Options 

Legislation AB 101 provides local educational agencies with options to help guide the successful implementation of ethnic studies into school district instructional programs, while satisfying the ethnic studies graduation requirement. For guidance, please refer to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, Chapter 3, pages 47-54.

Stand-Alone Courses

Districts can use as guidance for creating their own ethnic studies courses with engaging lessons that connect with the demographics in their communities. Stand-alone courses provide students the opportunity to delve into content relevant to specific core fields and allow teachers to develop robust and focused curricula. Overall, this approach to ethnic studies provides some of the most concentrated and comprehensive spaces for learning about a particular area within an ethnic studies core field.

Integrating Ethnic Studies into Existing Courses

It is not uncommon to see ethnic studies integrated into history–social science courses, including US history, world history, economics, psychology, social studies, and geography. There are also cases of ethnic studies being included in visual and performing arts, mathematics, science, English language arts, and other subject areas.

Thematic/ Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies Approach

Teachers will often identify key themes and concepts within the field that can be used to investigate the histories, contributions, and struggles of multiple groups, both individually and collectively. Identity, colonialism, systems of power, and social justice are just a few of the many concepts and themes that can be engaged within an ethnic studies course employing this approach.

Grade Level

The Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum has been developed for educators teaching grades nine through twelve, and in alignment with the University of California and the California State University systems’ A-G subject requirements. Adjusting assignments and modes of assessment and readings, as well as pedagogical approach, are most important to consider when modifying the model curriculum to be developmentally appropriate and fit a specific grade level.

Ethnic Studies: Four Disciplines

The Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (pp. 3-4, & 47-51) focuses upon the experiences of African American, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x, and Native American as disciplines of study for students to learn of the histories, cultures, struggles, and contributions to American society of these historically marginalized peoples, which have often been untold in US history courses.

Four guiding themes are recommended for use by the ESMC when developing ethnic studies course outlines that apply to the four disciplines:

• Identity (p. 58)
• History and Movement (pp. 59-61)
• Systems of Power (pp. 61-62)
• Social Movements and Equity (pp. 62-64)

Local educational agencies, including a charter school, grades 9 to 12, inclusive, can use these four suggested themes from the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, along with other connected topics or thematic approaches of their choosing, to serve as entry points for ethnic studies instructional programs that will meet the graduation requirement.¹

1. California Department of Education. (March, 2022). Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.