Bring Black Studies Curriculum to New York City Students
Presently, the NYS Education Department (NYSED) does not mandate a set curriculum for its over 2.4 million K-12 students. Instead, the NYSED assumes a guiding role by establishing what should be taught in the classroom and less on how. Through what they refer to as learning standards, the department assumes the responsibility of determining the expected level of “knowledge, skills, and understandings” students should have by the end of each school level in the seven areas of English Language Arts (ELA); Mathematics, science, and technology; Social studies; World languages; the Arts (visual arts, music, dance, and theater); Health, physical education, and family and consumer sciences; and Career development and occupational studies.
In consideration of the expected variation in development speeds, personal circumstances, and learning styles of students in its schools, the NYSED leaves the actual curriculum development and selection to its 731 districts to determine. The closest the department gets to building a curriculum is requiring instruction of all students, no matter if they’re in a public or private school, in specific subjects such as patriotism and citizenship; anti-harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination in the school environment; the Constitution (only grades 8-12); health education regarding alcohol, drugs, and tobacco abuse; and fire safety. In their words, “They [NYSED standards] provide a framework for districts and local programs to develop local curricula and plan instruction that is individualized, differentiated, culturally and linguistically relevant, and context-based…they are not designed to prescribe a lockstep progression of lessons or curricula for all children since each child’s pace of development is not expected to be uniform.”
Naturally, with hundreds of districts left to their own devices, the curriculums throughout the state vary tremendously. In recent years, some schools and cities have attempted to integrate meaningful, new curricula into their classrooms to encourage some sense of uniformity and consistency. One of the efforts to establish a standardized curriculum within NYSED’s learning standards was the plan by New York City’s Department of Education (NYC DOE) to develop an ELA and math curriculum entitled “Mosaic”, which would have included more culturally diverse texts. Recent findings from the UCLA’s Civil Rights Project show that New York is the most segregated state for Black students and second most for Latinx students. This has created even more momentum for the development of culturally relevant curricula to be included in all schools. While the plan did not come to fruition, other efforts to implement a coordinated curriculum across the states’ classrooms are in progress.
The New York Performance Standards Consortium is an example of a progressive attempt to universalize learning. Made up of 38 public high schools based in NYC, Rochester, and Ithaca, the Consortium prepares its students for success in college, careers, and citizenship. It boasts high school graduation rates that far surpass NYC averages. Aspiring to divest from the widely popular and common Regents standard from the NYSED, the Consortium utilizes a curriculum that fully integrates cultural responsiveness. One of their curriculum models for 11th and 12th graders, entitled “Do the Right Thing,” adopted teaching morality from a modern, cultural-based perspective over the more traditional philosophical approach that tends to rely on the heavily White, male, and dated literary canon. In the curriculum map, you’ll find “Bloodchild” by the pioneering Black science fiction author Octavia E. Butler, Ursula Le Guin’s thought-provoking “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe as some of the text material guiding students’ exploration of the year-long question “Is evil ever justified”?
On a much smaller scale, individual schools and third-party organizations have made an effort to implement curriculums that could be adopted across the state. West End Secondary School (WESS), a 6-12 public school in District 3, adopted a more progressive, interdisciplinary approach to its curriculum. The school website advertises that its curriculum blends social justice and relevant topics to the required areas set by the NYSED in the classroom. “On My Plate” was one of WESS’ approaches to ELA, history, science, math, and Spanish for the 2020-2021 school year’s 8th graders. Through the guided question, “What nourishes us?” teachers informed students about the causes of food insecurity in the city and provided them with an opportunity to think about ways to nourish their fellow citizens. WESS students, specifically its 11th graders in the 2020-2021 academic year, participated in “Reimagining Limits.” Through this curriculum, students investigated the guiding questions “How are we limited?” and “How are we free?” through participatory activities such as open mics and scriptwriting activities to meet the NYSED ELA requirement.
Most notably, The Education Equity Action Plan Coalition (EEAPC) announced the launch of its pilot program for the Black Studies curriculum in New York City Public Schools, with plans to implement it citywide in the fall of 2023. New York City is the nation’s largest school system–and this curriculum will serve as a national model. The approach as well as the scale of the Black studies curriculum is unprecedented.
EEAPC’s mission is to ensure that the experiences and contributions of African-Americans are celebrated and reflected in the curriculum. This interdisciplinary curriculum aims to create a deeper understanding of the African-American experience in America. It also focuses on the contributions of African-Americans to the modern world. The curriculum enriches existing materials by connecting to the voices, experiences, and histories of Black communities. The hope is that this innovative curriculum will serve as a model and be adopted by schools throughout New York State.
Despite the progress that has been made in establishing a universal curriculum in New York State, there is still a long way to go before it can be fully implemented. One of the most encouraging factors about this project is that many of the early adopters have shown a steadfast commitment. These new curricula are culturally-competent and encourage the next generation of citizens to interact critically with their present surroundings. In a divided nation concerning matters like critical race theory, Black history, and queer academia, it’s promising to know that New York’s students are learning a more complete and genuine picture of the complexities of the country they contribute to and will one day lead.
