Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/569858
districts. In July, he received a Social Justice Activist Award from NEA for his advocacy. AB 101, a CTA-backed bill currently in legislative com- mittee, would require the state to develop a plan to create elective courses in ethnic studies for grades 7-12. CTA's State Council voted to support making ethnic studies a graduation requirement in all districts. However, not everyone believes ethnic studies should be a graduation requirement. Several readers on CTA's Facebook page wondered if there were already too many requirements in high schools. Among them was Bernadette Weissmann, Valley of the Moon Teachers Association, a teacher at Sonoma Valley High School. "Honestly — what would you take off the plate?" asks Weissmann. "We went with A-G requirements for all stu- dents a few years back, and there is barely any room for another elective. One more academic class and I think our dropout/give-up rate would skyrocket." (For more viewpoints taken from Facebook, see Point/ Counterpoint on page 22.) Research shows strong benefits "Students enjoy ethnic studies because it's discussion-oriented, and they get a chance to voice opinions," says Bridget Martinez, a multicultural studies teacher at McClatchy High School in Sacramento. "It's not like a typical his- tory class where there's a right or wrong answer. It's a place where they can explore ideas and hear perspectives they may not otherwise be exposed to." At the beginning of the course, class discussions focus on defining the concepts of culture, identity, stereotypes and racism. That leads to looking at social issues, such as immigration, poverty and gangs. "It's essentially a study of race relations in America both historically and currently," says Martinez, Sac- ramento City Teachers Association. "We try to show the common threads of how some cultural groups have been treated and how they blend — or don't blend — into society." The class is a powerful experience for students, who share their core values, culture and life experiences with one another. Martinez is pleased when parents comment that the curriculum extends beyond the classroom and sparks lively dinner table conversations. Research shows that ethnic studies empowers students to perform academ- ically and think critically. A study by Christine Sleeter, "The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies," finds that most curriculum presented in schools is Eurocentric, and students of color become aware of this as early as middle school, resulting in alienation. The study, published by NEA in 2011, finds that ethnic studies courses help combat this. "There is considerable research evidence that well-de- signed and well-taught ethnic studies curricula have positive academic and social outcomes for students," the study states. "Curricula are designed and taught some- what differently depending on the ethnic composition of the class or school and the subsequent experiences stu- dents bring, but both students of color and white students have been found to benefit from ethnic studies." Race matters, says Charles Toombs of the Department of Africana Studies at San Diego State University. Bridget Martinez, multicultural studies teacher at McClatchy High School in Sacramento, with a student. 46 cta.org Learning