Meeting with School Board Members or Administrators

1. Thank them for meeting with you.  Your goal is to make them comfortable and get them off the defensive.

• I fully support Ethnic studies.  
• When taught constructively, Ethnic Studies can build empathy and understanding while combating racism. It emphasizes civic responsibility, builds inter-ethnic group understanding, exposes students to multiple perspectives, and teaches them to think analytically.
• It also leads to critical analysis of multiple perspectives, informed decision making, and respectful exchange of opinions. 
• I respect how hard everyone in this office/School/Board works to ensure that our children get the best possible education.

2. Get information about how Ethnic Studies curriculum is created.  Who creates the curriculum? What is the review process? How is the community/parents involved?

• The controversial material being taught to our teachers demands transparency with the public. We would like to work with you to ensure that any curriculum development or teacher training on Ethnic Studies is done so with a Constructive Ethnic Studies lens, promoting critical inquiry, multiple points of view, and highlighting the achievements of the marginalized communities.

• I’m sure we all agree that politics, especially the personal politics of teachers, have no place in the classroom. Classrooms should foster discussion and analysis, allowing students to give input based on personal experience and come to their own, informed conclusions. This subject has been so politicized that we need to work together to ensure that the classrooms don’t fall victim to the heated rhetoric from both sides of the political aisles.

3. Engage in a discussion about the objectives of their curriculum. Try to get specifics. This is a good place to talk about concerns that you’ve seen in other, Critical-based Ethnic Studies curricula.

• Objective of CA bill AB-2016 (as written in the bill) is “preparing pupils to be global citizens with an appreciation for the contributions of multiple cultures.”

• Ethnic Studies has been politicized, not only by the media, but also by academic activists with specific, narrow ideological agendas. However, it's not necessary to sacrifice inquiry or impose a political ideology to achieve the important benefits of Ethnic Studies. Constructive Ethnic Studies provides the success we are all looking for by offering a balanced range of perspectives, removing political agendas, and inspiring mutual respect and dignity. Share the contrast between the two approaches.

• Share your concerns about a Critical/Liberated Ethnic Studies curriculum:

• Narrow ideology and indoctrination 
• Militant role models, while excluding seminal civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Thurgood Marshall
• Focus on victimhood
• Alienation in multi-ethnic/multi-racial families and communities
• Blatant anti-Semitism

For more details on all of these topics and more, please see our Talking Points document.