Dive Brief:
- Last Wednesday, California passed a bill to create a model ethnic studies curriculum for schools in the state to use.
- The bill is not yet law and is awaiting a signature from Gov. Jerry Brown.
- The legislation was drafted in response to a movement for more minority representation in students’ learning, with the original bill including language that would have required all schools to offer ethnic studies.
Dive Insight:
The bill drew controversy in the state, though it passed the California Assembly by significant margins.
“I think this is a well-intentioned bill, but it has the potential to hurt children,” Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, a former principal who has instead advocated for added STEM instruction, told the Huffington Post. “The only way to make sure our children are successful in a world economy is to stress math and science.”
Others have argued that the bill gives students a chance to see themselves in their schooling. In Arizona, a Mexican-American studies program since eliminated by the conservative state legislature touted higher student achievement as a result of the curriculum.