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District 1: San Diego Unified School District (San Diego, CA)

Fri, April 12, 7:45 to 9:15am, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 200, Room 201A

Abstract

The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) is the second largest district in California. Its approach to implementing Ethnic Studies (ES) seeks to provide all students with an opportunity to learn about themselves and their histories, as well as situate that understanding within a broader view of understanding the world around them. It is an

approach that builds communities, deepens connections, and empowers students to conceptualize a more just future. The initiative was designed to be responsive to the different needs of school communities. Rather than adding a single course, SDUSD seeks to bring Ethnic studies perspectives into all classes and all grades. SDUSD has focused its initial efforts on secondary schools, as these students are required to take an Ethnic Studies class as part of their graduation requirements starting with the graduating class of 2024; however, the initiative extends beyond 9-12 and already engages educators across UTK-12 in the district. SDUSD implementation is guided by our Ethnic Studies definition:
Ethnic Studies (ES) is content and pedagogy that humanizes and empowers all people. ES values CELEBRATING histories and CENTERING cultures of marginalized groups, specifically BIPOC communities; CULTIVATING love and self-worth for ALL students; CRITIQUING and CHALLENGING power and oppression across systemic, interpersonal, and internalized levels; CONNECTING learning to past and contemporary movements for social justice; and CONCEPTUALIZING new possibilities of collective hope, healing, and liberation. ES promotes the understanding of SELF, STORIES, SYSTEMS, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, and SOLIDARITY.
The Ethnic Studies movement in SDUSD began in response to community advocacy. In 2015, the school board passed a resolution to establish an Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee (ESAC). The vision for Ethnic Studies in SDUSD was developed in ESAC. It included input from many stakeholders, including university partners, and collaboration with district leaders from other districts, notably San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 2019, the SDUSD school board passed a resolution making ethnic studies a graduation requirement for the graduating class of 2024.
The district has always worked in partnership with university researchers to support the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the initiative. A needs assessment memo produced by Dr. James Fabionar and his team of volunteer researchers at the University of San Diego in 2021 outlined a variety of strengths and challenges to the implementation, which helped shape the district’s ESGR implementation policy strategies. The implementation strategy for this work focuses on five interrelated domains: operationalizing, advocating, increasing expertise, institutionalizing, and learning to transform. These domains seek to advance fidelity with this work, making sure that we have consistency with how all stakeholders understand and teach ethnic studies. Our work involves the development of district curriculum for English and History/Social Science teachers, as well as professional development opportunities through a
teacher-led micro-credential series and site-based work that supports teachers to develop their own curriculum or participate in department-wide foundations learning. We also participate in district and community advocacy as the creation of sustainable institutional support through role definition and hiring expert personnel. We consistently seek to embed consistent feedback loops into our implementation to learn about the
work to improve it, such as through teacher surveys, student surveys, classroom observations, and regular reporting.

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