We speak with Dr. Emily Penner, who studied the impacts of two programs in which students delved into their respective races, ethnicities, and communities. San Francisco’s was designed for academically-struggling students of a range of ethnicities. Oakland’s was designed for young Black men across academic achievement levels, as part of the district’s “targeted universalism” approach. The results, in both cases, were dramatic.
Overview
00:00-00:30 Intros
00:30-01:32 San Francisco ethnic studies curriculum
01:32-03:01 Student selection
03:01-03:41 Students’ ethnicities and classrooms’ composition
03:41-04:19 Student voice and reflection
04:19-05:02 “Critical pedagogy”
05:02-12:40 Effects on student attendance and achievement
12:40-15:11 Teachers exercising their professional judgment
15:11-15:18 Professional development
15:18-18:01 Differentiating between impact of “great teachers” and the curriculum
18:01-19:49 “High fidelity context”
19:49-23:48 Oakland’s African American Male Achievement program
23:48-25:27 Targeted Universalism & working with a range of groups of students
25:27-28:57 Outcomes and effects
28:57-29:21 Spillover effect on young Black women
29:21-30:24 Avoiding deficient orientation
30:24-31:42 Relationship to My Brother’s Keeper
31:42-35:19 Developments in ethnic studies in California
35:19-37:15 Qualitative resources about Oakland program
37:15-38:45 Outro
Transcript
Click here to see the full transcript of this episode.
Credits
Photo by JD Doyle
Soundtrack by Podington Bear