ETHNIC STUDIES 9TH GRADE COURSE CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS TO SFUSD STRATEGIC PLAN

COLLABORATION

SAND

PARTNERSHIPS:

SFUSD 9TH GRADE ETHNIC STUDIES CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:

Through the Office of Teaching and Learning this project began in 2007 as a curriculum development project with SFUSD history teachers. The SFUSD 9th grade ethnic studies course aims to educate students to be politically, socially, and economically conscious about their personal connections to local and global histories. By studying the histories of race, ethnicity, and culture students will cultivate respect and empathy for individuals and solidarity with groups of people locally, nationally and globally so as to foster active participation and community building. Honoring the historical legacy of social movements and mass struggles against injustice including the establishment of ethnic studies programs in public schools and university curricula, this course aims to provide an emancipatory education that will inspire students to critically engage in self-determination and seek social justice for all.

COLLEGE OF ETHNIC STUDIES

AND SFUSD PARTNERS

CES Partner: Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales

SFUSD:Office of Curriculum and TeachingDaisy SantosPete HammerAimee Riechel, Mission HS (teaching course), Moore, Lincoln HS (teaching course), Wentworth Houston, Balboa HS (teaching course)David Leong, Washington HS, Mitchell Vedar, Washington HS, Kyle Beckham, Downtown HS, Adriana Blanco, Newcomer HS, Arman Kasmai, June Jordan, Guilio Sorro, June Jordan, Theresa Quindlen, Burton HS, Gail Ow, Lowell HS, Judy Manke, Wallenberg HS, Artnelson Concordia, Balboa HS, Eric Walker, Balboa HS

CONNECTIONS TO SFUSDSTRATEGIC PLAN:

SFUSD 9TH GRADE ETHNIC STUDIES CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Access & Equity -Provides a safe, affirming, and environment that is both participatory and inclusive for all students.

-Provides a service to students who are underrepresented in the curriculum.

-Provides equity-centered professional learning communities across schools both in the development in the curriculum, training in both the content and pedagogy. History teachers across the SFUSD district along with and funded by the Office of Curriculum and Teaching have worked together since April 2007 to develop a curriculum that is academically rigorous, project/problem-solving centered, and is centered around social justice through community engagement.

Student Achievement -Aims to reverse “achievement gap.”

-This course aims to prepare students to achieve and exceed grade-level standards.

-This course focuses on multiple levels of literacy including: language, historical, social, geographic, and technology, and media.

- Through ethnic studies, we aim to create a curriculum and environment that promotes the development of students’ “critical leadership praxis.” Critical leadership praxis focuses on practicing leadership skills that directly engage a purpose that is rooted in equity and social justice. Critical leadership builds on two major relationships: (1) A student’s relationship to oneself, and (2) Students’ relationships to their communities.

Accountability -Accountability through assessment is being built in to the course evaluation including a social toxins and social awareness questionnaire that students take at the beginning of the year, end of the fall, and end of the spring to measure their development.