Curriculum Video

VIDEO: What AP African American Studies Looks Like in Practice

By Ileana Najarro & Jaclyn Borowski — March 29, 2024 1 min read
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The College Board’s new Advanced Placement African American Studies course has sparked national debate since the pilot first kicked off in the fall of 2022. Florida officials banned the pilot course last year alleging it defied state law restricting instruction on race. Similar legislation has passed in at least 17 other states, including Kentucky.

The controversy surrounding the course got Ahenewa El-Amin interested in teaching it. The educator from Lexington, Ky., has been leading the class since the fall of this current school year, and with constant feedback from her students, is writing the curriculum that will be used to teach the course at Henry Clay High School moving forward.

Here, see what the course is really like inside the classroom.

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Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week

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