Ethnic studies is a good addition to California school curriculum
Gov. Gavin Newsom has recently signed legislation making California the first state to have a required ethnic studies class. In order for students to graduate high school, they will have to take a semester-long course. All schools must have an ethnic studies class as an elective in the 2025-26 school year, and have it as a required class in the 2029-30 school year.
We at The Olympian support the idea of a required ethnic studies class. Having an ethnic studies class will focus on Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other left-out groups that aren’t focused on in Eurocentric history classes.
Taking an ethnic studies class will also help all students to be better informed about other ethnic groups. When it is a required class, the material will be able to reach people who may have been hesitant to take the class if it was only an elective.
While having an ethnic studies class is a good idea, we at The Olympian also have some concerns about how the class will be run.
Since school districts are able to choose what they want to include in curriculum, different parts of California may be teaching students different things. One concern is that some school districts may choose to teach a watered-down version of the information, which would make it a less effective class.
There is also the issue of the class having to pick and choose which ethnic groups are included in the class. With so many ethnic groups, it would be extremely difficult to cover all of them in only a semester-long course.
Another question that we have would be how other history classes might change in response to the ethnic studies class. Nothing has been decided yet about what will be covered in the course. The Olympian suggests that when forming the curriculum for this course, students should be involved in the conversation.
I think an ethnic studies class would be a really beneficial class to mandate for future students. It would help give people a better idea on the different cultures and communities in California. Some people are way too closed minded and don’t want to learn about other cultures, and that’s exactly who should be taking this class.
I think ethnic studies is a good curriculum to teach to students and let them know that not all history revolves around americans. We do have a diverse school and I think most students would be pleased to have this class as it teaches about different cultures. I think that only some teachers should be allowed to teach this class, someone who is passionate about the topic and knows the right information to give to students.
I think ethnic studies will be a great class that students are able to gain positive knowledge about the diverse cultures within California, America and hopefully the world. I do think that only certain teachers are able to teach the subject so they feel comfortable enough to teach it and that students aren’t getting the wrong information about it.
I am hopeful that an ethnic studies class will help to promote diversity and also give students a chance to learn more about different cultures around them. We have spent little time in school focussing on different ethnic and cultural groups that it will be good to be able to have a curriculum that focuses on new people and experiences.
I think a required ethnic studies class would be a really positive and effective implementation at CVHS. California is so diverse; so many cultures have history in our area, and teaching about them is very important.