SF's OKs new ethnic studies class: Will teachers follow the curriculum?

San Francisco's school board is set to approve an off-the-shelf, middle-of-the-road ethnic studies curriculum, shelving a very controversial curriculum developed in house, reports Katie DeBenedetti for KQED.

Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey, from Gibbs Smith Education, focuses on the United States, writes The Frisc's Taylor Barton, who read the whole thing. It doesn't valorize the Red Guard or vilify Israel.

The United States was founded on the principle that all people are created equal, the authors write. “Yet even though the country might value equality, inequities are evident in many different areas of U.S. life. This raises a question that is both obvious and complex: what does it mean to be ‘equal’?” 

The old curriculum, developed by teachers, focused "on the evils of structural racism, colonialism, capitalism and heteronormative thinking," I wrote. There was a lot about "hegemony" and "settler-colonialism," as well as "queering" history. Jewish parents said their children were being told Jews are oppressors.

Voices focuses on Jewish immigration, "the important role of Jews in other liberation movements, and discrimination they have faced in the U.S.," writes Barton.

In theory, ethnic studies teachers have been piloting the book this year, but some say they only got copies a few days before the start of the school year. Esther Honda, a retired teacher who helped develop the old curriculum, told Barton that district-provided materials aren't always used. "For most teachers it just sits on the shelf while you teach whatever you want.”   

"Some parents are worried about teachers bringing their own political perspective to lessons," he writes. Teachers are supposed to get supplemental materials approved, but the policy is vague.

At a contentious board meeting in August, many parents complained that San Francisco requires two semesters of ethnic studies, while the state only requires one, Barton writes. “Forcing every student into a yearlong course removes electives, AP classes, and career pathways that we need for college access and future opportunities,” said one George Washington High School student at an earlier board meeting.

California's ethnic studies mandate has not gone into effect, because Gov. Gavin Newsom did not include funding in the 2025-26 budget. No money, no mandate. But many districts now require a one-semester or full-year course. The very left-wing "liberated" ethnic studies courses have become unpopular with parents.