New draft of MN social studies standards places ethnic studies alongside history, geography

Aug. 9—The prominent inclusion of ethnic studies in the latest draft of Minnesota's K-12 social studies standards is attracting more criticism from conservatives.

At the urging of the diverse committee writing the standards, the Minnesota Department of Education agreed to give ethnic studies its own "strand" in the document, alongside history, geography, economics and citizenship and government.

As written, Minnesota students would be expected to learn about ethnic studies at every grade level, beginning in kindergarten. Exactly how schools would teach it, from the curriculum they'd use to whether it's in new standalone classes or embedded in existing ones, would be up to each school district.

"It's about telling the whole story, not just parts of the story that make us feel good," Danyika Leonard, policy director at Education Evolving, and a member of the committee, said of the addition of ethnic studies.

CRITICS QUESTION WHETHER INCLUSION OF ETHNIC STUDIES COMPLIES WITH LAW

But critics don't think ethnic studies has a place in Minnesota schools.

According to state statute, social studies standards must include "history, geography, economics, and government and citizenship."

The Department of Education has determined it's OK to add ethnic studies to the standards. Others aren't so sure.

"What is defined as 'social studies' in law, they've gone beyond that, it seems to me," said Rep. Sondra Erickson, R-Princeton, the House Republican lead on education.

By law, Minnesota revises its academic standards once a decade. Once approved through a rulemaking process, the new social studies standards would begin to be implemented by schools in fall 2025, barring any delays.

But that process includes gaining approval from an administrative law judge that the standards comply with the law. Erickson intends to argue they don't.

"They're supposed to follow the law under our academic standards, and we have specifically placed in the statute what social studies is," Erickson said. "There's no mention of ethnic studies."

COURSES, GRADUATION

If ethnic studies does survive future revisions and the rulemaking process, it's not clear what that would mean for students.

State law requires three and a half credits of social studies to graduate high school, which must include U.S and world history, geography, economics and government and citizenship. Although the Minneapolis district has added its own local ethnic studies graduation requirement — and St. Paul may do the same — the inclusion of ethnic studies in state social studies standards has no bearing on the classes students statewide will need to graduate.

And although schools often create social studies classes that use the same names as the four academic disciplines identified in both statute and the current standards, there's no requirement they do so.

Assistant education commissioner Bobbie Burnham said that once the standards are approved, the department will write guidance for schools on how to implement them.

Leonard expects schools will take a variety of approaches to teaching ethnic studies, which she said can be taught across multiple disciplines.

OMISSIONS, CRITICISM

The committee's first draft featured major changes from what students are learning now, adding references to climate change and LGBTQ people and frequent references to indigenous people and specific Minnesota tribes.

It also made glaring omissions, such as any mention of the Holocaust, and frustrated conservatives by casting a critical light on the nation's founding and ideals.

Leonard said the committee "worked very hard to ensure that the feedback was incorporated" before the second draft. She said a future revision will add examples of what students should be learning, which she expects will satisfy some critics.

Catrin Wigfall, policy fellow at Center of the American Experiment, was highly critical of the first draft. She said some improvements were made for the second but the document as a whole remains "alarming."

"Throughout, the standards and benchmarks continue to manifest a negative and even hateful attitude toward the United States and its history with a focus on systemic racism, group identity, and a one-dimensional power struggle between groups," she wrote on the conservative think tank's blog.

During public hearings following the first draft's release, however, much of the criticism came from liberals who wanted a stronger emphasis on ethnic studies.

The message that ethnic studies warrants its own strand "came through loud and clear" and was important to the standards committee, too, Burnham said.

According to an explanatory document from the department that addressed ethnic studies: "The committee has articulated the need to make the standards and supporting benchmarks more meaningful by attending to the race, ethnicity, identity, and lived experience of young people in relation to civic life and acknowledging voices and experiences of marginalized youth."

WHAT THEY SAY

The draft standards are organized into 24 anchor standards, three of which are under ethnic studies. Those three are:

— "Use historical methods and sources, inclusive of ethnic and Indigenous studies methods and sources, in order to understand and reflect upon the roots of contemporary social systems and environmental systems of oppressions and apply lessons from the past to eliminate injustice and work toward an equitable future."

— "Develop an understanding of the ways power and language construct the social identities of race, geography, ethnicity, gender etc. Apply these understandings to one's own social identities other groups living in Minnesota, especially those whose stories and histories have been marginalized, erased or ignored."

— "Describe how individuals and communities have fought for freedom and liberation against systemic and coordinated exercises of power locally and globally, identify strategies or times that have resulted in lasting change, and organize with others to engage in activities that could further the human rights and dignity of all."

Within the three anchor standards are a total of 75 learning benchmarks for ethnic studies, such as:

— Kindergarteners are asked to describe their personal identity, including "region, race, language, gender, family, ethnicity, culture, religion and ability," and to "identify an issue that your community/family has fought for and against."

— In fourth grade, students would "analyze anti-colonial and anti-racist resistance movements of culturally, racially and ethnically diverse people throughout the world."

— In seventh grade, they would "examine the benefits and consequences of power and privilege on issues associated with poverty, income, and the accumulation of wealth."

— A high school benchmark asks students to "investigate how the establishment of the U.S. government upheld or violated ideas of freedom, equality and justice for individuals and groups."