BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 101
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
101 (Alejo, et al.)
As Amended June 1, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+--------------------|
|Education |6-1 |O'Donnell, Kim, |Chávez |
| | |McCarty, Santiago, | |
| | |Thurmond, Weber | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |12-1 |Gomez, Bonta, |Gallagher |
| | |Calderon, Daly, | |
| | |Eggman, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gordon, Holden, | |
| | |Quirk, Rendon, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI)
to oversee the development of a model curriculum in ethnic
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studies, establishes an advisory committee on ethnic studies, and
requires that all school districts serving students in grades 7 to
12 offer ethnic studies as an elective course. Specifically, this
bill:
1)Makes findings and declarations relating to the importance of
instruction in ethnic studies.
2)Requires the SPI to oversee the development of a model
curriculum and other support systems to ensure quality courses
in partnerships with universities with ethnic studies programs.
3)Requires that the model curriculum meet the A-G approval
requirements of the Regents of the University of California.
4)Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt the model
curriculum.
5)Requires the SPI to establish an Ethnic Studies Advisory
Committee (Committee), made up of relevant stakeholders,
including students, parents, state personnel, ethnic studies
scholars, university professors, and teachers with ethnic
studies experience.
6)Requires that the Committee be comprised of a majority of
educators with experience in teaching ethnic studies from high
schools and institutions of higher education.
7)Requires the Committee to advise, assist, and make
recommendations to the SBE on programs, curriculum content, and
other issues related to ethnic studies.
8)Requires, by June 30, 2016, the SPI to submit to the SBE a plan
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to implement this section.
9)States that school districts enrolling students in grades 7 to
12, in the school year following the adoption of the model
curriculum, may offer to students as an elective course, a
course of study in ethnic studies based on the model curriculum.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to adopt a course of
study for grades 7 to 12 which includes English, mathematics,
science, history-social studies, and other subjects.
2)Establishes the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) and
requires, upon request by the SBE, that it make recommendations
on courses of study.
3)Requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to develop
model curricula on a variety of topics, including the life of
Cesar Chavez, and human rights and genocide.
FISCAL
EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, General Fund
administrative costs of in the range of $300,000 to $500,000 for
the CDE to develop a model curriculum framework in ethnic studies,
and annual General Fund costs of approximately $300,000 to
establish and convene the Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee.
COMMENTS:
Research on academic value of ethnic studies. A review by the
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National Education Association found that "there is considerable
research evidence that well-designed and well-taught ethnic
studies curricula have positive academic and social outcomes for
students. Curricula are designed and taught somewhat differently
depending on the ethnic composition of the class or school and the
subsequent experiences students bring, but both students of color
and White students have been found to benefit from ethnic studies.
A recent analysis found "a consistent, significant, positive
relationship between [Mexican American Studies] participation and
student academic performance."
Trend toward local ethnic studies graduation requirements.
Several school districts have recently made completion of a course
in ethnic studies a local graduation requirement. Among them are
Los Angeles Unified School District (which also resolved that the
total number of credits required for graduation would not
increase), Montebello Unified School District, and El Rancho
Unified School District. San Francisco Unified School District
has resolved to offer ethnic studies courses at all high schools,
and explore ways create such a graduation requirement in the next
five years.
Most ethnic studies courses reported as not meeting A-G
requirements. According to data reported by CDE, 8,129 students
were enrolled in ethnic studies courses in the 2012-13 school
year. Of those, 4,379 students were enrolled in 435 social
science ethnic studies courses in 100 schools, and 3,750 students
were enrolled in 137 language arts (ethnic literature) courses in
49 schools. Notably, only 108 of the 435 social science courses
and 97 of the 137 language arts courses were identified as
approved A-G courses.
Ethnic studies course outlined in draft History-Social Science
framework. The draft History-Social Science Framework developed
by the IQC, describes high school elective courses in ethnic
studies as follows:
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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.
Which courses would be developed? Ethnic studies courses are
taught in different disciplines (often history, social sciences,
and literature) and cover varied content (often ethnic-specific).
For example, Montebello Unified School District offers a history
elective called "Mexican American Studies" and an English/Language
Arts elective called "African American Literature." Oakland
Unified School District offers a history-social science elective
course titled "African American History" and Los Angeles Unified
School District offers an English/language arts course titled
"Mexican American Literature." San Francisco Unified School
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district offers a social studies elective called "Asian American
History," a year-long course taught in Chinese titled "Asian
American Studies," as well as a social studies elective titled
"Ethnic Studies."
This bill does not indicate the kinds of courses that are to be
contained in the model curriculum it requires, but suggests that
this would be the job of the advisory committee to determine,
potentially making the task of writing the model curriculum
challenging.
Analysis Prepared by:
Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN:
0000781