Dr. Jason Reiman, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services, and Jaliza Eagles, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator, for the Castro Valley Unified School District provided an outstanding and thorough overview of how the District is strategically implementing its Ethnic Studies curriculum under Assembly Bill 101- Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirements. They began the presentation with a quote that is common in Ethnic Studies because it emphasizes the need of all of us to know our roots and what our people have contributed to this nation. Without that knowledge, it is difficult to truly know who you are.
From this quote, Jason went on to define what Ethnic Studies is and how Castro Valley USD is implementing a curriculum that honors and benefits its diverse student population
Jaliza moved into explaining how an Ethnic Studies curriculum benefits all students by focusing on the following quote.
The next part of the presentation focused on how CVUSD is planning and developing its Ethnic Studies curriculum through engagement of the students, staff, community, experts in Ethnic Studies, and especially the teachers who will be teaching the courses. The development process is very deliberate, thoughtful, and engaging. Throughout the presentation, Jason and Jaliza stress that the District is not purchasing a curriculum, but rather developing the curriculum to meet CVUSD student needs.
In Phase 1, the district is implementing structures (i.e., a Steering Committee, Community Advisory Committee, and Professional Development Teams) that are defined below.
In Phases 2-5 of this curriculum development process, the District continues its deliberate process by piloting and evaluating the curriculum before seeking Board approval to meet the State of California graduation requirement for Ethnic Studies.
Throughout the presentation, Jason and Jaliza stressed that CVUSD would not be purchasing an out-of-the-box, but use local and national expertise to develop a curriculum that addresses the needs of the students. To that end, the District has partnered with the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Institute (LESMCI) to develop the curriculum and provide the necessary professional development for staff. Jaliza explained the rationale for partnering with LESMCI and the five (5) themes that the curriculum with incorproate.
They concluded the presentation by highlighting four key points and asked Club members and guests for their input on the curriculum. Audience comments were extremely positive and supportive of the work. President Dwight invited Jason and Jaliza to return in the future to update the Club on the implementation of the Ethnic Studies curriculum.
Click here to watch this powerful presentation.
