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This fall, every high school in California was supposed to offer ethnic studies 鈥� a one-semester class focused on the struggles and triumphs of marginalized communities.

But the class appears stalled, at least for now, after the state budget omitted funding for it and the increasingly polarized political climate dampened some districts鈥� appetite for anything that hints at controversy.

鈥淩ight now, it鈥檚 a mixed bag. Some school districts have already implemented the course, and some school districts are using the current circumstances as a rationale not to move forward,鈥� said Albert Camarillo, a Stanford history professor and founder of the university鈥檚 Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 hopeful. This fight has been going on for a long time.鈥�

California mandate in 2021, following years of debate and fine-tuning of curriculum. The class was meant to focus on the cultures and histories of African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans and Latinos, all of whom have faced oppression in California. The also encourages schools to add additional lessons based on their student populations, such as Hmong or Armenian.

The course would have been required for high school graduation, beginning with the Class of 2030.

But the state never allotted money for the course, which meant the mandate hasn鈥檛 gone into effect. The Senate Appropriations Committee estimated that the cost to hire and train teachers and purchase textbooks and other materials would be $276 million. Some school districts have used their own money to train teachers and have started offering the class anyway.

Accusations of antisemitism

Meanwhile, fights have erupted across the state over who and who isn鈥檛 included in the curriculum. Some ethnic studies teachers incorporated lessons on the Gaza conflict and made other changes put forth by a group of educators and activists called the . That鈥檚 led to accusations of antisemitism in dozens of school districts.

Antisemitism has been on the rise generally in California, not just in schools. Statewide, anti-Jewish hate crime last year, according to the California Department of Justice. In Los Angeles County, hate crimes 鈥� including slurs鈥� against Jewish people , to the highest number ever recorded, according to the county鈥檚 Commission on Human Relations.

Those numbers in part prompted a pair of legislators to addressing antisemitism in California public schools. Assembly Bill 715, which is now headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom, would beef up the discrimination complaint process in schools and create a statewide antisemitism coordinator to ensure schools comply. , which died, would have directly addressed antisemitism in ethnic studies classes by placing restrictions on curriculum.

鈥極n life support鈥�

But the delays and public controversies have taken a toll. No one has tracked how many schools offer ethnic studies, or how many require it, but some say the momentum is lost.

鈥�It鈥檚 already on life support and this could be one more arrow,鈥� said Tab Berg, a political consultant based in the Sacramento area.

Berg has been a critic of ethnic studies, saying it鈥檚 divisive. A better way to encourage cultural understanding is to eliminate segregation in schools and ensure the existing social studies curriculum is comprehensive and accurate, he said. 鈥淲e should absolutely find ways to help students appreciate and understand other cultures. But not in a way that leads to further polarization of the school community.鈥�

Carol Kocivar, former head of the state PTA and a San Francisco-based education writer, also thinks the class may be stalled indefinitely.

鈥淚 think the people who supported ethnic studies didn鈥檛 realize they were opening a can of worms,鈥� Kocivar said. 鈥淯ntil there鈥檚 an agreement on the ideological guardrails, I just don鈥檛 see it moving forward on a broad scale.鈥�

Kocivar supports the ethnic studies curriculum generally, but thinks it should be woven into existing classes like English, history and foreign language. That would leave room in students’ schedules for electives while still ensuring they learn the histories of marginalized communities.

Schools moving ahead

In Orange County, nearly all high schools are offering ethnic studies as a stand-alone elective course or paired with a required class like English or history. Teachers use curriculum written by their districts with public input, drawn from the state鈥檚 recommended curriculum. They also have the option of adding lessons on Vietnamese, Hmong or Cambodian culture, reflecting the county鈥檚 ethnic makeup.

鈥淭he feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,鈥� said Marika Manos, manager of history and social science for the Orange County Department of Education. 鈥淪tudents see themselves in the curriculum and in the broader story of America. 鈥� It鈥檚 a wonderful opportunity for them to get some joy in their day.鈥�

A handful of districts are waiting to see if the state authorizes funding, but the rest have found their own money to hire and train teachers and purchase materials. There was some pushback against Santa Ana Unified when two Jewish civil rights groups sued, claiming the district鈥檚 ethnic studies courses contained antisemetic material. The district settled earlier this year and changed the course curriculum.

Polarized political climate

Camarillo, the Stanford professor, said the national political climate 鈥渘o question鈥� has had a significant effect on the ethnic studies rollout. Parents might have genuine concerns about what鈥檚 being taught, 鈥渂ut we鈥檙e also seeing the impact of extremist groups that are fomenting distrust in our schools.鈥�

He pointed to book bans, attacks on 鈥渨oke鈥� curriculum and other so-called culture war issues playing out in schools nationwide.

But the fight over ethnic studies has been going on for decades, since the first student activists pushed for the course at San Francisco State in the 1960s, and he鈥檚 hopeful that the current obstacles, especially the fights over antisemitism, will eventually resolve.

鈥淚 hate to see what鈥檚 happening but I think there鈥檚 hope for a resolution,鈥� he said. 鈥淓thnic studies can help us understand and appreciate each other, communicate, make connections. I鈥檝e seen it play out in the classroom and it鈥檚 a beautiful thing.鈥�

鈥楢 really special class鈥�

In Oakland, Summer Johnson has been teaching ethnic studies for three years at Arise High School, a charter school in the Fruitvale district. She uses a combination of liberated ethnic studies and other curricula and her own lesson plans.

She covers topics like identity, stereotypes and bias; oppression and resistance; and cultural assets, or 鈥渢he beautiful things in your community,鈥� she said. They also learn the origins of the class itself, starting with the fight for .

Students read articles and write papers, conduct research, do art projects and give oral presentations, discuss issues and take field trips. She pushes the students to 鈥渁sk questions, be curious, have the tough conversations. This is the place for that.鈥�

She鈥檚 had no complaints from parents, but sometimes at the beginning of the semester, students question the value of the class.

鈥淲hen that happens, we have a discussion,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淏y the end of the class, students learn about themselves and their classmates and learn to express their opinions. Overall students respond really well.鈥�

Johnson, who has a social studies teaching credential, sought out training to teach ethnic studies and feels that鈥檚 critical for the course to be successful. Teachers need to know the material, but they also need to know how to facilitate sensitive conversations and encourage students to open up to their peers.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a really special class. I鈥檇 love to see it expand to all schools,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭he purpose is for students to have empathy for each other and knowledge of themselves and their communities. And that鈥檚 important.鈥�

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