Association. "Teaching students to be globally minded and engage in critical thinking about our history and society will give us greater diversity. But implementation will be challenging, because students already have very impacted schedules." In the Los Angeles Unified School District, supporters shouted "We won! We won!" when the board approved making ethnic studies a graduation requirement beginning in 2019. New classes will be rolled out in 25 high schools this year. The full-credit semester-long courses include Mexican American Stud- ies, African American History, Literature of Minorities in America, and Asian Studies. "It's important because our population is over- whelmingly students of color," says Jose Lara, United Teachers Los Angeles, who taught ethnic studies at Santee High School. "I hope what's happening in Los Angeles serves as a model throughout the state." As coordinator of Ethnic Studies Now, Lara has worked with community groups to make it a graduation requirement in Los Angeles, El Rancho, Montebello, Woodland, El Monte and Sacramento City school districts — and an elective in San Francisco, Santa Ana, San Diego, Lynwood, Garden Grove and Anaheim school Lorraine Richards Jose Lara "Teaching students to be globally minded and engage in critical thinking about our history and society will give us greater diversity." —LORRAINE RICHARDS, president, Montebello Teachers Association Breakdown of the state's total 2015 K-12 public school enrollment of 6.2 million students (KidsData.org; illustration by Kathleen Kowal). 45 V O LU M E 2 0 I S S U E 2 Learning