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Organizers with the Campaign For Ethnic Studies have been working to implement ethnic studies courses in San Francisco high schools to help minority students better understand their roots.
By Nalea J. Ko, Reporter
Published January 19, 2010
San Francisco educators and students are pushing for the creation of ethnic studies courses in high schools, despite the school district’s budget constraints.
Organizers with the Campaign for Ethnic Studies hope the San Francisco Board of Education implements the proposed ethnic studies pilot program for ninth graders.
If approved, the pilot program would be established in five high schools — which have not been identified — during the 2010-11 school year.
The estimated price tag is $300,000. But students, educators and city officials say the cost is an investment in San Francisco’s future.
“I think this is really important for the students, but also for the school culture in general,” explained Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, associate professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University, or SFSU. “I mean ethnic studies really fosters hope and I think that’s something that has been missing for a long time.”
At a Jan. 12 board meeting supporters of the ethnic studies pilot program wore red to show their solidarity. They urged the Board of Education to consider creating a culturally sensitive curriculum in high schools.
A resolution will be introduced Jan. 26 in support of ethnic studies being included in the core curriculum, explained board commissioner Sandra Lee Fewer.
The details concerning the ethnic studies courses will be ironed out most likely in the committee meetings, she said.
“It will probably go through two committees, especially in the budget committee is where the deep discussion will take place,” Fewer said.
“[In] San Francisco we have to cut like $100 million in the next two years, so that means it’s about 20 percent of our overall budget. What the superintendent is doing now is looking at the classes that ninth graders take currently and how are we funding those classes.”
She said they would need to find “innovative” ways to fund the proposed courses.
The Birth of Ethnic Studies
The push to create ethnic studies programs at a collegiate level began across the country in the 1960s. But the longest campus strike took place in 1968 at SFSU, according to its Web site.
Students with the Third World Liberation Front led the protest carrying signs that read, “Power to the People.”
Protests continued on campus for months. Their efforts would not be in vain. The following year the College of Ethnic Studies was created.
High school students said they want to see ethnic studies courses — like those offered at SFSU — implemented in public high schools.
“While studying U.S. history in the eleventh grade, I didn't see myself reflected in the curriculum,” explained 17-year-old Harriet Hu, who is a senior at George Washington High School. “Ethnic studies will stray away from the Eurocentric curriculum, and truly engage students so they can start learning about their own history.”
The aim of the proposed ethnic studies courses is to “develop students’ self-respect, their respect for their families and communities.” The curriculum will touch on topics like the Japanese American internment, the Black Panther Party, imperialism, and other topics.
It is an opportunity to help students identify with their ethnic heritage and encouraged them to pursue higher education, said educators.
“A lot of the students have told me over the years — and I’ve been working with the school district for almost two decades — and students say, ‘Oh they don’t care about us,’” Tintiangco-Cubales explained. “They’ll often say things, referring that schools don’t always reflect who they are. And ethnic studies is about that. It’s really about trying to create a relevant education.”
Diverse Curriculum
Tintiangco-Cubales, who is also the director of the Pin@y Education Partnership, has been a part of other ethnic studies pilot programs in the district. Some high schools in the district, such as George Washington High School, have current ethnic studies classes.
The proposed lesson plan for the ethnic studies pilot courses, which were presented at the Jan. 26 Board of Education meeting, would reflect the diverse ethnic make up in the school district. About 10 percent of students are white and the rest are students of color, Fewer said.
“The San Francisco Bay Area is a hugely diverse region, which is reflected in many of the public schools,” explained Mitzy Valdez. “Unfortunately, this diversity is not exactly reflected in the curriculum offered in the schools.”
Part of the proposed ethnic studies courses would require students to complete learning service projects, allowing them to get out in the community.
Three hundred and eight signatures have been collected for a petition in support of creating an ethnic studies pilot program in the school district. Supporters said expanding ethnic studies to five more high schools is necessary to engage students in their education and their future.
“I think these are the classes that actually are the mostly engaging to students because it’s so directly relevant to their lives,” Fewer said.
“I just think even for those of us who are of color that are born and raised in San Francisco sometimes we aren’t learning this through our families or even through oral history. … I think if we’re going to send children, students out into the world and the larger community that this is a really important foundation for them to have.”
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