Social Studies

AP African American Studies: What’s Next for the Course

By Eesha Pendharkar — January 30, 2023 2 min read
Attorney Ben Crump, left, stands with the three Leon County, Fla., high school students who are threatening to file a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration over the ban of a proposed Advanced Placement course on African America Studies in Florida high schools, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Florida’s ban of a pilot Advanced Placement course on Black history from its high schools has drawn protests and threats of lawsuits, and a statement from the organization that oversees the AP program that it would not consider states’ input on the final course.

The course, which was piloted in 60 high schools, still remains banned in Florida for allegedly lacking educational value and being historically inaccurate, according to a letter Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. sent earlier this month, informing the College Board that it would reconsider the ban if a few “topics of concern” were removed from the final framework.

Those topics include Black queer studies, which Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said is “pushing an agenda on our kids,” and “intersectionality and activism,” which the department claimed is foundational to critical race theory, and “ranks people based on their race, wealth, gender, and sexual orientation.”

Florida is also one of 18 states that have passed laws restricting some lessons on race and racism. Florida’s law specifically bans teaching critical race theory, or CRT, which is an academic theory that explores the systemic nature of racism. However, CRT has been misused by some Republican lawmakers as a catch-all term for a number of lessons about the history of racism, as well as districts’ equity initiatives.

But because of the CRT ban, Florida also told the College Board that the pilot framework of the AP African American Studies course is allegedly illegal.

Here’s what’s next for the AP course and Florida’s ban:

College Board to release final framework Wednesday

Since Florida sent its letter to the College Board announcing the ban, the organization has not addressed the ban publicly. Its initial statement only said that the final framework will be released Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month.

However, in a letter to its members, which include districts and higher education institutions nationwide, the College Board effectively said Florida or any other state can’t weigh in on deciding the contents of the final framework.

“No states or districts have seen the official framework that will be released on February 1, much less provided feedback on it,” the letter said. “This course has been shaped only by the input of experts and long-standing AP principles and practices.”

Lawsuits threatened if Florida doesn’t rescind the ban

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump has threatened to sue DeSantis on behalf of three Florida high schoolers if the state does not reverse the ban, according to an announcement he made last week.

“Are we gonna let Governor DeSantis, or anybody, exterminate Black history from the class?” he asked at the press conference announcing the lawsuit.

The NAACP has also threatened to sue. The lawsuits have not been filed yet.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Social Studies AP African American Studies: What's in the Newly Revised Course Framework
The new framework comes after public debate from both political leaders and scholars over what topics should have been included or excluded.
1 min read
The updated AP African American Studies course framework highlights a variety of African American leaders, activists, actors, athletes, and more. Some of the individuals included and pictured here include Mae Jemison (left), President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama (top), Nichelle Nichols, (bottom), and Colin Kaepernick (right).
The updated AP African American Studies course framework highlights a variety of African American leaders, activists, actors, athletes, and more. Some of the individuals included and pictured here include Mae Jemison (left), President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama (top right), Nichelle Nichols, (bottom center), and Colin Kaepernick (bottom right).
AP
Social Studies Opinion There's a Major Conflict at the Heart of Our Democracy. Civics Education Should Embrace It
A civics expert explains how rubbernecking and traffic jams can help students understand some of our thorniest issues.
Michael J. Feuer
4 min read
Tired man driving city traffic jam at evening. After work day, sleepy driver in car on road.
iStock/Getty
Social Studies Texas Approves New Textbooks After Friction Over Fossil Fuels
The Texas education board has approved new textbooks but called on publishers to change their depictions of fossil fuels in the state.
2 min read
The sun sets behind a pair of pumpjacks on Sept. 15, 2021 in the oilfields of Penwell, Texas. 
The sun sets behind a pair of pumpjacks on Sept. 15, 2021 in the oilfields of Penwell, Texas.
Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Social Studies Whitepaper
A Second-Class Subject? Why Social Studies Gets Short Shrift
Results of a survey commissioned by Thinking Nation reveal a stark gap between the degree to which educators value social studies and the...
Content provided by Thinking Nation