Black Studies curriculum begins to take shape for New York City public schools
New York City’s Department of Education will develop a citywide K-12 Black Studies curriculum in the city’s public school system. | Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Article reposted from Politico
By MADINA TOURÉ
09/28/2021 06:26 PM EDT
Black education groups — along with elected officials, nonprofits and academic experts — are working with the city’s Department of Education to develop a citywide K-12 Black Studies curriculum in the city’s public school system.
Key Context: The Education Equity Action Plan initiative would develop an interdisciplinary curriculum — first as a pilot program — that explores the early African civilizations, the trajectory of the Black experience in America and the accomplishments and contributions of the African diaspora, program leaders told POLITICO.
The programs would aim to explore the role of race in power relationships and the impact of systemic and institutional racism. The pilot would be accompanied by a professional development program to help teachers and administrators implement the curriculum. The goal is to launch the curriculum and professional development program between the first and second quarter of 2022 and implement the pilot at a select number of DOE schools.
“I did not learn about what Black people have contributed to the development of the world. I knew nothing about historic atrocities that were perpetuated on Black people except a footnote on slavery and a little bit about the civil rights movement,” said Shango Blake, president of Black Edfluencers-United, of his experience in public schools. “The question I have is why did I have to learn that as an adult?”
Impact: The groups, Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter and Council Members I. Daneek Miller and Adrienne Adams — co-chairs of the Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus — will be unveiling the initiative at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem on Wednesday afternoon.
In July, BLAC secured $10 million for the initiative in the fiscal year 2022 budget, the bulk of which has been allocated to the Eagle Academy Foundation, the United Way of New York City and the Black Education Research Collective at Teachers College, Columbia University. The Association of Black Educators of New York Inc. and Black Edfluencers-United also received smaller grants.
“My thought going in was that, ‘My goodness, people are gonna think this curriculum has already been in place in our schools and that Black children are already taught about their history,’” Council Member Adams said. “People don’t really realize that there is no substantial curriculum for Black children.”
Miller and Adams had been meeting with some of their counterparts in the state Legislature as well as a group of Black educators to talk about the “missing ingredients” around diversity, curriculum and access for students and faculty. The curriculum and professional development program arose as the first issues to tackle.
“We thought it was really important to ensure that there was a legacy and there was an impact coming from our community and there was no greater vehicle than the BLAC to undertake this task,” Miller said.
The collective will work with partners on research and evaluation processes as well as community outreach. Their efforts will be administered by an Education Equity Action Plan commission.
“We use culturally sensitive research approaches, and so it’s a little different from traditional research that oftentimes [is] top down,” said Sonya Douglass Horsford, founding director of Black Education Research Collective. “We construct our questions and our process by engaging [the] community.”
Educators, curriculum experts, specialists, teachers, high school students, practitioners and leading experts on African American and Africana Studies will all be brought in to develop the programs, she said.
A report by the Black Research Education Collective found that Covid-19 and systemic racism had a disproportionate effect on Black students, families and communities and that schools are not equipped to address their social, emotional and academic needs.
“We definitely want the curriculum to address and correct some of the racist curricula and supplement children’s schooling, that they’re accurately learning about the history of the United States, Black history and the Black experience,” said Amy Sananman, senior vice president of Community Impact and chief impact and strategy officer of United Way of NYC.
What’s Next: The head of United Way of NYC, Sheena Wright, is leading the transition efforts of Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams, suggesting the program could get more support should Adams become mayor. The groups formulating the program said the DOE expressed enthusiasm about the initiative.
“We would look at really communities that have historically been under-resourced and underserved as well as other communities but I think we are definitely open to the discussion around what places we think [would be good],” said Jawana Johnson, chief achievement officer for the Eagle Academy Foundation, adding they’d look at places where the pilot would land well along with areas that don’t have a large Black and brown student population.
“Every student deserves rigorous classroom instruction that they truly identify and connect with, and the Black Studies Curriculum furthers our goal to provide high-quality and culturally responsive resources for all our schools,” DOE spokesperson Sarah Casasnovas said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing discussions with the community as the curriculum is developed and can’t wait to share it with our educators.”
