Diversity in Schools Must Include Curriculum
The
current event article I read discusses the benefits of diverse curricula and
the problem with its scarcity. It focuses on the controversial decision made by
the College Board in terms of the AP World History exam which chose to range
the exam from the year 1450 AD to the present which removes 9,000 years of
history prior to. Critics state this represents a step backward for diversity
in school and moves more towards a Eurocentric view of world history in
American education. Many teachers feel that beginning the test at this year
gives students a view of a period of time dominated by Western expansion and
that it now loses the richness of the story, especially since people of color
are colonized during this period. Some support the change, saying that the course
was too sprawling and had too much information to cover over just one school
year.
The
article states that students who attend diverse public schools learn more, exhibit
less racial prejudice and report higher overall self-confidence. Researchers
state that there are many benefits to diverse curricula and to teach history
accurately one must teach about the variety of ethnicities and cultures that
make up our world. Research shows that reading texts written by underrepresented
ethnic groups improves the self-esteem of students of that ethnic group and cause overall
students to have a greater appreciation for cultural differences.
State
standards for world history are generally thin and Eurocentric and most states
don’t test for historical knowledge but instead incorporate history into their
standards for ELA. In general, states fail to address the non-western world in
sufficient detail. States make their own choices about when and how to revise their
standards and students with vastly different backgrounds are still being taught
only one history is worth knowing.
Although
the states can define the standards for the school curriculum, each district
still has some control over what the content entails; state standards show the
minimum education given, not the maximum, and hopefully school districts will
address this issue by adding in more diverse content into the curriculum.
The
big question being asked by this article and by critics of the College Board’s
decision is: whose history is essential and what are we teaching students when
we tell them that theirs is not? It is important to fight for racial equity in
the classroom and by implementing and stressing the importance of students
learning from a curriculum which reinforces their own histories can prove that
their own individual identities matter.
I love that at the school I currently work at and where my son attends is diverse. It is something I look for in a school for him. We learn so much from others and other cultures. It is so important to know there are other people in this world that may not look the same, follow the same culture but everyone is equally important. I did not know that state SS curriculum was lacking. It is important at all levels to teach diverse content.
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