Committee for Children Blog

Identity and Belonging: Anti-Racist Curriculum and Black Studies in Schools

| By: Jordan Posamentier

The recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, among many others, as well as violence against Black people such as Jacob Blake, have dramatically underscored the racial injustices within our country’s systems. Throughout history, racial equity has been an issue intertwined with our education system in a multitude of ways.1 On our journey to becoming better and more active allies, we understand that we at Committee for Children have a role to play in helping dismantle interpersonal and institutional racism. As we boldly stated: Words are not enough anymore. We must take action.

We’re committed to improving specific issues related to our priority areas—social-emotional learning (SEL), child protection, and bullying prevention—that disproportionately impact the Black community and communities of color. Each month, our policy experts will answer questions relating to these priority areas and racial equity. Our series has covered exclusionary discipline reform, trauma-informed approaches to education, culturally responsive teaching, and educator diversity. Our final blog in this series will discuss anti-racist curricula and Black studies, and how SEL can help promote and be strengthened by research-based practices that advance racial equity in education.

Though this blog series is coming to a close, our focus on racial equity in education and SEL will continue as an integral part of our advocacy efforts.

What is an anti-racist curriculum?

An anti-racist curriculum addresses power dynamics and equity and brings awareness to prejudice while promoting respect for and value of differences.2 This type of instruction falls under social justice education, which centers around developing a social awareness of inequities along with a critical lens that encourages social action.3

SEL can serve to promote anti-racist education efforts by fostering social awareness and problem-solving competencies. Anti-racist curricula can also strengthen SEL by helping to prevent SEL from perpetuating racial inequities via common pitfalls. Implementing SEL in this way helps develop skills that support young people in navigating unjust systems and can also help undo injustices such as racism.4

What are Black studies?

Black studies fall under multicultural education, which encompasses ethnic studies. Ethnic studies center perspectives and information from marginalized experiences and scholarship.5

Black studies should be implemented with care and with comprehensive, schoolwide efforts that work to undo racism. Advancing ethnic studies, including Black studies, might reinforce otherness when distinguished from other studies6; these efforts might also only marginally affect student outcomes if they don’t address racism.7 It’s therefore optimal to integrate this content within the general curriculum while providing time to discuss race and racism directly.  

SEL complements Black and ethnic studies by contributing to self- and social awareness. Black and ethnic studies paired with SEL can be part of a comprehensive effort to promote safe and positive learning environments for all students.

How do these practices promote racial equity?

Anti-racist curricula content promotes well-being and academic engagement for all students, particularly for students of color.8 Such curricula support an empowering school culture.9 The inclusion of ethnic studies, inclusive of Black studies, coupled with culturally responsive pedagogy, promotes academic achievement for students of color.10 Ethnic studies across student groups of color can bolster self-efficacy and a sense of worth; an example of this is a positive impact on student engagement for students of color when they read literature by authors who share their ethnic background.11

These research-based strategies are an important part of fostering a learning environment that’s inclusive, engaging, and promotes equitable opportunity for all students.

How are state legislatures responding?

Several state legislatures have introduced legislation around ethnic studies and anti-racist curricula. These are some highlights from 2020:

  • Washington state passed legislation to make ethnic studies materials available to public schools and encourage K–6 public schools to incorporate those materials
  • Virginia passed legislation to create a Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Education Practices Advisory Committee that will create recommendations for anti-bias education and professional development
  • Arizona introduced legislation that would require development of a model ethnic studies curriculum
  • Louisiana introduced a resolution urging the State Board of Education to study anti-racism education and create a task force to develop recommendations to implement such education
  • Minnesota has introduced legislation that would require school boards to adopt plans to improve teaching and learning that include access to culturally relevant or ethnic studies curricula using culturally responsive methodologies; the legislation further directs the commissioner to develop and adopt state-level standards for social, emotional, and cognitive development
  • California’s governor vetoed a bill that would have mandated ethnic studies as a high school graduation requirement due to disagreements over the inclusivity of a proposed model curriculum (a 2016 California law provides for the development of model ethnic studies curricula, which is required to be approved by March 2021)

What can I do to support these efforts?

Here are some ways you can take action.

  • If you’re in a state that introduced legislation that didn’t pass or doesn’t have ethnic studies or anti-racist curricula on the books, you can ask your lawmakers to address it in the 2021 legislative session.
  • You can sign up to receive action alerts at key times specific to your state from our Policy and Advocacy Team. 

1Darling-Hammond, L. (1998, March). Unequal opportunity: race and education. The Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/unequal-opportunity-race-and-education/

2Cheng, M., & Soudack, A. (1994). Anti-racist education: A literature review. No 206. Toronto Board of Education (Ontario), Research Department. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED380339.pdf

3Hammond, Z. (n.d.). A conversation about instructional equity with Zaretta Hammond, part 1. Collaborative Classroom. https://www.collaborativeclassroom.org/blog/a-conversation-about-instructional-equity-with-zaretta-hammond-part-1/

Carlisle, L. R., Jackson, B. W., & George, A. (2006). Principles of social justice education: The social justice education in schools project. Equity and Excellence in Education, 39(1), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680500478809

4Kaler-Jones, C. (2020, May 7). When SEL is used as another form of policing. Medium. https://medium.com/@justschools/when-sel-isused-as-another-form-of-policing-fa53cf85dce4

5Grant, C. A. (2008). The evolution of multicultural education in the United States: A journey for human rights and social justice. University Wisconsin-Madison.  http://bonner.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/106038786/Evolution%20 of%20multicultural%20Education%20in%20the%20United%20 States.pdf

Sleeter, C. E. (2011). The academic and social value of ethnic studies: A research review. National Education Association Research Department. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/84024/ AcademicSocialValue.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

6Duchesneau, N. (2020). Social, emotional, and academic development through an equity lens. Education Trust. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED607298

7Sleeter, C. E. (2011). The academic and social value of ethnic studies: A research review. National Education Association Research Department. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/84024/ AcademicSocialValue.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Bigler, R. S. (1999). The use of multicultural curricula and materials to counter racism in children. Journal of Social Issues, 55(4), 687–705. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00142

8Cheng, M., & Soudack, A. (1994). Anti-racist education: A literature review. No 206. Toronto Board of Education (Ontario), Research Department. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED380339.pdf

Zirkel, S. (2008). The influence of multicultural education practice on student outcomes and intergroup relations. Teachers College Record, 110(6), 1147–1181.

9Zirkel, S. (2008). The influence of multicultural education practice on student outcomes and intergroup relations. Teachers College Record, 110(6), 1147–1181.

10Sleeter, C. E. (2011). The academic and social value of ethnic studies: A research review. National Education Association Research Department. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/84024/ AcademicSocialValue.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Ford, D. Y., & Harris III, J. J. (2000). A framework for infusing multicultural curriculum into gifted education. Roeper Review, 23(1), 4–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783190009554054

Chavous, T. M., Bernat, D. H., Schmeelk-Cone, K., Caldwell, C. H., Kohn-Wood, L., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2003). Racial identity and academic attainment among African American adolescents. Child Development, 74(4), 1076–1090. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00593

Carter, D. J. (2008). Achievement as resistance: The development of a critical race achievement ideology among Black achievers. Harvard Educational Review, 78(3), 466–497. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.78.3.83138829847hw844

11Sleeter, C. E. (2011). The academic and social value of ethnic studies: A research review. National Education Association Research Department. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/84024/ AcademicSocialValue.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Halagao, P. E. (2004). Holding up the mirror: The complexity of seeing your ethnic self in history. Theory and Research in Social Education, 32(4), 459–483. https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2004.10473265