High School Ethnic Studies: Increasing Agency for Marginalized Urban Youth

• In Event: Roundtable Session 57
  In Roundtable Session: Transgressive and Transformative School Contexts

Abstract

A growing body of research has examined the relationship between Ethnic Studies curricula and improved academic and social outcomes in K-12 settings. Rooted in this research, six California school districts have recently passed resolutions to institutionalize Ethnic Studies curricula. This study explores effective K-12 Ethnic Studies teachers’ perspectives on how Ethnic Studies curricula impacts their students. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and transcribed and coded for themes. The findings revealed four emergent themes: (1) identity or self-knowledge, (2) critical consciousness, (3) resiliency and transformative resistance, and (4) student agency. Implications from this study can inform California districts across the state grappling with making decisions about the specific form and content of their curricula.

Author

• Robert Nakamoto, San Francisco State University