T.-4 20-1186 Discussion and possible Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 1920-0246 - Affirming Support of AB2016 California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Draft Created by Ethnic Studies Experts.
I am a parent of a Skyline High School 9th grader. I do not support the proposed resolution on adopting the first draft of the ethnic studies model curriculum. It's a farce that you would endorse a draft version of an curriculum that has caused so much controversy and is currently being resolved on the state level. Why on earth are we using the limited time and energy of our underresourced school system to fight these pointless political battles locally? All the energy and good will we waste fighting on this issue should have been spent preparing our students to succeed in math, literature, and science to become model citizens in our dreadfully damaged world.
Support the ongoing process of the California Department of Education to create a high-quality revised draft that meets the statutory requirements of AB-2016, the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Guidelines, and California’s Education Code, and focus locally on the important things our students need.
Dear OUSD Board Members,
I am a 19-year veteran educator, an OUSD parent. I want to STRONGLY urge you to pass 1920-0246 - Affirming Support of AB2016. The CA School Board Associations of Color, the California Teachers Association, and the Oakland Education Association have all endorsed the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum draft in defense of the field and its educators of color against unfair attacks. The model curriculum will support educators in expanding our knowledge base and developing engaging and relevant curriculum. Specifically, because this curriculum addresses the experiences of Arabs, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Central Americans, we need you to stand up and affirm the ES Model Curriculum. Teaching about the history of the Palestinian people should never be conflated with antisemitism. Don't let this unfortunate mischaracterization of the model curriculum stop the efforts of the curriculum committee!
Today, I take the time to write because I am convinced Resol#1920-0246 limits or suppresses the enrichment of education-which provides a student the opportunity to gain the skills for critical thinking versus a controlled-biased factual model of ethnicity studies, we do a disservice to the very ethnic communities said model should benefit. I have no ax to grind other then desire to see all Oakland High School students enrich by a historical-factual ethnicity study model. This one is not it.
California Senators and Assembly members in support of the 2016 a ethnic state wide model did not seek to exempt, promote bias, nor exclusion of ethnic groups in the ethnic studies model.
As a member of an ethnic community, as a pastor in the San Antonio District, as a representative of over 200 Latino, Hispanic, and American Indian families, I ask the school board to reject the resolution. Its adoption will undermine a true ethnic study model. Vote NO on resolution 1920-0246.
This is such an amazing resolution that will dispel and dismantle so much racism and islamophobic rhetoric that we are exposed to daily. I'm glad to see Oakland leading this country in implementing such a program. This resolution will implement a program that will teach critical thinking skills, and expand the horizons of our students. They will given insight into a world they are rarely exposed to in a positive light. This resolution is about humanizing the de-humanized. There are many racists who are fighting tooth and nail to make sure this program doesn't get passed, but we the people of Oakland and the bay area are in full support of this program.
As a non-Arab parent of an OUSD 10th grader, having exposure to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum that includes the history and experiences of Arab Americans is of tremendous value to OUSD students and their families. It humanizes a people who have been systemically dehumanized and criminalized and it potentially provides opportunities for other marginalized students to learn how to be in solidarity with one another. If these lessons lead to honest conversations about the real push factors that have contributed to the migration of Arab families into the U.S. and in the City of Oakland--namely the corporate financial interests within the Middle East & North African region--maybe we can see a different future where OUSD graduates can advocate for policies that are built around equity, justice and dignity; not greed, dispossession and exploitation.
As a Bay Area Native I am proud that this curriculum is being proposed. The Bay Area is home to Ethnic Studies and the inclusion of Arab American Studies is long overdue. The Arab American community is heavily marginalized and giving students the opportunity to learn about a community with such a rich history will only benefit society. I remember growing up learning from the unbalanced school curriculum, partially in our history classes. It is heavily centered around White/European narratives. It wasn't until I attended college at UC Berkeley, that I unlearned what grade school and society has taught me. People of Color have little to no representation in grade school curriculum. And when represented, it is an insignificant analysis of century-defining POC historical events and often from a Western/European lens. Attempting to silence this curriculum is simply anti-Arab and racist.
I support Resolution No. 1920-0246 and urge all concerned parties to support it as well. It is incredibly important that students are taught the deeply forgotten histories of the marginalized and ways to think about history from the perspective of the oppressed and those who fought for liberation for their rights. Students of color need to see their histories represented in what they are taught, and white students need to cultivate critical thinking skills to engage with the violent histories of their ancestors. Teaching histories about Arab-Americans IS NOT anti-semitic, and this presumption is deeply racist in itself. Learning about the Palestinian struggle for self-determination is not anti-semitic, and is incredibly important to understand histories of the struggle against racism. Please support his resolution.
Its important to represent more than just European history, specifically to help Arab-American students learn about their history and where they come from
I support Resolution No. 1920-0246 on the May 27th agenda because it is crucial for young students to learn about their own rich, complex histories and for students of different ethnicities to learn about the world and become engaged, thoughtful, and kind citizens. Asia is a diverse place with many different peoples, traditions, languages, religions, and histories. The unfounded attacks on this curriculum are based on prejudice, discrimination; there is a false (and racist) assumption that teaching positively about Arabs means teaching anti-semitism, when in fact that is simply not true. The history of Arabs of all religions (Christians, Muslims, Jews, Druze, Atheists, etc) should be taught well in our schools. And our students deserve to learn these diverse histories.
As an arab student I support the ethnic studies model curriculum because everyone should learn about others histories and experiences and students like myself have the right to learn about our own people. Students like myself, have experienced Islamophobia and have been discriminated against for being Arab by teachers and other students. This curriculum will help educate those ignorant to my culture and will better the experiences of students like myself.
This gives a voice to minorities in the Bay Area who have not had the opportunity to learn about their history in school. This is long over due, and needed in today’s climate.
I'm writing to you as a parent of 9th grade and 11th grade daughters at Oakland Tech High School. Please vote to REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246 on your May 27th agenda. The 2019 CA draft curriculum has specific divisive one-sided biases around the Jewish community that are extremely damaging, and appear to foment antisemitism and anti-Israel bias, surely the opposite of the goal of an Ethnic Studies curriculum.
I am a strong proponent of a solid Ethnic Studies curriculum. While the State of CA continues to work on a revised draft that is suitable, perhaps OUSD could consider adopting the existing curriculum at Oakland Tech High School. It has been structured in an effective, unbiased fashion.
This 2019 CA draft curriculum caused a massive uproar in August of 2019 across the Jewish community, as well as other communities, and legislators. Tony Thurmond and Governor Newsom both stated clearly that it must be revised to do better, for Jews and multiple other groups.
As an Arab ive seen a consistently negative story being told about my people. It’s always about terrorism and war. However, like any culture, we have a beautiful and complex history of contributions to the world and I believe it’s time that side of the story gets told. This is not in any way meant to contradict the stories of others. I’m fact, our history is very positively intertwined with that of Jews, Christians, Hindus, and numerous other religions. Not only would Arab American Ethnic Studies be beneficial for us but it would also add to telling the history of other religions and cultures. Like any student, I want to be seen and heard in school. I support this curriculum because it makes me feel visible and safer in school.
As a Jew, I am very concerned about rising antisemitism, but Jews are not made safer by suppressing the perspectives of Arab-Americans. The Ethnic Studies model curriculum provides students the opportunity to hear the authentic voices of people of color from their own perspective, which is extremely important for both students of color and white students.
I am a Jewish community member that supports the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. Students of color should see themselves reflected in OUSD’s curriculum and white students benefit from having critical discussions about race.
I am a 32-year resident of Oakland and am horrified at what is being proposed. Your 'sample course models' is certainly not representative of the ethnic populations in OUSD. A simple keywork search makes that quite evident: 146 mentions of the word 'Asian', 60 mentions of the word 'African' and very surprisingly only 21 mentions of the word 'Latina' when that is the background of the highest percentage of students in OUSD. Furthermore, 5 mentions of the word 'Jew*' and not one mention of the word 'Holocaust'. Instead what you repeated many times is the world 'activism'. Seems like you are performing indoctrination rather than teaching analytical and creative thinking, the REAL tools needed to survive, much less thrive in this increasingly complex world. I tried very hard to get inside OUSD to help start a FREE genealogy program which teaches a bunch of stuff (history, analytical reasoning, and more), yet absolutely no takers. What a SHAME! Shame on you for this biased curriculum!
Every student should have the opportunity to see themselves and their culture represented in positive ways in the curriculum. This is a step in the right direction.
As a teacher with OUSD for the past ten years, I cannot express enough the need for rigorous, engaging ethnic studies curriculum, which the model curriculum draft provides. Our students deserve the highest-quality curriculum to prepare them to be engaged citizens of the world. This requires us to deliver curriculum where students can study their own culture in order to develop their own positive sense of identity as learners and critical thinkers, and to build empathy for all our lives experiences. Oakland has the opportunity to be at the forefront of delivering diverse, inclusive and anti-racist education, and to give our students the education they deserve but have historically been denied. Please be on the right side of history on this one.
Ethnic Studies is a stance that critically examines group identity, specifically racial identity, in relation to systems of power. After having examined the Ethnic Studies model curriculum, I find claims that the curriculum is anti-Semitic to be false, and an attempt to remove the experiences of Arab Americans and the experiences of Palestinians in Palestine.
Anti-Semitism is discussed in the curriculum as a force of oppression that impacted and currently impacts Jewish people in historical horrors such as the Holocaust as well as the present day.
The curriculum will assist teachers in Oakland in representing a broad spectrum of groups and experiences in a critical way. I hope you will understand the urgency for our students of color to see themselves and their history reflected in their school curriculum, will trust teachers to hold nuance, and will therefore support the Ethnic Studies curriculum in California. -Dr. Chela Delgado, OUSD alum, parent, teacher
I strongly support the resolution in favor of the draft ESMC, as an Oakland voter and Jewish person. The curriculum in question is critically important, particularly for students from marginalized communities in Oakland such as the Arab American, Central American, and Pacific Islander communities. It presents stories of these communities in a way that the current curriculum does not adequately address. We need to follow the lead of the 6 other cities who have unanimously passed similar resolutions in favor of ESMC draft: San Francisco, Richmond, Albany, Hayward, Castro Valley, and Alhambra.
Dear OUSD School Board,
I am a parent of a Skyline High School 9th grader. I do not support the proposed resolution on adopting the first draft of the ethnic studies model curriculum. It's a farce that you would endorse a draft version of an curriculum that has caused so much controversy and is currently being resolved on the state level. Why on earth are we using the limited time and energy of our underresourced school system to fight these pointless political battles locally? All the energy and good will we waste fighting on this issue should have been spent preparing our students to succeed in math, literature, and science to become model citizens in our dreadfully damaged world.
Support the ongoing process of the California Department of Education to create a high-quality revised draft that meets the statutory requirements of AB-2016, the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Guidelines, and California’s Education Code, and focus locally on the important things our students need.
Dear OUSD Board Members,
I am a 19-year veteran educator, an OUSD parent. I want to STRONGLY urge you to pass 1920-0246 - Affirming Support of AB2016. The CA School Board Associations of Color, the California Teachers Association, and the Oakland Education Association have all endorsed the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum draft in defense of the field and its educators of color against unfair attacks. The model curriculum will support educators in expanding our knowledge base and developing engaging and relevant curriculum. Specifically, because this curriculum addresses the experiences of Arabs, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Central Americans, we need you to stand up and affirm the ES Model Curriculum. Teaching about the history of the Palestinian people should never be conflated with antisemitism. Don't let this unfortunate mischaracterization of the model curriculum stop the efforts of the curriculum committee!
Today, I take the time to write because I am convinced Resol#1920-0246 limits or suppresses the enrichment of education-which provides a student the opportunity to gain the skills for critical thinking versus a controlled-biased factual model of ethnicity studies, we do a disservice to the very ethnic communities said model should benefit. I have no ax to grind other then desire to see all Oakland High School students enrich by a historical-factual ethnicity study model. This one is not it.
California Senators and Assembly members in support of the 2016 a ethnic state wide model did not seek to exempt, promote bias, nor exclusion of ethnic groups in the ethnic studies model.
As a member of an ethnic community, as a pastor in the San Antonio District, as a representative of over 200 Latino, Hispanic, and American Indian families, I ask the school board to reject the resolution. Its adoption will undermine a true ethnic study model. Vote NO on resolution 1920-0246.
This is such an amazing resolution that will dispel and dismantle so much racism and islamophobic rhetoric that we are exposed to daily. I'm glad to see Oakland leading this country in implementing such a program. This resolution will implement a program that will teach critical thinking skills, and expand the horizons of our students. They will given insight into a world they are rarely exposed to in a positive light. This resolution is about humanizing the de-humanized. There are many racists who are fighting tooth and nail to make sure this program doesn't get passed, but we the people of Oakland and the bay area are in full support of this program.
As a non-Arab parent of an OUSD 10th grader, having exposure to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum that includes the history and experiences of Arab Americans is of tremendous value to OUSD students and their families. It humanizes a people who have been systemically dehumanized and criminalized and it potentially provides opportunities for other marginalized students to learn how to be in solidarity with one another. If these lessons lead to honest conversations about the real push factors that have contributed to the migration of Arab families into the U.S. and in the City of Oakland--namely the corporate financial interests within the Middle East & North African region--maybe we can see a different future where OUSD graduates can advocate for policies that are built around equity, justice and dignity; not greed, dispossession and exploitation.
As a Bay Area Native I am proud that this curriculum is being proposed. The Bay Area is home to Ethnic Studies and the inclusion of Arab American Studies is long overdue. The Arab American community is heavily marginalized and giving students the opportunity to learn about a community with such a rich history will only benefit society. I remember growing up learning from the unbalanced school curriculum, partially in our history classes. It is heavily centered around White/European narratives. It wasn't until I attended college at UC Berkeley, that I unlearned what grade school and society has taught me. People of Color have little to no representation in grade school curriculum. And when represented, it is an insignificant analysis of century-defining POC historical events and often from a Western/European lens. Attempting to silence this curriculum is simply anti-Arab and racist.
I support Resolution No. 1920-0246 and urge all concerned parties to support it as well. It is incredibly important that students are taught the deeply forgotten histories of the marginalized and ways to think about history from the perspective of the oppressed and those who fought for liberation for their rights. Students of color need to see their histories represented in what they are taught, and white students need to cultivate critical thinking skills to engage with the violent histories of their ancestors. Teaching histories about Arab-Americans IS NOT anti-semitic, and this presumption is deeply racist in itself. Learning about the Palestinian struggle for self-determination is not anti-semitic, and is incredibly important to understand histories of the struggle against racism. Please support his resolution.
Its important to represent more than just European history, specifically to help Arab-American students learn about their history and where they come from
I support Resolution No. 1920-0246 on the May 27th agenda because it is crucial for young students to learn about their own rich, complex histories and for students of different ethnicities to learn about the world and become engaged, thoughtful, and kind citizens. Asia is a diverse place with many different peoples, traditions, languages, religions, and histories. The unfounded attacks on this curriculum are based on prejudice, discrimination; there is a false (and racist) assumption that teaching positively about Arabs means teaching anti-semitism, when in fact that is simply not true. The history of Arabs of all religions (Christians, Muslims, Jews, Druze, Atheists, etc) should be taught well in our schools. And our students deserve to learn these diverse histories.
As an arab student I support the ethnic studies model curriculum because everyone should learn about others histories and experiences and students like myself have the right to learn about our own people. Students like myself, have experienced Islamophobia and have been discriminated against for being Arab by teachers and other students. This curriculum will help educate those ignorant to my culture and will better the experiences of students like myself.
This gives a voice to minorities in the Bay Area who have not had the opportunity to learn about their history in school. This is long over due, and needed in today’s climate.
I'm writing to you as a parent of 9th grade and 11th grade daughters at Oakland Tech High School. Please vote to REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246 on your May 27th agenda. The 2019 CA draft curriculum has specific divisive one-sided biases around the Jewish community that are extremely damaging, and appear to foment antisemitism and anti-Israel bias, surely the opposite of the goal of an Ethnic Studies curriculum.
I am a strong proponent of a solid Ethnic Studies curriculum. While the State of CA continues to work on a revised draft that is suitable, perhaps OUSD could consider adopting the existing curriculum at Oakland Tech High School. It has been structured in an effective, unbiased fashion.
This 2019 CA draft curriculum caused a massive uproar in August of 2019 across the Jewish community, as well as other communities, and legislators. Tony Thurmond and Governor Newsom both stated clearly that it must be revised to do better, for Jews and multiple other groups.
Respectfully
As an Arab ive seen a consistently negative story being told about my people. It’s always about terrorism and war. However, like any culture, we have a beautiful and complex history of contributions to the world and I believe it’s time that side of the story gets told. This is not in any way meant to contradict the stories of others. I’m fact, our history is very positively intertwined with that of Jews, Christians, Hindus, and numerous other religions. Not only would Arab American Ethnic Studies be beneficial for us but it would also add to telling the history of other religions and cultures. Like any student, I want to be seen and heard in school. I support this curriculum because it makes me feel visible and safer in school.
As a Jew, I am very concerned about rising antisemitism, but Jews are not made safer by suppressing the perspectives of Arab-Americans. The Ethnic Studies model curriculum provides students the opportunity to hear the authentic voices of people of color from their own perspective, which is extremely important for both students of color and white students.
I am a Jewish community member that supports the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. Students of color should see themselves reflected in OUSD’s curriculum and white students benefit from having critical discussions about race.
I am a 32-year resident of Oakland and am horrified at what is being proposed. Your 'sample course models' is certainly not representative of the ethnic populations in OUSD. A simple keywork search makes that quite evident: 146 mentions of the word 'Asian', 60 mentions of the word 'African' and very surprisingly only 21 mentions of the word 'Latina' when that is the background of the highest percentage of students in OUSD. Furthermore, 5 mentions of the word 'Jew*' and not one mention of the word 'Holocaust'. Instead what you repeated many times is the world 'activism'. Seems like you are performing indoctrination rather than teaching analytical and creative thinking, the REAL tools needed to survive, much less thrive in this increasingly complex world. I tried very hard to get inside OUSD to help start a FREE genealogy program which teaches a bunch of stuff (history, analytical reasoning, and more), yet absolutely no takers. What a SHAME! Shame on you for this biased curriculum!
Every student should have the opportunity to see themselves and their culture represented in positive ways in the curriculum. This is a step in the right direction.
As a teacher with OUSD for the past ten years, I cannot express enough the need for rigorous, engaging ethnic studies curriculum, which the model curriculum draft provides. Our students deserve the highest-quality curriculum to prepare them to be engaged citizens of the world. This requires us to deliver curriculum where students can study their own culture in order to develop their own positive sense of identity as learners and critical thinkers, and to build empathy for all our lives experiences. Oakland has the opportunity to be at the forefront of delivering diverse, inclusive and anti-racist education, and to give our students the education they deserve but have historically been denied. Please be on the right side of history on this one.
Ethnic Studies is a stance that critically examines group identity, specifically racial identity, in relation to systems of power. After having examined the Ethnic Studies model curriculum, I find claims that the curriculum is anti-Semitic to be false, and an attempt to remove the experiences of Arab Americans and the experiences of Palestinians in Palestine.
Anti-Semitism is discussed in the curriculum as a force of oppression that impacted and currently impacts Jewish people in historical horrors such as the Holocaust as well as the present day.
The curriculum will assist teachers in Oakland in representing a broad spectrum of groups and experiences in a critical way. I hope you will understand the urgency for our students of color to see themselves and their history reflected in their school curriculum, will trust teachers to hold nuance, and will therefore support the Ethnic Studies curriculum in California. -Dr. Chela Delgado, OUSD alum, parent, teacher
I strongly support the resolution in favor of the draft ESMC, as an Oakland voter and Jewish person. The curriculum in question is critically important, particularly for students from marginalized communities in Oakland such as the Arab American, Central American, and Pacific Islander communities. It presents stories of these communities in a way that the current curriculum does not adequately address. We need to follow the lead of the 6 other cities who have unanimously passed similar resolutions in favor of ESMC draft: San Francisco, Richmond, Albany, Hayward, Castro Valley, and Alhambra.