Dear Superintendent Meyer and MVLA Trustees,

Members of the Board and Dr. Meyer have stated several times that it is the intention of the district to have a Constructive Ethnic Studies curriculum. At parents’ request, we have thoroughly reviewed the actual course content and were disappointed to learn that a narrow ideological dogma is being infused into the curriculum. We are alerting you to this issue so that you can take corrective action immediately. 

We request that the district update its Ethnic Studies curriculum to ensure that it is consistent with legislative intent and the goals of the AB 2016 (the law that mandated the development of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum), which aimed to foster among students "an appreciation for the contributions of multiple cultures.” Additionally, we request a full two-step community review of the Ethnic Studies course, as mandated by AB 101, and that the 9th grade requirement of this class be postponed for an additional year.

After years of extensive controversy, the State of California adopted an Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) that it believed would benefit all California students. The state also passed legislation (AB 101) that clearly states its legislative intent that school districts not adopt the content that was rejected from the Model Curriculum’s first draft. In response, after the California Department of Education rejected their draft, a group of activists, including San Mateo UHSD’s Samia Shoman and Mountain View/Whisman ESD’s Jorge Pacheco, launched a group called Liberated Ethnic Studies (LESMC), explicitly to preserve the rejected, ideologically-driven content. The first federal lawsuit against the Liberated Ethnic Studies Consortium and a district implementing their curriculum already has been filed in California’s Central District.1 (May 12, 2022)

Unfortunately, it is clear that the creators of the MVLA Ethnic Studies pilot class have had extensive training by Liberated Ethnic Studies advocates2, which has resulted in classroom lessons that elevate violent role models, divide students into victims and oppressors based on the color of their skin, and advocate for one-sided political action.

The majority of lessons in the pilot course are based on the victim/oppressor paradigm. In one lesson on power and privilege, students have to fill out a chart listing their qualities and define each as "Agent" or "Target.”3

Nine lessons attack the education framework, including questions such as “Who has power over you at school? Brainstorm some people, institutions, etc. that can control what you do in school.” “What is the power structure at Los Altos High School (LAHS)? Using the LAHS website, look up people in positions of power or influence. … Whom do they have power or influence over?”4 12 lessons condemn US institutions and make statements such as “Understanding how a popular dominant narrative is problematic - Declaration of independence - life liberty pursuit of happiness.”5(sic)

Although AB 101 stated that material from the rejected first draft of the ESMC should not be used in district ES curricula, in the lesson “What Is Ethnic Studies,”6 the definition itself is taken directly from that first draft, which formed the basis of the Liberated curriculum.(sic)

While many individual lessons, when taken separately, have some appropriate content, the totality of this curriculum reflects the almost exclusive focus on oppression/victimhood/hegemony/ resistance/imperialism/colonization. The overall curriculum is almost unrecognizable from a K-12 Ethnic Studies course that is intended to build bridges of understanding, elevate the contributions of ethnic groups, promote inquiry, and unite in a multitude of ways to confront racism and other bigotry.

While an ES course should address difficult topics, an important aspect is the proportion of contents on oppression/hegemony/resistance vs. empowerment/contributions/accomplishments. Furthermore, the way issues are covered matters - whether from a place of inquiry, as per the HSS Framework, or dogma (e.g., “Who created this hegemonic norm of education?”) It is the difference between declaring to students what to think, rather than teaching them how to think. 

The California legislature provided a series of "guardrails" for the Ethnic Studies. Concerned about potential bias in ES courses, the legislature wanted to prevent rejected material from ending up in the classroom. Community review allows districts to identify potential issues in their curriculum, including weeding out rejected ESMC material. 

Therefore, we are requesting the following:

  • Postpone requiring Ethnic Studies as a requirement for all 9th graders until these concerns are resolved

  • Revise the MVLA Ethnic Studies course to one that educates students by building understanding, tackling challenging issues through an analytic lens, exposing them to multiple political perspectives, and encouraging them to develop opinions based on inquiry

  • More transparency in the form of access to all curriculum and a yearly community review, including a full two-step community review of the Ethnic Studies course, as mandated by AB101, BEFORE this class is required for all 9th graders

  • No further training by anyone associated with Liberated Ethnic Studies movement 

  • Teacher training on Constructive K-12 Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies should build bridges and educate students about the struggles and successes of ethnic communities while building empathy and understanding. It should empower students to confront racism and other discrimination by coming together in productive ways, allowing them to share common ground and going beyond past and current stereotypes. This pilot curriculum does none of these things. 

Fortunately, there are many empowering, constructive K-12 ES curricula that are available. The California Department of Education has contracted with the San Diego County Office of Education to compile these ES curricular resources into a “hub” for all districts and to provide state-wide professional development, ensuring that districts provide the ES curriculum that the law intended and our students deserve. Until the state-recommended resources are ready, there is a multitude of resources available for K-12 ES courses. A few of these include: the seminal, recently updated Ethnic Studies pedagogy text Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies, the ACES curriculum outline, the Los Angeles County Office of Education Ethnic Studies Adoption Toolkit.  

Please postpone the implementation of this mandatory course, revise the curriculum, and then enable  a full, transparent review by the community.

Sincerely,

Alliance for Constructive Ethnic Studies

A diverse, nonpartisan coalition working to remove narrow ideological agendas from Ethnic Studies, enabling curricula that inspire mutual respect, fight racism, and celebrate ethnic accomplishments.

www.calethstudies.org

1https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-parents-say-no-to-anti-semitic-ethnic-studies-public-school-children-classroom-israel-anti-semitic-11652389663?mod=opinion_major_pos6&fbclid=IwAR09EDwrRe3YJPM_-rHPpQkDYZe9dp-Gi11zy61nCuIUWVinBswijXvMUu4 2SCCOE’s Ethnic Studies Initiative, led by Jorge Pacheco, found in two lessons, and training by Acosta Educational Partnership 3Intersectionality_Positionality_Social Identity Chart.pdf 4Systems of Power in MVLA (LAHS).pdf 5Inquiry Lesson for Unit 1.pdf 6Unit 1_ What is Ethnic Studies Unit Plan Draft.pdf