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

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

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

The historic passage of California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 101, which starting with the class of 2030, requires students to complete one semester of Ethnic Studies (ES) to graduate high school, is being celebrated as a watershed policy that has the potential to dismantle racial injustice and systemic oppression. Despite the groundbreaking win of AB 101, Ethnic Studies, an almost 55-year-old racial project, has been at the center of controversies and tensions. Proponents of ES have been met with attacks and resistance. There have been significant criticisms and accusations placed against scholars, teachers, and community organizations who have defended the liberatory and radical purpose of

Ethnic Studies. Although K-12 Ethnic Studies policies like AB 101, which now exists in 20 states, should be celebrated for each victory; the real win will be when we see the social and material impacts that ES will have on the next generation, truly achieving the theme of this year’s conference: Dismantling Racial Injustice and Constructing Educational Possibilities. Ethnic Studies and Education scholars and teachers agree that this impact cannot come with simple course title changes, curriculum development alone, or an additive approach to cosmetically change courses at the surface level to achieve Ethnic Studies aesthetics. Ethnic Studies is a shift in pedagogy; it’s a shift in worldview; it is about dismantling racism and other interlocking forms of oppression.
California school districts are scrambling to develop courses and prepare teachers by 2025-2026 to be in time for students to fulfill the Ethnic Studies requirement. Preparing for the implementation of ES requirements can be characterized by a hyper-focus on curriculum and content development. California’s Board of Education chose to center the development of a K-12 model curriculum aimed at guiding the implementation of the state-wide ES requirement. Across the field, we have begun to see organizations, textbook companies, and content providers move toward packaging curricula that can be purchased for classroom usage. Although there is a need for resources and educational materials; there are potential and dangerous misrepresentations of the purpose and values of ES. Coupled with a lack of focus and time on the development of the identities
and pedagogies of ES teachers, there remains an urgent need for educational institutions to have principled strategic plans that are rooted in the values and worldview of ES.
This panel Imagining Principled Possibilities of Ethnic Studies: Disrupting Racial Injustice from Policy to Pedagogy and Practice is composed of practitioners who are at the forefront of leading California’s schools and districts on the implementation of ES. Our session provides five examples from districts across the state that have courageously committed to implementing Ethnic Studies. The ES they are implementing is principled and rooted in the purpose and values of Ethnic Studies established in 1968. All of the panelists have had experiences implementing ES prior to the state-wide policies and are actively taking part in current efforts to roll out district and state requirements.
Each practitioner provides perspectives to: 1. Define ES in ways that are clear, accessible, and rooted in its origin and purpose; 2. Connect the importance of identity/ies development in becoming ES teachers; 3. Understand the pedagogical purpose and nuances in their ES classroom practice; and 4. Underscore what needs to be in place to make sure students, families, and communities have a place at the table to dream together as co-constructors of Ethnic Studies in their local districts; and 5. Describe what needs to be done to ensure that ES has at its center the goal of dismantling racial injustice. The overall question that this panel aims to address is: What is essential for an effective, principled Ethnic Studies implementation to truly create a world that we are proud to live in?

Session Format
In lieu of traditional paper presentations, this panel invites AERA attendees to learn from and with practitioners engaged in ES about their experiences “constructing educational possibilities.” Together, we will provide a space for practitioners, educational leaders, and researchers to share how they implement Ethnic Studies in the districts that they are working in or collaborating with. Each district will share briefly about its history with Ethnic Studies, the specific framework and structure of its program, and the learnings they’ve had implementing the courses, curriculum, and teacher development in their district. After each district has had a chance to share, there will be time for audience members to engage in dialogue around Ethnic Studies implementation. The following provides background on each of the highlighted districts, along with the names of the panelists and their relationship to the Ethnic Studies work.

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