by Jaryn Crouson
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz signed legislation in May 2023 as Minnesota governor that would require schools to offer “ethnic studies” courses, which could include lessons on “resistance” and discussions of “social identities.”
This law requires elementary and middle schools to offer ethnic studies classes by the 2027–28 school year, while high schools must offer a course on ethnicity by the 2026–27 school year, although some districts have already started doing so realization ethnic studies programs. The program is described as an “interdisciplinary study of race, ethnicity, and indigeneity” and says it will emphasize “the perspectives of people of color” and examine “the ways in which race and racism have been and continue to be social, cultural, and political forces.”
Some of the intended learning outcomes for ethnic studies that were identified before the legislation was signed into law include identifying “the ways in which power and language construct social identities of race, religion, geography, ethnicity, and gender” and understanding “the roots of contemporary systems of oppression,” According to to the 2021 Academic Standards document published by the Minnesota Department of Education. The standards establish learning requirements in ethnic studies for each grade from kindergarten through ninth grade.
The standards also provide for introducing Minnesota children to thoroughbred topics starting in kindergarten, such as forms of resistance to systemic power and how they can combat injustice. Reference points for high school students include “racial capitalism” and “anti-Blackness” and mention “contemporary systems of oppression,” such as “how crime is constructed and how social, political, and legal systems define a person as a criminal.”
“For me, this is about justice. Our education system systematically fails children of color, indigenous children, children with disabilities and children of poverty,” Minnesota Judge Alan Page said in a 2021 ruling. press release when the governor first announced plans for an ethnic studies curriculum as part of a plan to address learning losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s important that the plan acknowledges this failure and recognizes that systemic change is necessary.”
EXCLUSIVE: Tim Walz has a history of dealing with nonprofits linked to Chinese intelligence and influence agencieshttps://t.co/wNeHUvkXlc
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 27, 2024
St. Paul Public Schools second largest A school district in the state adopted a high school curriculum in 2021 that it describes as a “critical and interdisciplinary examination of race, ethnicity, and Indigeneity with special attention to the experiences and perspectives of people of color” that uses “equity, antiracism, and social justice,” According to to the course guide. The course encourages students to be “aware of their own biases, power, and privilege” and to “challenge all systems of oppressive power rooted in racism through collective action and change.”
The 2023 Act also includes requirement to create an Ethnic Studies Working Group to advise the education commission on legislation and assist in developing curriculum. The bill allocates $150,000 annually to the state Department of Education for an “ethnic studies specialist” to assist schools in developing programs.
The requirement was heavily criticized when it was originally published and faced a legal backlash before being adopted with minor changes to clarify an “obscure” rule that required teachers to “use lessons from the past to address historical and contemporary injustices,” According to to The Minnesota Star Tribune.
“We stand ready to work with the commissioner of education to develop academic standards that promote rigor, avoid bringing politics into our classrooms and respect local control and parent involvement,” Minnesota Republican Rep. Ron Kresha, an outspoken critic of the bill, said after a judge’s ruling allowing the bill, according to the Tribune.
The Minnesota Department of Education declined to comment, and Walz’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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Jaryn Crouson is a reporter at the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Tim Walz in the Classroom” by Governor Tim Walz.
