Blog #5: The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies - Christine E. Sleeter

 Argument

 In The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies, Christine E. Sleeter argues that most mainstream education focuses almost entirely on White/European history, while sidelining the perspectives, histories and worldviews of people of color. Backed by several longitudinal studies regarding student engagement, she advocates for Ethnic Studies as a necessary tool to re-engage students and provide a more accurate, multi-perspective view of history.

    Sleeter’s central focus is that the American educational system has not yet achieved true multiculturalism; instead, it has merely "added" diverse faces to a narrative that remains centered on Euro-American experiences. She argues that although obvious stereotypes may not appear as often in textbooks, the messages and storylines in K–12 curriculum still center White individuals as the main drivers of progress and nation-building. With this narrative, the histories of marginalized groups are often simplified, framed about "contributions" or "victimhood" roles, separated from the larger systems of power and racism that shaped those experiences. She also explains that the curriculum often separates racism of the past from racism today, portraying racism as the actions of a few bad individuals rather than part of a larger system. She contends that this is curricular bias and creates a significant gap between the lived realities of students of color and the version of history they encounter in school. 

    She goes on to argue that when curriculum overlooks the experiences of students of color, or reduces their histories to “distant tragedies”, they often become academically disengaged, or begin to distrust schools. If schools instead focus on and build curriculum around the realities and intellectual contributions of these communities, while addressing issues such as institutional racism and colonialism, it can create a more inclusive environment where students are likely to be more engaged in school. Overall, she emphasizes that Ethnic Studies is more than simply adding new content to existing curriculum, but reshaping the curriculum to one that recognizes and values all students and their experiences and perspectives.

Reflection

    The first page of the reading stuck out a lot to me, because it really demonstrated how quickly someone's relationship with education/school changes when they are learning things that they align with, relate to, or enjoy. I look back on history in high school and how as I have gotten older I have learned that some of the curriculum was not accurate when it comes to what was taught about colonialism and other related topics.