PAUSD FAQ Answers

PA2 Response

What is Ethnic Studies?

The preface to California’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum states that, at its core, the field of ethnic studies is the interdisciplinary study of race, ethnicity, and indigeneity, with an emphasis on the experiences of people of color in the United States. It emerged to both address content considered missing from traditional curriculum and to encourage critical engagement with a focus on the traditional Ethnic Studies first established in California higher education, which has been characterized by four foundational disciplines: African American, Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander studies. (Pg. 3)

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is misleading in two ways:

Definition of Ethnic Studies (ES)

The final Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) specifically states that K-12 Ethnic Studies (ES) should not follow California (CA) higher education ethnic studies:

"At the college and university level, ethnic studies and related courses are sometimes taught from a specific political point of view. In K–12 education it is imperative that students are exposed to multiple perspectives and taught to think critically and form their own opinions." (ESMC page 14, emphasis added)

CA K-12 school districts are to establish their own definitions of ethnic studies, typically through the district’s standards setting process.  PAUSD’s standards Board Policy 6011 calls for this process with the community’s involvement. The standards-setting process required in PAUSD BP 6011, however, has not happened.

The final ESMC can serve as a guide for the school district’s ES definition. It includes values and content for both inclusive and liberated Ethnic Studies course framing. So PAUSD can select either framing.

Ethnic Groups

The PAUSD FAQ is misleading, as K-12 ethnic studies is not limited to the four groups listed.

The final ESMC states that school districts may devote “special attention to ethnic groups that have been significantly present in their own communities.” (ESMC page 19)

In fact, the final ESMC provides sample lessons on multiple ethnic groups:

1. The four PAUSD listed in the FAQ – African American, Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander, and
2. Arab Americans
3. Armenians,
4. Jewish Americans, and
5. Sikhs.  

What is the goal of an Ethnic Studies course?

PAUSD’s Ethnic Studies course aims to further students’ knowledge of who they are and from where they come. The course enhances student connections to each other and their larger communities while realizing their potential to become active and inclusive members of society.

The goal of Ethnic Studies is to empower students to engage socially, politically, and build critical thinking skills that encourage inquiry. Through these studies, students should develop respect for cultural diversity and see the advantages of inclusion.

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is misleading.

Empowering students politically is a core goal in liberated Ethnic Studies (LES) and not a goal in inclusive ES classes.  

The CA legislature specifically did not include a political focus when it funded the creation of the ESMC. (link) (AB 2016 (2016) and its legislative analyses).

The CA legislature's intention in AB 2016 was that inclusiveness and equity be ethnic studies courses’ core values: the “objective” is to prepare high school students to “appreciat[e] the contributions of multiple cultures.” The Legislature reports informing Assemblymembers and Senators’ votes on the bill highlighted: (i) "diversity” and “inclusivity,” (ii) “ethnicity,” “culture,” and “contributions,” (iii) students’ and their neighbors’ histories including struggles for equality, and (iv) agency to positively change the student’s community by engaging in the responsibilities of citizenship.

Is Ethnic Studies Required?

The state legislation has officially approved AB 101, with the Governor signing the new bill into law on October 12, 2021. This makes Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement in California, where districts are now required to develop and offer an Ethnic Studies course by 2025-26 and include an Ethnic Studies course as a graduation requirement by 2029-2030.

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is misleading.

In January 2024, the CA Department of Justice sent Superintendent Austin a Legal Alert that a CA Ethnic Studies graduation requirement is only "anticipated;" it did not use the word required. (link)

That is likely because AB 101 (2021) – that sets the stage for a possible California ES graduation requirement – is expressly conditioned on additional legislation being enacted that funds it. This is unlikely to happen by AB 101's statutory deadlines given CA’s current severe budgetary challenges. (Governor Newsom’s 2024-25 budget proposal does not fund Ethnic Studies.).

In other words, local school districts’ significant costs of Ethnic Studies’ expansion from one high school elective (which the State paid for in 2021) to a graduation requirement for all students will be funded from local school districts’ existing general asset accounts; the State of California has not committed to cover this considerable expenditure.

In August 2023, Superintendent Austin and each PAUSD trustee received Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism’s (FAIR) memorandum alerting them to this lack of funding and its implications for a statewide ES graduation requirement (link). 

What is the California Model Curriculum for Ethnic Studies?

A model curriculum is a guidance document that provides support to teachers and administrators in developing courses and/or instructional content in a specific topic area. It is not a complete classroom curriculum or instructional materials; it is intended as a resource. A model curriculum is similar to a curriculum framework but with a specific focus. The César E. Chávez model curriculum is an example of a model curriculum that was previously adopted by the State Board of Education.

CDE Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum FAQs

What are the benefits of taking Ethnic Studies?

The sooner students see themselves in the curriculum the more likely they are to engage, which potentially offers a number of benefits and future opportunities.

Beyond the benefits of learning about the history, culture, and experiences of Communities of Color, researchers at Stanford University found that SFUSD’s Ethnic Studies courses helped high school students increase their educational outcomes, attendance and likelihood of postsecondary enrollment. The research found that students’ taking an ethnic studies course:

• Increased 5 year graduation rate by 15 percentage points (from 75% to 90%)
• Reduced unexcused absences by 5-7 percentage points
• Increased credits earned in high school 2, 3 and 4 years later
• Increased post-secondary enrollment 5 and 6 years later by 13.4 and 14.9 percentage points respectively.

This study confirms the positive student/family feedback and evidence Ethnic Studies teachers and supporters have seen firsthand for years.

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is misleading.

The cited Stanford study’s findings were roundly refuted by academic scholars (link).

In a widely read and often cited 2022 review, two professors (one from UCLA and another from the University of Pennsylvania) analyzed the data from this study and determined that its reported findings are not supported by the data that the Stanford researcher collected.

They found that the study’s data actually shows that “no conclusion” can be drawn about 9th graders who took the ES class.  These professors warned that the Stanford research “fails many basic tests of scientific method, and it should not have been published as written, much less relied upon in the formulation of public policy.”

The invalidity of the Stanford study findings was pointed out to Superintendent Austin and PAUSD trustees in the FAIR memo they received in August 2023. (link).  

(Note: The Stanford study’s fine print states that only 180 students were studied (13% of the district’s 9th graders) and its findings are limited to Hispanics and males.

The study co-lead Stanford School of Education Professor Thomas Dee:

(i) cautioned others against extrapolating from these very limited findings, and

(ii) does not support liberated ES, stating that high quality ES classes do not emphasize victimhood but rather stress cultural assets and capacity.  California's Ethnic Studies Curriculum to Be Revised After Draft Critiqued as 'Too P.C.' and Anti-Semitic)

What does the research say? Why do supporters advocate for Ethnic Studies?

Supporters maintain that ethnic studies improve student outcomes, critical thinking, self-esteem, and student engagement while increasing connections between students of different backgrounds. One of the leading papers on ethnic studies, The Causal Effects of Cultural Relevance: Evidence from an Ethnic Studies Curriculum, indicates that participation in ethnic studies can reduce dropout rates and improve student achievement and that “culturally relevant teaching, when implemented in a supportive, high-fidelity context, can provide effective support to at-risk students.” Quoted from the California School Boards Association. (pg 3)

For additional research:

1. National Education Association (NEA)
2. Professional Educator Standards Board
3. National Bureau of Economic Research

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is misleading. See “What are the benefits of taking Ethnic Studies?” above.

Why is PAUSD offering this class to 9th-grade students when many of these topics are so complex?

By affirming the identities and contributions of marginalized groups in our society, Ethnic Studies helps students see themselves and each other as part of the narrative of the United States. This helps students see themselves as active agents in the interethnic bridge-building process we call American life. Ethnic Studies helps bring students and communities together. This does not mean glossing over differences, avoiding difficult issues, or resorting to clichés about how we are all basically alike. It should do so by simultaneously doing three things:

(1) addressing racialized experiences and ethnic differences as real and unique;

(2) building greater understanding and communication across ethnic differences; and

(3) revealing underlying commonalities that can bind by bringing individuals and groups together.

Ethnic studies is designed to benefit all students. Ethnic studies scholar Christine Sleeter posits, “rather than being divisive, ethnic studies helps students to bridge differences that already exist in experiences and perspectives,” highlighting that division is antithetical to ethnic studies. Her study of the research on ethnic studies outcomes found that instruction that includes diversity experiences and a specific focus on racism and other forms of bigotry has a positive impact, such as “democracy outcomes” and higher-level thinking.

CDE Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is misleading.

Division and Dissension

Not all forms of ES bring students and communities together.

One form, liberated Ethnic Studies (LES), divides students in harmful ways: "while we [i.e., advocates of LES] do not promote hate, such strong feelings are part of students’ sense-making and development” in the course of learning LES from Rethinking Ethnic Studies page 18. (This book is recommended by UC Berkeley History Social Science Project,  PAUSD’s ES consultant.)

LES does not fare better in communities.  PAUSD administrators and board members have been informed of the dissension and division LES has brought to neighboring Mountain View-Los Altos. Sequoia, San Mateo Union High School Districts and others.

Christine Sleeter

Christine Sleeter is one of the earliest proponents of teaching Liberated Ethnic Studies in K-12 classrooms. Now a LES speaker and consultant earning book royalties for her seminal LES teacher resource books Rethinking Ethnic Studies and Transformative Ethnic Studies, Sleeter writes that:

• "Ethnic studies ...is a set of political projects and emergent movements [that] navigates a tension between liberation movements and colonial, capitalist institutions."
• "For people of color, the experience [of race] is typically from the perspective of the oppressed and for Whites, it is from the perspective of oppressor"
• ES’ focus is on decolonization, calling for the "repatriation of Indigenous land... returning what has been stolen, particularly Native lands and African American labor" from Sleeter’s chapter “What is all this fuss about ethnic studies?” in Sleeter’s book Transformative Ethnic Studies.

(PAUSD’s ES consultant, the UC Berkeley History Social Science Project, recommends both of Sleeter’s books.)

Critical Race Theory: Is the Ethnic Studies model curriculum based on this theory?  

The short answer is “No”.

Although the course may deal with history (which can intersect with race and law), it is not based on Critical Race Theory, which is a graduate-level law course that takes a deeper dive into a number of policies from a legal lens.

The PAUSD Ethnic Studies course is based much closer to the culturally responsive teaching model where the student’s identity and perspective take center stage.

Culturally responsive teaching works to connect a students' cultures, languages, and life experiences with what they learn in school. Examples of Culturally Responsive Teaching usually include embracing multiculturalism in the classroom, differentiated instruction for diverse learners, encouraging open communication, building strong relationships with/among students, and reflecting on personal bias & assumptions.

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is misleading.

ESMC

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is in the optional ESMC guide. The ESMC labels race a “master category” – a foundational CRT construct – and instructs teachers to “familiarize themselves with… critical race theory…key theoretical frameworks and pedagogies that can be used in ethnic studies … instruction.” (ESMC pages 2 and 45).  

An ESMC sample lesson states that one of the “main focuses of ethnic studies is translating … critical race theory into direct action for social justice.” (ESMC page 463).

PAUSD

To be certain whether PAUSD’s lessons are based on CRT, they will need to be reviewed.  PAUSD has not shared curricular materials or lessons.

The question is not whether the PAUSD class will resemble a graduate law school course, but whether it will employ CRT as a key underlying framework or pedagogy.

This FAQ intimates that CRT will be a key tenet of PAUSD’s ES course. Phrases such as one in this FAQ that the course will address “racialized experiences and ethnic differences as real and unique” imply that experiences are fixed to a student’s skin color. This is a foundational CRT concept.

In addition, “culturally responsive” is not defined in the FAQ and can include CRT tenets.  See e.g. State of PA’s “culturally-relevant” standards. (link)

How will the Ethnic Studies course address current global events, including issues involving Israel and Palestine, including issues involving Israel and Palestine?

Current event issues, such as the Israel-Palestine conflict,, such as the Israel-Palestine conflict, are not currently a part of the formal Ethnic Studies curriculum. However, as events do take place, teachers may exercise their professional judgment to include such events as a part of classroom discussion .to the extent that it furthers the purpose of Ethnic Studies: to engage socially, politically, and build critical thinking skills that encourage inquiry.  The teacher will draw upon their training and instructional practices to appropriately facilitate the discussion so that students feel safe, rather than promote a specific political point of view. to the extent that it furthers the purpose of Ethnic Studies: to engage socially, politically, and build critical thinking skills that encourage inquiry.  The teacher will draw upon their training and instructional practices to appropriately facilitate the discussion so that students feel safe, rather than promote a specific political point of view.  

The District’s Board Policy regarding Controversial Issue, BP 6144, is instructive here:

“The PAUSD Board of Education believes that students should have opportunities to discuss controversial issues which have political, social or economic significance and which the students are mature enough to investigate and address. The study of a controversial issue should help students learn how to gather and organize pertinent facts, discriminate between fact and fiction, draw intelligent conclusions and respect the opinions of others. The Board expects administrators and teachers to exercise professional judgment when deciding whether or not a particular issue is suitable for study or discussion. They shall consult with the Superintendent or designee as necessary to determine the appropriateness of the subject matter, guest speakers, and/or related instructional materials or resources. The instruction shall not reflect adversely upon persons because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, religion, or any other basis prohibited by law. The Board also expects teachers to ensure that all sides of a controversial issue are impartially presented, with adequate and appropriate factual information. Without promoting any partisan point of view, the teacher should help students separate fact from opinion and warn them against drawing conclusions from insufficient data.  The teacher shall not suppress any student’s view on this issue as long as its expression is not malicious or abusive toward others.”  (Board Policy 6144) ”

• 2014 Adopted Controversial Issues Board Policy 6144
• 2019 Proposed Controversial Issues Board Policy 6144
• PAUSD Board Policies and Administrative Regulations

The District understands that teachers must equip themselves with the requisite skills, deep content knowledge, social-emotional learning, and strong classroom management practices so that students feel safe when navigating conversations regarding current events. It also requires a commitment from the school community, including parents, to support such conversations even when it prompts discomfort. The District understands that teachers must equip themselves with the requisite skills, deep content knowledge, social-emotional learning, and strong classroom management practices so that students feel safe when navigating conversations regarding current events. It also requires a commitment from the school community, including parents, to support such conversations even when it prompts discomfort.

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is both non-responsive and misleading.

This answer is non-responsive in that it does not answer “how” the Israel-Palestine war will be addressed other than that it will be framed as “further[ing] the purpose of Ethnic Studies to engage …politically." A focus on political engagement is LES framing.  

This answer is misleading in that:

1. PAUSD asserted that the ES course will follow the final ESMC.

The ESMC was revised to remove all references to the Israel-Palestine conflict because they proved to be discriminatory and embroiled the project in substantial controversy. The discriminatory content and controversy was so pervasive and profound that the CA legislature added legal ES guardrails to the Education Code in an attempt to prevent school districts from teaching content deleted from the ESMC draft. (AB 101 (2021)).

2. Neither of these groups – Israelis and Palestinians – are listed by PAUSD above as groups that will be studied.

The key PAUSD board policy is BP 6141*. This policy does not permit teachers to diverge from the board-approved curriculum standards and framing. Within that approved curriculum, BP 6144 can be relevant if, for example, controversial issues are taught.  

But, as the State of CA experienced, the inclusion of this particular world conflict can easily be taught inappropriately and consequently violate CA nondiscrimination laws.  

(*Note that PAUSD Board Policy 6141’s pre-requisites have not been met yet.  It requires that the curriculum adopted:

(i) be based on research “demonstrating [its] proven effectiveness” (see response to “What are the benefits of taking Ethnic Studies?” above on lack of research supporting ES’s effectiveness),

(ii) align with approved standards (see response to “What is Ethnic Studies?” above on PAUSD not setting standards pursuant to BP 6011 yet), and

(iii) be developed with input from “students, parents/guardians, representatives of local businesses and postsecondary institutions, and other community members” (PAUSD omitted this step).

None of the above prerequisites have been satisfied by PAUSD.)

How will Ethnic Studies address current issues involving Israel and Palestine?

Current events such as topics involving the current Israel-Palestinian conflict are not formally a part of the Ethnic Studies curriculum.  However, to the extent an instructor should choose to incorporate current events, instruction will follow PAUSD Board Policy 6144 (referred to above) in accordance to addressing controversial topics. The intention of addressing controversial topics is to promote inquiry and address them objectively with sensitivity and care to ensure the intellectual and emotional safety of all students.

See “How will the Ethnic Studies course address current global events, including issues involving Israel and Palestine, including issues involving Israel and Palestine?” above.

Is PAUSD adopting a Liberated Ethnic Studies curriculum for this course?

No. PAUSD is utilizing the State’s model curriculum, which does not use a liberated ethnic studies framework and was adopted by the State Board of Education in March 2021.

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is misleading.

Referring to the final ESMC does not answer whether the PAUSD ES course will be inclusive or liberated. Content for both inclusive and liberated ES courses can be found in the ESMC.

The only way to be certain what type of Ethnic Studies will be taught is for PAUSD to share specific course materials with the community. PAUSD has not done so.

There are a number of indications that PAUSD intends to teach a liberated ES curriculum. In addition to PAUSD stating in this FAQ that ES teachers can teach non-Board approved curriculum in section “How will the Ethnic Studies course address current global events“ above – even those LES topics expressly removed from the ESMC – content in the FAQ and PAUSD staff presentations imply that PAUSD’s ES course will be LES:

1. The course outline’s units are titled “resistance,” “power,” “privilege,” and “systems of oppression.” These are all core LES concepts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UU72b5M0X0 (hour 1:44-1:53)
2. The FAQ hints that key LES tenets will be in the course:

1. CRT (see “Critical Race Theory”above),
2. Israel-Palestine conflict (see “How will the Ethnic Studies course address current global events” above),

See also Coalition for Liberated Ethnic Studies and Stop the Attack on Liberated Ethnic Studies. These are the primary groups advocating for LES. They state that also core to LES are “teaching Palestine, the concepts of settler colonialism, and Critical Race Theory.”.

3. The FAQ cites Christine Sleeter, a major and prolific LES proponent, as an authority (see “Why is PAUSD offering this class to 9th-grade students” above).
4. PAUSD hired UC Berkeley History Social Science Project, a LES consultant, to help set the course’s foundation.

These examples are very strong indicators that PAUSD’s ES course will use the controversial and divisive LES framing.

(Note: The ESMC states that liberated Ethnic Studies, taught in college, is not appropriate for high school students. (ESMC page 14).  Also, LES concepts do not align with the CA Legislature’s intent when enacting AB 2016 as set out in “What is the goal of an Ethnic Studies course?” above. 

Again, Stanford School of Education Professor and Researcher Thomas Dee does not support liberated Ethnic Studies, stating that high quality Ethnic Studies classes do not emphasize victimhood but rather stress cultural assets and capacity.  California's Ethnic Studies Curriculum to Be Revised After Draft Critiqued as 'Too P.C.' and Anti-Semitic 

For the key differences between inclusive and liberated Ethnic Studies and why school districts should select inclusive and reject liberated, see former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Bill Honig’s June 2022 warning to school leaders. Dr. Lopez shared this article with PAUSD’s Ethnic Studies committee and cited it in public sessions. (link))

What resources were used in the development of this course?

Resources used for developing the PAUSD Ethnic Studies course originate from multiple sources. Members of the Ethnic Studies Committee have consulted neighboring school districts’ Ethnic Studies courses as well as studying resources and curricula from across the State of California. The District utilizes the State’s model curriculum, which was adopted by the State Board of Education in March 2021.

This model curriculum teaches Ethnic Studies through an inclusive framework.  Since 2021, and with an inclusive Ethnic Studies focus, teachers at Gunn and Paly have attended workshops and conferences offered at the county, state and national levels. Examples include, but are not limited to, the National Conference for Social Studies, the California Council for Social Studies & the Santa Clara Office of Education. In addition, PAUSD consulted with the University of California Berkeley History-Social Science Project. The Ethnic Studies committee investigated a wide range of sources, perspectives, and frameworks from across the country, to help design a course specifically to address the needs of the Palo Alto Unified School District community.  The District PAUSD does not adopt a liberated ethnic studies approach to its curriculum.

Some of the resources and training included: Native American Veterans; University of Alabama; the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism; Howard Zinn Project; New York City Department of Education; Western Oregon University; Los Angeles County Office of Education.

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is insufficient and incomplete.

While PAUSD listed some of the organizations it looked to for guidance, it did not list the specific resources it used to develop the course.

In addition, the claim that using the ESMC as a basis for the course indicates an inclusive ES approach is false. The ESMC has both inclusive and LES content.

As indicated in the FAQ question directly above, numerous assertions in the PAUSD FAQ indicate alignment with LES.

Finally, PAUSD retained LES UC Berkeley History Social Science Project as its ES consultant to assist with the course’s foundations.  UCB HSSP’s resource recommendations (link) include a lesson for students writing manifestos modeled after armed resistance movements and engagement in a “Defund the Police” action project.

How were teachers prepared to ensure intellectual/emotional safety?

Ethnic studies teachers continue to be trained in pedagogy, social-emotional learning, and safe spaces where multiple perspectives are respectfully examined and discussed.

PAUSD’s FAQ answer is insufficient given our community’s concerns for student mental health.

“A critical part” of ES is (i) teachers receiving “trauma-informed” training so they can anticipate and then address students’ “negative emotions or traumas” triggered by the ES course’s “difficult content and materials” as well as (ii) districts supplying additional student supports such as school site counselors to attend to ES students’ emotional needs.(ESMC page 38).

PAUSD echoes this warning, asking for the community’s support “even when [the ES content] prompts discomfort” as stated in “How will the Ethnic Studies course address current global events?” above.  

For the wellbeing of students, it is essential that parents and guardians are fully informed of the on-demand safeguards that PAUSD has put in place, and will sustain in perpetuity, to protect the emotional and mental health of all 9th graders who will be required to take its ES class starting Fall 2025.