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Board reviews ethnic studies middle‑school elective; Fremont is sole current site
Summary
District staff told trustees the ethnic studies elective was developed in 2021, is year‑long for seventh and eighth grades, includes themes such as identity and civic engagement, and is currently offered only at Fremont; trustees and staff discussed professional development and options to embed material across grades.
District curriculum staff reviewed the middle‑school ethnic studies elective at the Feb. 4 board meeting, describing how the class was created and the challenges to expanding it beyond one site.
Dr. Fox said the elective was developed in 2021 with teacher feedback and a syllabus organized by themes — identity, community and belonging, contributions of diverse ethnic groups, systems of power and social movements — and designed as a year‑long, three‑trimester course. The class includes an action‑research civic engagement project as a culminating activity.
"So, we will be talking a little bit about the overview of the process of ethnic studies and how it came to our district and where we are currently," Dr. Fox said, summarizing the course history and rollout. Staff noted that two schools initially adopted the elective but currently only Fremont offers it, citing declining enrollment and competing elective options (AVID, Spanish, English‑learner supports) as barriers to sustaining multiple sections at every site.
Trustees asked about grade levels, staffing and professional development. Trustees also debated whether to expand ethnic studies as a standalone elective or to embed its civic‑engagement and multicultural content across existing curricula. Trustee Salas noted the early work of teachers who helped start Fremont's program and urged broad professional‑development and sustainability planning. Trustee Gonzalez asked staff to clarify the professional‑development model and how the district would measure outcomes; staff said the syllabus and measurable outcomes were included in contract attachments and that professional learning for teachers would mirror approaches used for biliteracy units.
District staff said next steps include targeted professional development, outreach to interested teachers and collaboration with high‑school partners to align pathways. They also said the district will explore embedding ethnic‑studies themes into existing units where full electives are not fiscally feasible.
