BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1750
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Date of Hearing: March 26, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Joan Buchanan, Chair
AB 1750 (Alejo) - As Introduced: February 14, 2014
SUBJECT : Pupil Instruction: Ethnic Studies
SUMMARY : Requires the identification of and report on model
curriculum relating to ethnic studies at the high school level.
Specifically, this bill :
1) Requires the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to
identify model programs, standards, and curricula relating
to ethnic studies at the high school level;
2) Requires the IQC to prepare and submit a report, no
later than January 1, 2016, that does all of the following:
a) Reviews of the most current research on ethnic
studies for secondary education;
b) Reviews and evaluates existing standards,
curricula, programs, and training related to ethnic
studies;
c) Identifies the best practices and standards
for establishing and implementing an ethnic studies
program;
d) Assesses the current ethnic studies courses in
California's high schools; and
e) Makes recommendations for establishing an
ethnic studies course that can be incorporated into
existing high school curriculum.
3) Identifies persons with whom the IQC may consult as
experts for the purpose of preparing the report;
4) Specifies these requirements do not apply to the
University of California;
5) Specifies other technical provisions that govern the
submission of the report and the sunset date of this
requirement; and
6) Appropriates $125,000 to the California Department of
Education (CDE) from the General Fund for this purpose.
EXISTING LAW :
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1) Requires Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) to adopt a
course of study for grades 7-12 that includes English,
social sciences, foreign language, physical education,
mathematics, visual and performing arts, applied arts,
career technical education, and automobile education.
2) Establishes the IQC and specifies this body shall
recommend curriculum frameworks to the State Board of
Education (SBE), develop criteria for evaluating
instructional materials, study and evaluate instructional
materials, recommend instructional materials to the SBE,
recommend policies and activities to the SBE that will
assist the CDE and LEAs in the use of the curriculum
framework and other available model curriculum materials,
and advise and make recommendations to the SBE as to the
policies and activities that are needed to implement the
state's academic content standards.
3) Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI)
and the CDE to develop model curriculum for consumer
economics, driver's education, gang violence suppression,
and energy.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
Curriculum, Standards, and Frameworks
California's curriculum is based on content standards that are
developed by the IQC (also referenced in statute as the
"commission") and approved by the SBE. The curriculum
frameworks are guidelines for implementing these standards. The
IQC is an 18-member commission consisting of one member of the
Assembly, one member of the Senate, and 16 public members. At
least seven of the public members must have taught, written, or
lectured on the subject areas required for graduation.
The history/social science standards were developed in 1998 and
history/social science framework was last revised in 2005. A
review and update of this framework was underway and nearly
complete when the state suspended the process on July 28, 2009
due to fiscal constraints. The SBE is specifically prohibited
from reviewing frameworks and adopting instructional materials
until the 2015-16 school year. SB 1540 (Hancock), Chapter 288,
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Statutes of 2012, authorizes the SBE to consider the adoption of
a revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for
instructional materials in history/social science, but prohibits
the CDE from conducting any such work until after CDE has
completed work related to the development of curriculum
frameworks for the common core content standards, which is
anticipated to be 2015. In these existing and draft framework
for history/social science, there is an identified elective
course for grade 9 that explores Ethnic Studies. The course is
described as follows:
Ethnic Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study
that encompasses many subject areas including
history, literature, economics, sociology, and
political science, among others. In this course,
students focus on an in-depth comparative study of
the history, politics, culture, contributions,
challenges, and current status of ethnic groups in
the United States. It is also important for students
to learn the national origins of ethnic groups and
their transnational linkages. In Ethnic Studies,
students examine the process of racial and ethnic
formation of ethnic minorities in a variety of
contexts: political, legal, social, historical,
economic, and cultural. The course concentrates, to a
great extent, on the experiences of various ethnic
minorities in the United States and the ways in which
their experiences were impacted by the issues of
race, ethnicity, class, gender, and the interaction
among different ethnic groups. Students will also
address how individuals within specific ethnic groups
think and feel about themselves and their group as it
can be represented by literature, memoirs, art, and
music. To understand ethnic identity in their local
communities, students can volunteer with local
community organizations and centers that serve
specific ethnic populations.
According to the data collected by the CDE, in the 2011-12
school year, 100 schools, in 61 different districts, enrolled
6,162 students in ethnic studies courses. This committee may
wish to consider the extent to which the provisions of this
bill , specifically the requirement that the IQC make a
recommendation for establishing an ethnic studies course, has
already been met.
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Committee staff recommends an amendment that deletes the current
provision that appropriates $125,000 to the CDE from the General
Fund for this purpose and instead requires the provisions of
this bill to be implemented only if funds are secured for this
purpose. The proposed amendment makes clear that such funding
may be from any source, including, but not limited to, state
funding, federal funding, and nonstate funding sources. This
amendment is intended to avoid burdening the IQC and the CDE, as
staff to the IQC, with this work in the absence of adequate
funding.
Ethnic Studies
Courses in ethnic studies typically explore the issues of race,
ethnicity, and culture, with the goal of preparing all pupils to
engage in the responsibilities of citizenship in an increasingly
multicultural global society. Such a course of study may help
pupils prepare for service in teaching, including law, medicine,
business, politics, social services, social policy, community
advocacy, racial justice movements, cultural endeavors, and
more.<1> While other disciplines within the social sciences or
humanities may address issues such as race, ethnicity, and
culture, ethnic studies is the only discipline that was
developed to address stereotypical and residual attitudes that
influenced how other subject areas and disciplines approached
these same topics.
After a racially based incident of violence in May 2011, the
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, created an ethnic
studies program now offered on the campus of Santa Monica High
School. The adopted program was described as follows:
The course, which will be taught in the sociology
department at Santa Monica High School, has an
interdisciplinary curriculum meant to provide
students with a better understanding of, and empathy
for, a number of cultures and experiences in America
other than their own.
It will take a long look at cultural identity, show
how it is formed and how those pieces mixed in the
----------------------
<1> Willamette University: Ethnic Studies Program.
http://www.willamette.edu/cla/aes/ Accessed on March 5, 2014.
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melting pot of Los Angeles, as well as the damaging
use of stereotypes and why they perpetuate.
The single course, which will be available to upper
classmen, will not operate in a vacuum - school
officials plan to include components in all English,
history and arts classes in addition to the Freshman
Seminar, where students investigate concepts of
identity, family, community, values, and informed
decision making by analyzing events in history.<2>
In adopting this program, the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified
School District used ethnic studies as an important tool in
combatting the legacy of racism and intolerance in America and
on its own campus.
Arguments in Support
Arizona's recent court decision to uphold a law that ended a
Tucson school district's Mexican-American Studies course is one
example of recent events that points to the need for a continued
dialogue that explores race, ethnicity, and culture in our
country and in our schools. In the 2012-13 school year, of the
more than 6.2 million students in California, 65% were
identified as one of six non-white ethnic groups (including
Latino, African American, American Indian, Pacific Islander,
Asian, and Filipino), while only 25.2% of students were white.
The ability of the overwhelming majority of California's
students to engage in a curriculum that recognizes their unique
history in America and California is critical to engaging all
students in school.
Previous Legislation
AB 2001 (Diaz) (2002) requires the Curriculum Development and
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<2> Santa Monica Daily Press, Ethnic Studies Program Coming to
Samohi, July 6, 2012.
http://smdp.com/ethnic-studies-program-coming-to-samohi/85182
accessed on March 6, 2014.
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Supplemental Materials Commission (Commission) within the CDE to
identify model programs, standards, and curricula relating to
ethnic studies at the high school level. The bill requires the
commission, on or before January 1, 2004, to submit the report
to the Governor and the Legislature and to make the report
available on the CDE's Web site. This bill was vetoed by
Governor Gray Davis with the following veto message:
I am returning Assembly Bill 2001 without my
signature.
This bill would require the Curriculum Development and
Supplemental Materials Commission to (a) examine high
school ethnic studies, (b) identify ways to train
teachers to work effectively with diverse pupils and
encourage respect for diversity in the classroom, and
(c) submit a report with specified information
(including recommendations for establishing a new
ethnic studies course at the high school level) by
January 1, 2004.
While I support encouraging respect for diversity and
educating children about the impact of California's
different ethnic groups, this bill is duplicative of
existing efforts. Current law specifically requires
instruction about various ethnic groups and existing
teacher training programs already train teachers in
how to work with pupils from diverse backgrounds. In
addition, existing state academic content standards
and curriculum frameworks include substantial
discussion of the history and contributions of various
ethnic groups, and how to implement programs teaching
this information.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Association of Mexican-American Educators
Innercity Struggle
National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies
Spanish Speaking Citizens' Foundation
Opposition
None on file
AB 1750
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Analysis Prepared by : Jill Rice / ED. / (916) 319-2087