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District 28 schools begin rolling out citywide Black Studies curriculum; PS 48 describes pilot work
Summary
Presenters from the Education Equity Action Plan Coalition and District 28 leaders described the new Black Studies curriculum available to all NYC public schools, recounted a pilot at PS 48 (David N. Dinkins School for Community Service) and urged parents and SLTs to include the curriculum in school plans and monitoring.
Dr. Shango Blake, a lead presenter with the Education Equity Action Plan Coalition, told Community Education Council District 28 that the Black Studies curriculum is now publicly available to all New York City public schools and the broader community.
"The Black Studies curriculum was put together by the Education Equity Action Plan Coalition," Dr. Shango Blake said, adding that the curriculum is accessible through the DOE's WeTeach portal and by a public download QR code shown during the presentation.
The nut graf: The presentation outlined the curriculum's development, pilots in multiple districts, and guidance for local implementation: principals set the grade-by-grade rollout, teachers received professional development opportunities and parents were urged to place Black Studies goals in school CEPs (Comprehensive Education Plans) and to monitor implementation.
Principal Christina DuVernay and PS 48 lead teachers described implementation steps and classroom activities. DuVernay said the school formed a Black Studies implementation team during the 2023'24 pilot and used SLT and ILT structures to align lessons with the school's vision and curriculum.
Lead teacher Aziza Adams described teacher training and classroom practice: the curriculum includes grade-specific units, links to the DOE Passport social studies scope-and-sequence, and professional development, including a mindset-readiness component. "The PD was very informative and thorough," Adams said. "Teachers were able to connect the interest of their students" to curricular modules.
Special education teacher Belinda Lewis and DuVernay explained that PS 48 organized a "Black Studies Crawl," a schoolwide event where grade-level units were displayed and pupils presented projects such as student-made "tap taps" for a Haitian unit. Lewis said the curriculum raised student engagement and that students could articulate their learning even when administrators visited classroom sessions.
Citywide context: presenters said the curriculum was developed by educators and partner organizations including Columbia University researchers and the Eagle Academy Foundation. The DOE launch at York College signaled central-office support; presenters said Chancellor leadership intends to designate district-level point people and move toward coordinated professional learning and monitoring. Presenters also said the curriculum developers are working on "crosswalks" aligning Black Studies materials with NYC Reads and social studies literacy expectations.
Controversy and safeguards: presenters acknowledged national pushback to ethnic and culturally responsive curricula in some jurisdictions and said the program includes professional learning to address bias and "mindset readiness" so teachers can teach without harming students.
Ending: The presenters asked community members to download the curriculum (QR code shown in the slides) and encouraged parents who sit on SLTs to write Black Studies goals into their CEPs and to use Title I and school funds where appropriate to support visits, materials and after-school activities related to the curriculum.
