Is ethnic studies kaput in California?

A California school district will cancel three ethnic studies courses to settle a lawsuit by Jewish advocacy groups, reports John Fensterwald in EdSource. Santa Ana Unified agreed to comply with the state’s open meeting law and to seek public input when developing new courses.

“We hope this is a cautionary tale to all the districts in California and anyone else who’s hoping to infuse ethnic studies with antisemitism, especially if they’re doing it in secret,” said Marci Miller, director of legal investigations for the Brandeis Center.

"The Brandeis Center has also filed related state or federal discrimination complaints against Berkeley Unified, Fremont High School and Santa Clara Unified," reports Fensterwald, and "the Deborah Project has filed antisemitism lawsuits against a San Jose charter school and another Bay Area district, Sequoia Union High School District."

Like more than two dozen California districts, Santa Ana 's curriculum was inspired by Liberated Ethnic Studies, which blames "white supremacy and capitalism" for oppressing minorities, he writes. "It has made the conflict in Israel, which it characterizes as an oppressor state and a modern example of  'white settler colonialism,' a central element in its curriculum."

"Emails, documents, text messages, and chats obtained by attorneys during the discovery process revealed Santa Ana steering committee members’ biases," writes Fensterwald. "When deciding when to present two proposed ethnic studies courses to the board, two senior district officials in text messages suggested scheduling it on a Jewish holiday so that Jews would not attend."

A California law passed in 2021 requires high schools to offer a semester-long ethnic studies class, starting in fall 2025, and makes ethnic studies a graduation requirement as of 2030-31, he writes. However, ethnic studies is optional until it's funded by the state, and Gov. Gavin Newsom did not propose funding in his 2025-26 budget.

The enthusiasm for ethnic studies -- especially the left-wing version -- may be fading.

Teaching resource for Palo Alto Unified's mandatory ethnic studies class.

In Palo Alto Unified, my daughter's old school district, the school board decided to delay its ethnic studies class, then -- in a bitterly contentious meeting on Jan. 23 -- reversed itself and voted 3-2 to mandate the one-semester course for all ninth graders, reports Braden Cartwright in the Daily Post.

Palo Alto's teacher-designed course does not follow the "liberated" curriculum rejected by the state for its left-wing and anti-Israel politics, said Guillermo Lopez, an associate superintendent.

However, the Palo Alto Parent Alliance charged that "half of the course outline focused on 'Power, Privilege, & Systems of Oppression' and 'Resilience & Resistance,' while there will little on "ethnic groups' cultural assets and contributions."

Last week, the district released the syllabus for the course on its ethnic studies page, reports Lisa Moreno for Palo Alto Online. After an introductory unit with questions such as "how has history shaped our identity?," students learn about “Power, Privilege and Oppression,” “Resilience and Resistance,” and “Action and Civil Engagement.” 

As an alternative to ethnic studies, the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) is working on a "pro-human" American History and Civics curriculum that will "address diversity and ethnicity . . . in the context of our shared American history, experience, culture, and values."

Michael Horn discusses anti-Semitism in schools and ethnic studies with Tyler Gregory of the Jewish Community Relations Council in the San Francisco Bay Area.