District 4: Oakland Unified School District (Oakland, CA)

• In Event: Imagining Principled Possibilities of Ethnic Studies: Disrupting Racial Injustice From Policy to Pedagogy and Practice

Abstract

Ethnic Studies was founded here in the Bay Area by students of color who did not see themselves reflected in curriculum, in the midst of the social movements of the 1960s that called upon educational institutions to serve the needs of their local region by creating stronger links between the classroom and community. These students of color

formed the Third World Liberation Front - a coalition of Native, Black, Asian American, and Latino students - to establish the first Ethnic Studies programs at SF State and UC Berkeley after long and arduous student strikes that shut down both campuses. These students were the first teachers of Ethnic Studies classes, which went directly into surrounding neighborhoods to establish action projects that have led to now
long-standing institutions serving communities of color.

Building on OUSD's 2015 Ethnic Studies Policy, the May 27th, 2020 School Board Ethnic Studies Resolution inspired the expansion of a cohort across all grades, which was initiated by OUSD teachers: “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education directs staff to move forward a plan and timeline to support OUSD high school social studies and other teachers in the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, adapt the curriculum for middle school and elementary school grades, and adapt Oakland-specific course materials that teach students the rich and diverse history of Oakland’s many ethnic populations and the racial and social dynamics that impact our young people, schools, and community every day.”

Teachers of grades PreK-12th grade are already implementing Ethnic Studies pedagogy and content in OUSD. Teacher leaders and teachers working in school sites are already committed to integrating Ethnic Studies throughout grade levels and a diverse representation of teachers by cultural background, geography, experience, and perspective. Rooted in Dr. Jose Cuellar’s Xicano/Latino Ethnic Studies Paradigm and revised in consultation with Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, OUSD is committed to the following framework:

Ethnic Studies in OUSD is committed to supporting the critical consciousness, self-determination, agency, and humanization of all people by:
1. honoring histories and cultures of racially marginalized groups,
2. by employing multiple disciplines and perspectives to critically analyze systems of oppression,
3. by promoting action in solidarity,
4. ultimately to positively transform students’ lives and communities

Authors

• Lailan Huen, Oakland Unified School District

• Leah Aguilera, Oakland Unified School District

• Laurence Tan, University of California - Los Angeles