Ethnic Studies

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the interdisciplinary study of race and ethnicity
Photo of girl reading superimposed with Arkansas state flag.
F. Sheehan for EdWeek / Getty
Social Studies Arkansas Says AP African American Studies No Longer Counts for High School Credit
The state's decision follows Florida's banning the course earlier this year.
Ileana Najarro, August 14, 2023
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5 min read
In this May 1943 photo, Aiko Sumoge, an assistant teacher, leads a kindergarten class to sing an English folk song at the internment relocation center for Japanese Americans in Tule Lake, Ca., in during World War II. Roughly 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans were sent to desolate camps that dotted the West because the government claimed they might plot against the U.S. Thousands were elderly, disabled, children or infants too young to know the meaning of treason. Two-thirds were citizens.
In this May 1943 photo, Aiko Sumoge, an assistant teacher, leads a kindergarten class in singing an English folk song at the internment relocation center for Japanese Americans in Tule Lake, Ca., during World War II. Roughly 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans were sent to desolate camps that dotted the West because the government claimed they might plot against the U.S. Thousands were elderly, disabled, children or infants too young to know the meaning of treason. Two-thirds were citizens.
AP
Social Studies Americans Know Few Key Asian American and Pacific Islander History Moments, Survey Finds
There is growing demand for schools to teach more Asian American and Pacific Islander history.
Ileana Najarro, May 26, 2023
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1 min read
Image of the word history behind torn paper.
Canva
Social Studies Florida Is Latest State to Require Teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander History
Advocacy groups and individuals question how AAPI history will be taught in Florida schools given the state's current political environment.
Ileana Najarro, May 26, 2023
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5 min read
Hundreds participate in the National Action Network demonstration in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis's rejection of a high school African American history course, on Feb. 15, 2023 in Tallahassee, Fla.
Hundreds participate in the National Action Network demonstration in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis's rejection of a high school African American history course, on Feb. 15, 2023 in Tallahassee, Fla.
Alicia Devine /Tallahassee Democrat via AP
Social Studies The College Board Plans to Change AP African American Studies, Details Unclear
The news of changes to the course comes months after debates around whether the course was watered down or too inclusive.
Ileana Najarro, April 25, 2023
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1 min read
A woman holds a sign and attends a rally to stop AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) hate at the Logan Square Monument in Chicago on March 20, 2021.
A woman holds a sign and attends a rally to stop AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) hate at the Logan Square Monument in Chicago on March 20, 2021.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Social Studies The Demand for Asian American History Is Growing. See Where
Florida is among states facing the possibility of requiring Asian American and Pacific Islander history in K-12 curriculum.
Ileana Najarro, February 24, 2023
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5 min read
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivering his State of the State address at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., on Jan. 10, 2023. Murphy announced the expansion of the AP African American Studies course to 26 schools across the state next school year a few weeks after Florida’s ban.
Matt Rourke/AP
Social Studies AP African American Studies: How Other States Are Responding After Florida's Ban
These are the states that have taken a stance on the AP African American Studies course.
Eesha Pendharkar, February 23, 2023
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7 min read
Black woman lying on a large stack of books and reading a book.
iStock/Getty
Social Studies 5 Things We Learned From 2 Teachers Piloting AP African American Studies
Shekinah Hall and Darren Williams teach at the only high school offering two separate classes of AP African American Studies this school year.
Eesha Pendharkar, February 17, 2023
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3 min read
Illustration of a blank history book on a background collage of historic documents and the American Flag.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
Social Studies Opinion What the Rejection of African American History Means for Students
When Florida announced that AP African American Studies would not be taught in the state, my first question was, “Why not?”
Monica Washington, February 17, 2023
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3 min read
Shekinah Hall in her classroom at McLain High School in Tulsa, Okla.
Shekinah Hall, a teacher at McLain High School in Tulsa, Okla., is one of two teachers in Tulsa who are teaching a pilot course of Advanced Placement African American Studies this school year.
Courtesy of Tulsa Public Schools
Social Studies What Two Teachers Piloting the AP African American Studies Course Have to Say About It
The AP African American Studies course offers students representation like never before, two teachers piloting the course in Oklahoma said.
Eesha Pendharkar, February 16, 2023
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8 min read
Emmitt Glynn is seen from just outside his classroom at Baton Rouge Magnet High School teaching his second AP African American studies class on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023 in Baton Rouge, La. Baton Rouge Magnet High School in Louisiana is one of 60 schools around the country testing the new course, which has gained national attention since it was banned in Florida.
Emmitt Glynn is seen from just outside his classroom at Baton Rouge Magnet High School teaching his second AP African American studies class on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023 in Baton Rouge, La. Baton Rouge Magnet High School in Louisiana is one of 60 schools around the country testing the new course, which has gained national attention since it was banned in Florida.
Stephen Smith/AP
Social Studies How AP African American Studies Came Under Attack: A Timeline
New information from College Board and Florida officials sheds light on the ins and outs of the course's development.
Ileana Najarro, February 10, 2023
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16 min read
Emmitt Glynn teaches AP African American studies to a group of Baton Rouge Magnet High School students on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023 in Baton Rouge, La. Baton Rouge Magnet High School in Louisiana is one of 60 schools around the country testing the new course, which has gained national attention since it was banned in Florida.
Emmitt Glynn teaches AP African American studies to a group of Baton Rouge Magnet High School students on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023 in Baton Rouge, La. Baton Rouge Magnet High School in Louisiana is one of 60 schools around the country testing the new course, which has gained national attention since it was banned in Florida.
Stephen Smith/AP
Social Studies What Will Be Taught in College Board's AP African American Studies? Here's a Sample
While there is public outcry over what is not found in the new course, and why, here's a look at some required topics in place.
Ileana Najarro, February 3, 2023
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9 min read
Illustration of many hands are raised against a giant hand stopping them
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
Equity & Diversity Opinion Educators, We Must Defend AP African American Studies
In an open letter to colleagues, a former Florida educator urges teachers to speak out. "No one will save us."
Monika Williams Shealey , February 2, 2023
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5 min read
In this June 23, 1963, file photo, the Rev. Martin Luther King joins Detroit's Freedom March. During the critical era of the 1950s and '60s, King, who led the 250,000-strong March on Washington in 1963, and Malcolm X were colossal 20th century figures, representing two different tracks: mass non-violent protest and getting favorable outcomes "by any means necessary."
In this June 23, 1963, file photo, the Rev. Martin Luther King joins Detroit's Freedom March. During the critical civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s, King, who led the 250,000-strong March on Washington in 1963, and Malcolm X, were colossal 20th century figures, representing two different tracks: mass non-violent protest and getting favorable outcomes "by any means necessary."
AP
Social Studies College Board Releases AP African American Studies Framework, Runs Into Anti-CRT Laws
The new AP course recently made headlines after Florida officials banned the pilot course in the state for allegedly defying state law.
Ileana Najarro, February 1, 2023
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6 min read
Illustration of the map of Africa casting a shadow on documents and opened books.
Xia Gordon for Education Week
Social Studies Opinion Africana Studies Can Save Education—and the World
The goal of our dominant education framework is to produce workers, not whole, self-actualized human beings. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Ismael Jimenez, January 31, 2023
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4 min read
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