Teaching Race in the Classroom Pt. 2: High School

Updated: Aug 12, 2020

Since the implementation of the Ethnic Studies department at San Francisco State University in 1969, there has been ongoing effort to implement and support ethnic studies departments at lower grade levels, like high school. For example, in 1998, Arizona’s Tucson Unified School District created the Mexican American Studies (MAS) program for elementary, middle, and high school students. In 2012, California’s Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 48, known as the FAIR Act into existence, mandating that schools include:

“...a study of the role and contributions of both men and women, Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, European Americans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, persons with disabilities, and members of other ethnic and cultural groups, to the economic, political, and social development of California and the United States of America, with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society.”

In 2014, California’s El Rancho Unified School District became the first school system in the state to require ethnic studies for graduation. And, in 2016, Jerry Brown also signed Assembly Bill 2016 into existence which further required that “California's Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) [create] a guide to teaching classes on ethnic studies,” and encouraged “each school [with] grades 9 to 12 to offer a course of study in ethnic studies based on the model curriculum.”

Despite what may look like progress, ethnic studies continues to remain a mere suggestion for most school districts rather than a mandated graduation requirement. Even those that have ethnic studies departments have to fight to maintain them, as was the case for the Tucson Unified School District who lost their Mexican American Studies program in 2011. Though the idea is there, many teachers lack the support and resources to effectively build a true ethnic studies program.

College Board is a clear, real life example of teachers lacking the proper resources to implement ethnic studies courses that don’t clash with pre-existing curriculum. As an organization, College Board holds significant power over high school students as it is the sole entity that creates and administers Advanced Placement (AP) curriculums and exams. These courses are designed to mimic college classes in both content and rigor, as well as give students the opportunity to earn credits towards a college degree. However, in the past few years, former graders have come out with their experiences in CB’s questionable grading standards and exam prompts (specifically in regards to AP World and AP US History).

In June 2018, Donald Earl Collins, along with other exam readers, scored thousands of AP World History short answer questions. One of the prompts asked students to provide and explain one example of a democratic state committing mass violence, to which many students responded with the transatlantic slave trade. Though this was an accurate response, Collins and his fellow exam readers were told that these students could not receive credit for this answer. This sparked debate amongst the test’s scoring leaders, which disappointingly resulted in the exam scoring officials deciding that slavery did not count as government sanctioned mass violence, despite numerous pieces of legislation proving that it was (i.e. Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act, SCOTUS Dred Scott Decision).

Curriculum creators from College Board have also had a history of wording prompts in a way that hides or downplays the government’s involvement in the expansion of slavery. As Collins described, a prompt like:

“‘The growth of the plantation economy increased the demand for slaves in the Americas’ is as close the [AP] framework’s authors get to saying that slavery was a state-sanctioned labour system, not once addressing it as a form of mass violence. Such a vague reference to the centrality of slavery in the modern world can allow students and teachers to make ill-informed historical assumptions or traffic in racist stereotypes. Any history teacher who has students are able to raise American slavery as an example of mass violence but who are unable to explain their assertion has not taught their students how to make proper historical intuitive leaps.”

This all points to the bigger issue that the AP course curriculum teachers are required to follow have been and may continue to be biased.

“The testing bias is so strongly Anglo-American and Eurocentric that it lags behind what I taught in my US and World History college courses a quarter-century ago. The AP curriculum leaves many high school instructors ill-equipped to teach about historical nuances that would allow advanced high school students to make a comprehensive college-level history argument, especially on issues related to racism.

So, why is it so important to talk about race in the classroom, specifically?

The classroom, as it is a space to learn, serves as the perfect place for students to discuss and ask questions on race, culture, and biases. Educators are put in the position to be model allies by actively bringing up racism and broaching uncomfortable topics, answering questions, and listening to their students. Having those difficult conversations, letting students have a free space to ask questions, and allowing students to share their experiences all ultimately break down biases, misconceptions, and prejudices. (For some testimonies from a student and eight teachers about how they’ve been dealing with the intersection of race and education, check out:

The Century Foundation’s article titled “Teachers, It’s Necessary to Talk About Race)

It is important to note however, that knowing you have an obligation to address race with your students is very different from knowing how to actually talk to your students about race. It can be a difficult topic for all teachers, but this is especially true for educators who are not people of color. Social Sciences teacher from Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Douglas Edelstein, described his school's struggle with the topic of addressing race in the classroom after several students of color reported feeling traumatized after reading books like Brave New World and To Kill A Mockingbird. Based on his own teaching experience, Edelstein offered personal insight on the situation:

“Clearly, teachers must honestly present the realities of race… The crimes of America’s history are sources of pain to be sure, but they are also springboards of strength, resolve, toughness and resiliency, as full of genuine heroes and moral courage as they are depravity and oppression… Yet we must also protect our students from experiencing racial trauma caused by the ways we teach them. If we don’t, students will tune out, turn off, and disqualify us and our curriculum as a source of anything worthwhile to learn.”

As a result of this situation, the teachers, parents, and students at this school had a discussion regarding how race should really be taught in the classroom. Many of the suggestions came from students who made a list of things teachers should understand before teaching race and recommendations on how to actually teach these topics:

Racial trauma can occur even if the overall message of the text is anti-racist.
Some teachers, specifically White teachers, are unaware of the experience of students of color living in white-majority culture.
Students of color, especially in majority white schools with white teachers, can feel isolated, disconnected, & unable to communicate their emotions.
Explain explicitly that the text they will read contains racism & why it should be read
Consult with experts (i.e. educators of color, experienced colleagues, counselors, community equity groups) on how to present traumatic info.
Consider sending a letter home advising parents.
Believe the experiences of students of color.

Perhaps equally as important as addressing race in the classroom, is creating an inclusive environment where all students feel safe and supported. There are so many ways to build this kind of classroom that encourages discussion, stories, and especially questions, but first and foremost, it is most important to note that staying silent is not acceptable. Choosing to be inactive on matters involving race tells students that racism isn’t important enough to talk about, that it isn’t worth the possible discomfort of a difficult conversation. All too often, students see racism normalized, and if left unacknowledged, it perpetuates the culture of people viewing racism as acceptable behavior. Here are some steps to take when creating an inclusive classroom:

Re-evaluate the past and understand what past practices, rules, and principles did right, and what they did wrong. Everyone has an unconscious racial bias, so re-evaluating rules, classroom management, curriculum, and other teaching practices is essential to moving away from any barriers that prevent students from fully succeeding.
Work towards creating a warm, supportive classroom environment as a way to grow understanding between teachers and students. Not only do studies show that teacher empathy is key to student success and lowering disciplinary actions, but it also lets students know they are accepted and welcome to share their stories and experiences.
Understand that everyone has a unique story and experience, and avoid the “colorblind” mentality because it erases experiences and downplays the importance of race.
Help the students to use this new knowledge to go out and make change! There is so much progress to be made on a school district or city level that all begins with answering questions and classroom discussions.

There is no question that teachers have a lot of power over what they can do in the classroom in terms of race, but it is important to recognize that there is only so much teachers can do with what they have. True change can come in many forms, but legislation is a powerful one. As of today, August 12, 2020, Assemblymember José Medina's Assembly Bill 331 is on track to be heard by the California Senate Appropriations Committee on August 20, 2020. This bill mandates that ethnics studies courses be a graduation requirement for all California high school students by the 2024-2025 school year. To show your support for this bill, follow this link created by Diversify Our Narrative:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PaieAEk2eSziHpHQ38wxtgFSGc9hpbEC0SLCUJo9Nac/edit

Alix & Grace

Source(s):

Teaching Race in the Classroom Pt. 2: High School

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PaieAEk2eSziHpHQ38wxtgFSGc9hpbEC0SLCUJo9Nac/edit

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