Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ethnic Studies?
Ethnic Studies is the study of the perspectives, contributions, knowledge, and experiences of People of Color with a central focus on anti-racism.
What is the purpose of Ethnic Studies?
Ethnic Studies is meant to educate students about the full range of experiences, perspectives, contributions, and knowledge of People of Color that has been left out of the curriculum in order to foster greater understanding and eliminate oppression.
Where did the field of Ethnic Studies come from?
Ethnic Studies courses and departments were developed in United States universities beginning in 1969. SDUSD’s Board has made one Ethnic Studies course a high school graduation requirement beginning with the Freshman class of 2024.
How does Ethnic Studies work? What are examples of it in action?
Ethnic Studies courses are designed to improve students’ academic performance, and in SDUSD focused on university preparation. In practice, Ethnic Studies classes often take the form of Humanities classes like English or History in that they involve reading and analyzing texts, critically analyzing and discussing ideas, and developing writing skills but can include any subject area like math, science, and art.
Why should students take Ethnic Studies?
The growing body of research on Ethnic Studies in K-12 shows it increases academic achievement, improves cross-racial understanding, engages students more deeply in their school careers, and lowers drop-out rates.
How is Ethnic Studies related to culturally relevant, restorative, and trauma and resilience informed practices?
Ethnic Studies centers our students’ experiences and their identities as a means to activate equitable educational and societal outcomes. Ethnic Studies reframes the best practices of culturally relevant, restorative, and trauma and resilience informed approaches by centering the experiences, survival, and resistance of Asian American, Chicanx/Latinx, Native American, and African American people while inspiring them to actively work on social justice for all. Ethnic Studies for all means that every person on the school campus needs to understand how curriculum and teaching with culturally relevant practices must also be actively community responsive to social justice in the communities of the school, how restorative justice can only be healing if it is anti-oppressive in every layer of school and society, and how trauma- and resilience-informed practices must be collectively radically healing centered.
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Sources:
Dee, T. & Penner, E. (2016). The causal effects of cultural relevance: Evidence from and Ethnic Studies curriculum. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 21865. doi: 10.3386/w21865
Farago F., Davidson K.L., Byrd C.M. (2019) Ethnic-Racial Socialization in Early Childhood: The Implications of Color-Consciousness and Colorblindness for Prejudice Development. In: Fitzgerald H., Johnson D., Qin D., Villarruel F., Norder J. (eds) Handbook of Children and Prejudice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12228-7
Sleeter, C.E. (2011). The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies: A Research Review. Washington , D.C.: National Education Association.
Thomas, M. S. Crosby, S., & Vanderhaar, J. (2019). Trauma-informed practices in schools across two decades: An interdisciplinary review of research. Review of Research in Education 43(1), 422-452. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18821123
Ethnic Studies is the study of the perspectives, contributions, knowledge, and experiences of People of Color with a central focus on anti-racism.
What is the purpose of Ethnic Studies?
Ethnic Studies is meant to educate students about the full range of experiences, perspectives, contributions, and knowledge of People of Color that has been left out of the curriculum in order to foster greater understanding and eliminate oppression.
Where did the field of Ethnic Studies come from?
Ethnic Studies courses and departments were developed in United States universities beginning in 1969. SDUSD’s Board has made one Ethnic Studies course a high school graduation requirement beginning with the Freshman class of 2024.
How does Ethnic Studies work? What are examples of it in action?
Ethnic Studies courses are designed to improve students’ academic performance, and in SDUSD focused on university preparation. In practice, Ethnic Studies classes often take the form of Humanities classes like English or History in that they involve reading and analyzing texts, critically analyzing and discussing ideas, and developing writing skills but can include any subject area like math, science, and art.
Why should students take Ethnic Studies?
The growing body of research on Ethnic Studies in K-12 shows it increases academic achievement, improves cross-racial understanding, engages students more deeply in their school careers, and lowers drop-out rates.
How is Ethnic Studies related to culturally relevant, restorative, and trauma and resilience informed practices?
Ethnic Studies centers our students’ experiences and their identities as a means to activate equitable educational and societal outcomes. Ethnic Studies reframes the best practices of culturally relevant, restorative, and trauma and resilience informed approaches by centering the experiences, survival, and resistance of Asian American, Chicanx/Latinx, Native American, and African American people while inspiring them to actively work on social justice for all. Ethnic Studies for all means that every person on the school campus needs to understand how curriculum and teaching with culturally relevant practices must also be actively community responsive to social justice in the communities of the school, how restorative justice can only be healing if it is anti-oppressive in every layer of school and society, and how trauma- and resilience-informed practices must be collectively radically healing centered.
--
Sources:
Dee, T. & Penner, E. (2016). The causal effects of cultural relevance: Evidence from and Ethnic Studies curriculum. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 21865. doi: 10.3386/w21865
Farago F., Davidson K.L., Byrd C.M. (2019) Ethnic-Racial Socialization in Early Childhood: The Implications of Color-Consciousness and Colorblindness for Prejudice Development. In: Fitzgerald H., Johnson D., Qin D., Villarruel F., Norder J. (eds) Handbook of Children and Prejudice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12228-7
Sleeter, C.E. (2011). The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies: A Research Review. Washington , D.C.: National Education Association.
Thomas, M. S. Crosby, S., & Vanderhaar, J. (2019). Trauma-informed practices in schools across two decades: An interdisciplinary review of research. Review of Research in Education 43(1), 422-452. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18821123
