LAUSD Votes to Make Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirement

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board voted Tuesday to add a mandatory ethnic studies course to all the high school curriculums in the district. The one-semester requirement will be needed to graduate from any LAUSD high school and will not increase the amount of units needed to graduate.

On the petition it stated:

 “It is time that all LAUSD students have access to Ethnic Studies courses—courses that speak to students who have felt invisible and marginalized, to inspire and motivate them in their education, so that they learn their own history, engage actively in their own learning, and connect in meaningful ways to the larger community. Research has shown that a well-developed and well-thought-out Ethnic Studies curriculum has positive academic outcomes for students.” 

“The ethnic studies course would allow for more equal classrooms, because it allows for more privileged individuals to get an insight into the less privileged,” said Samantha Plaza, a junior at Duarte High School. “It will give all students a chance to gain more empathetic skills as they learn more about different cultures and societies they may not have encountered before.”

The proposal from the Ethnic Studies Now coalition calls for a mandatory semester course from one of several LAUSD-approved subjects. The subjects would include Mexican-American Studies, African-American History, Literature of Minorities in America and Asian Studies.

One of the many supporters of this coalition is a history teacher, Jose Lara, from Santee High School. Lara believes that “There are voices missing and that’s the minorities’ voices we are missing.”

According to the California Department of Education, less than 1 percent of students are taking the current elective class. “We want to make this class a requirement not an elective, “ said Lara.

“I think it is important especially in our world, it is becoming more interracial and students need to be aware of that,” said USC senior Taylor Dannelley.

The Ethnic Studies Now coalition has supporters from multiple organizations, university professors throughout the nation—including Congresswoman Maxine Waters—and many other organizations nationwide, according to Lara.

“I think the course will help stop the barrier and help create better interactions with other ethnicities, so it is a good start,” said USC junior and LAUSD alum Kristy Plaza.