Written by Hibah Samad
The Manhattan Beach Unified School District is preparing to introduce an ethnic studies course at MiraCosta High School.
These courses will meet the new state graduation requirements established by California Assembly Bill 101 in 2021. The bill would require all high schools in California to offer an ethnic studies course in the 2025-26 school year and for students in the class of 2030 to take at least one similar course. Course up to high school graduation.
At the March 13 MBUSD Board of Trustees meeting, Dr. Eileen Gonzalez-Castillo, Deputy Director of Educational Services, submitted an implementation plan for board approval. The plan includes her two pilot courses to be offered next year.
Gonzalez-Castillo and the Ethnic Studies Committee, made up of board directors, administrative staff, students, and parents, will use the Ethnic Studies Toolkit provided by Los Angeles University to develop and plan the implementation of these courses. We spent over a year working together. County of Education (LACOE).
“A tremendous amount of passion and dedication” went into the process, Gonzalez-Castillo told the school board. She said the committee thoroughly considered community, staff and student input, survey responses and scheduling data to build consensus on course recommendations to the board.
“We have had several conversations about the needs of our students and how we can ensure that they have the option to fulfill their ethnic studies requirements while at Costa,” Gonzalez-Castillo said.
Directors praised the process, timing and resulting plan.
“I want to thank you for starting this process early and for being so thoughtful,” Trustee Whis Weinstein said. “There were comments earlier about it feeling rushed, but I don't think anything about this is rushed. I'd like to commend them for starting earlier than they should have.”
MCHS history teacher Andy Cain will teach the course. Cain has served as Mila Costa's social studies educator since 2007 and last year taught him AP Introduction to Law and Government. He transitioned into the role of Teacher of Special Assignment Ethnic Studies (TOSA) during this academic year, and he spent the year focused on leading efforts to develop new courses. Cain said in an interview that he wanted to do this because it is important for him and others invested in this process to go beyond meeting state mandates.
“Instead of just saying, 'We're going to stuff it somewhere,' we started from scratch,” Cain said of the process. “We wanted to create the best curriculum that students could truly learn to become meaningful and active citizens in society. I think the district should be really proud of this initiative, and this is what I wanted to do.” It motivates me every day to make sure my students receive a great and meaningful diversity studies course.”
Kane, who has been involved in the process since its inception, is currently the only teacher scheduled to teach the course next year.
“I'm very excited,” he said. “That's one of the reasons I wanted to work for TOSA Ethnic Studies. I volunteered because I thought this material was so important to the community and to the personal growth of all students. Not only to be more productive in the future and in life, but also to make our students better people. For me, my job as a teacher is to help my students become more confident and make the world a better place. Our goal is to provide an education that inspires students.”
The board unanimously gave its stamp of final approval to pilot a stand-alone one-semester and one-year course called “Diversity and Cultural Studies” as an elective option in ethnic studies for the 2024-2025 academic year. Following this, an integrated course option will be offered from 2025 to 2026. Diversity and Cultural Studies corresponds to the subject area of the G College Preparatory Elective. of the University of California and California State University System.
The state's graduation requirements for the Class of 2030 are already included in the district's Board Policy 6146.1: High School Graduation Requirements.
“The Ethnic Studies course is a natural fit with the Board's goals, which are focused on academic excellence and developing a climate of care in the district. We believe that Ethnic Studies has many benefits for students. We know what it will bring,” said MBUSD Superintendent Dr. John Bowes. “This provides an opportunity for scholars to have meaningful discussions, broaden their educational horizons, and explore diverse experiences other than their own. An informed understanding of these experiences and perspectives , will have a positive impact on our students as they enter the real world.”
“Our idea is to pilot the class, consider student feedback, and refine the course for next year,” Gonzalez-Castillo said.
Mr. Kane also reiterated that the course aims to improve students' writing, speaking, and analytical skills, strengthen active listening skills, cultivate empathy, and promote students' civic literacy. Board Chair Kathy Graves emphasized the importance of these skills for MCHS graduates.
“One of the main goals here is for students to learn to think critically and evaluate truth from fiction and misrepresentation from fact,” Graves said. “And that is part of this education and why our students leave Costa Education well-prepared for college and beyond.”
MBUSD staff said they called the course “Diversity and Cultural Studies” because they wanted to ensure it was inclusive across racial and ethnic lines. The first part of the course focuses on personal identity, and subsequent units focus on understanding different individuals and groups, overcoming obstacles, and celebrating their accomplishments and contributions that helped shape U.S. history. Masu.
“The opportunity to learn about the experiences of others helps provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in a multicultural world,” Cain said. “This course stimulates academic curiosity and related research, analysis, and presentation skills, and helps students develop effective communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.”
Countless studies have demonstrated that a greater understanding of others, their experiences, and perspectives fosters an environment of trust and compassion,” Cain said. “Diversity studies motivates students to think about and create a vision for a more unified nation based on justice, empathy, and cooperation.”
While the model curriculum provided by the California Department of Education focuses on four ethnic groups: African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders, MBUSD staff He emphasized that he listened to community feedback and expanded this scope of the district's curriculum. The course also includes experiences from other groups, including Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, and students with disabilities. The course description states, “This course provides a broad and deep exploration of the topics covered in California and aims to include the experiences of groups that have experienced prejudice and discrimination based on their identities that have arisen in this country.” It is stated that it is designed to expand the requirements of “Ethnic Studies''. Including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, or any intersectional combination thereof. ”
This course covers Manhattan, including Bruce Beach, the history of the Uematsu family that is the foundation of the Mira Costa campus, recent anti-Semitic incidents, Juneteenth holiday celebrations, and the ban on places for hate. – Local history within the beach and South Bay will also be covered.® Program provided by the Anti-Defamation League.
“My approach to teaching is that the more connected the student is to the material, the more likely they are to feel engaged with the material, and the more powerful the experience will be,” Cain says. says.
District officials also answered questions about “guardrails” in place regarding discussion of controversial issues in the classroom. Gonzalez-Castillo said the district board's policy provides guidelines for how educators must present material neutrally and must not defend personal opinions or viewpoints. I said that.
“What I've learned through my opportunities to engage with our community is that there are a lot of people who feel strongly about their opinions,” Cain said. “It's important to listen to those opinions. Through this course, students also listen to a wide variety of opinions being discussed. There's always something to learn from them. The great thing about this process is that It’s about listening to other people and hearing what they want to cover in the class, and that’s what informs our work.”
MBUSD staff will next focus on selecting materials for the course, which they plan to submit for board approval later this spring. E.R.
