Tintiangco-Cubales, A., Kohli, R., Sacramento, J., Henning, N., Agarwal-Rangnath, R., & Sleeter, C. (2014). Toward an Ethnic Studies Pedagogy: Implications for K-12 Schools from the Research. The Urban Review, 1-22. (original) (raw)
Related papers
Toward an Ethnic Studies Pedagogy: Implications for K-12 Schools from the Research
The Urban Review, 2015
In direct contrast to Arizona's criminalization of Ethnic Studies in Arizona, the San Francisco Unified School District's Board of Education unanimously adopted a resolution to support Ethnic Studies in their schools. As schools across the country begin to place Ethnic Studies courses on their master schedules, the lack of preparation and education to support effective Ethnic Studies teaching has emerged as a problem. Therefore, the central questions addressed in this paper are: What is Ethnic Studies pedagogy? and What are its implications for hiring and preparing K-12 teachers? This is a conceptual article that builds upon existing research studies to investigate the pedagogy of effective K-12 teachers of Ethnic Studies. From this literature, we identify several patterns in their pedagogy:
In our engagement with teachers, scholars, school officials, and other groups we receive an array/variety of responses to Ethnic Studies. Responses vary, but the following expressions capture their essence. Some quotes are taken directly from what individuals have said, and others are reframed to represent a general perspective. The purpose of naming these as misconceptions and challenging them is to generate dialogue on the public interpretation of Ethnic Studies practices. We find this dialogue to be essential in the development and expansion of the field. 1. " We already do Ethnic Studies, we have culturally responsive teaching. " One underlying assumption in this statement is that Ethnic Studies and culturally responsive teaching are synonymous. Or, more striking, that Ethnic Studies is a sub-field of culturally responsive teaching. Culturally responsive teaching is a powerful pedagogical framework informed by distinct epistemological traditions. The problem with this expression also lies in the emphasis on 'already': the presumption is that Ethnic Studies is already taking place in classrooms (and perhaps we don't need to name practices, programs, etc. as 'Ethnic Studies'). While Ethnic Studies is a contested and emergent field, we define it broadly as a movement for curricular and pedagogical projects that reclaim marginalized voices and histories, create spaces of healing, which are tied to social action that challenges and transforms oppressive systems and cultures of domination. 2. " Ethnic Studies is simply a version of social studies/history. "
Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education
Background/Context As the debate on what content should be included in Ethnic Studies continues, there has also been an exploration of what effective pedagogy in Ethnic Studies looks like. Community responsive pedagogy advances the work of critical pedagogy and culturally responsive pedagogy by centralizing a community's context in the education of children and youth. We use community to refer to the cultural, political, social, and economic spaces and places that shape student and family realities. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This chapter begins by drawing from the scholarship written about Ethnic Studies and the development of a pedagogy that is both responsive to students and centers their wellness. Building off the research on Ethnic Studies pedagogies, we offer a conceptualization of community responsive pedagogy (CRP). Community responsive leaders and educators transform climates, cultures, and curriculum to prioritize youth wellness (innerself, inte...
A Critical Examination of K-12 Ethnic Studies: Transforming and Liberating Praxis
Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis, 2017
The purpose of this paper is twofold: (a) to use the theoretical framework of Critical Race Theory (CRT) to highlight and understand the vision, process, and practice of creating an Ethnic Studies program in an urban public school district; and (b) to inform social justice praxis by producing counter-hegemonic knowledge about K-12 Ethnic Studies programs. By focusing on K-12 Ethnic Studies, this paper seeks to show how everyday social justice praxis interrupts "race-neutral" or colorblind master narratives and White cultural hegemony in traditional social studies (Apple
The Oregon Journal of the Social Studies, 2019
This article offers the case of Kailua High School (KHS)—the first public school in the USA to require Ethnic Studies for high school graduation. It begins with a description of Ethnic Studies in the context of American K-12 social studies education, including the history, theoretical framework, curricular design, and practical implementation of the course. To examine its impact on student learning, qualitative and quantitative methods are employed to collect and analyze data. Results reveal how the KHS Ethnic Studies course developed students’ academic growth, personal development, and prejudice reduction.
San Diego's Struggle for Ethnic Studies: The Value for All of Democratizing Education
In this article I describe the urgent need for Kindergarten-12th grade Ethnic Studies curriculum and pedagogy for the long-term benefit of community members in the San Diego region. In order to argue for Ethnic Studies in San Diego schools, I first identify the dangerously undemocratic nature of curriculum and pedagogy in San Diego’s K-12 schooling. Second, I provide a discussion of the importance of defining the purposes of Ethnic Studies for democratizing education. Third, I describe the academic, personal, social, and political value of Ethnic Studies. Fourth, I analyze the historical and current movement for K-12 Ethnic Studies in the San Diego Unified School District through the lens of research on effective Ethnic Studies courses and programs. Last, I close by analyzing how Ethnic Studies can serve to democratize education for all as one way to begin disrupting and reforming schools and society to become socially just.
Toward a Critical Pedagogy of Race: Ethnic Studies and Literacies of Power in High School Classrooms
Race and Social Problems, 2015
This article explores the potential of a critical pedagogy of race in high school classrooms to foster civic engagement and academic development. We begin with an exploration of the role of white supremacy in ''race-neutral'' curricula in US schools. Even as the largest 60 school districts in the nation are 80 % non-white and states such as California and New York move toward non-white pluralities in their school systems, curricula remain largely unchanged. We outline some of the larger systemic inequities that result from this often alienating and exclusive approach to teaching in city schools, and we conclude this first section by acknowledging various efforts to name and resist racially oppressive curricula and pedagogies. The second section of the article provides a brief historical context for the Ethnic Studies movement as a response to white supremacist curriculum and instruction in high school and college classrooms. We trace this movement back to its inception in the 1960s to provide a framing for our work. Our goal is to show that (1) the tradition of teaching Ethnic Studies in the high school is as old as the movement itself; (2) the teaching of Ethnic Studies has always been tied to both academic development and civic engagement; and (3) Ethnic Studies courses and content have been infused across disciplines and taught to racially heterogeneous groups since the outset of the movement. The third section of the paper will focus on three case studies of the critical pedagogy of Ethnic Studies with high school students. Two of these cases are of high school classes and the third explores a summer and after-school program where high school students engage in youth participatory action research projects around issues impacting youth of color in their neighborhoods and communities. Across each of these cases, we define our conception of a critical pedagogy of race and we explore the connections between the teaching of Ethnic Studies and the development of literacies of power, agency, social awareness, civic engagement, and academic achievement. We conclude the article with implications for pedagogy, policy, and praxis in city schools.
Critical Collective Consciousness: Ethnic Studies Teachers and Professional Development
Equity & Excellence in Education, 2019
We know little about the challenges districts and teachers face when establishing Ethnic Studies courses. In one school district, variation in teachers’ Ethnic Studies knowledge impeded the production of curricula and its implementation. This study examines how Ethnic Studies teachers responded to the problems of differential knowledge and orientation on race, power, and teacher positionality in the context of high school classrooms. Based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews, I argue that a praxis-oriented approach to teacher professional development can play a central role in preparing Ethnic Studies teachers. Through political education and critical race dialogue, teachers developed their critical consciousness, which then led to a collective identity and shared views on major elements of Ethnic Studies’ curricular perspectives and approach. This study holds significant implications for teacher education and professional development as schools, districts, and states create policies to contribute to an equitable and inclusive public education through Ethnic Studies curricula.
Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy Extended: Ethnic Pedagogies
Multicultural Perspectives, 2020
As a subset of culturally sustaining pedagogy, ethnic pedagogies enlarge the repertoire of teachers addressing the instructional needs of many different students. Specific descriptions with grade 5-12 instructional illustrations are provided for call-andresponse learning approach from the African-American religious tradition and havruta, which is sustained partner text study from the Jewish tradition. These approaches may increase oral and textual comprehension in a range of classrooms, engage unmotivated students, and enhance democratic learning environments.