Current events are evidence that we Shoreline students exist in the midst of complex systems of privilege, inequality, and injustice. Our education system owes it to us to equip us with the tools to adequately navigate these systems. Currently, students of color bear the burden of educating their peers to the detriment of their wellbeing and academic success. This is unacceptable, and Shoreline School District must step up by refining the current Ethnic Studies curriculum and making it a graduation requirement.

Too often, the history and current conditions of communities of color are overlooked by our education system. By making Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement, every student that comes out of the Shoreline School District will be aware of the complex systems of privilege and inequality that are otherwise excluded from the standard curriculum. Every student should enter into the world aware of the role that people of color have had in history, as well as the injustices they continue to face. From police brutality to mass incarceration, and wealth inequality to healthcare access, the realities of racialized hierarchies affect every Shoreline student. Racialized inequality exists in our own schools, and we cannot hope to make Shoreline a place where every student can succeed without equipping each student with the tools to address injustice where they see it. Ethnic Studies allow students of color to find representation in their education and reflect on their experiences, increasing their self-esteem and comfort levels in their school and community. 

A Stanford study attributes Ethnic Studies curriculum to increased attendance, improved GPA, and the completion of graduation credits. Many Ethnic Studies teachers find that the class allows all students to become comfortable with important topics and that the class helps develop critical thinking skills and an appreciation of diversity, as well as knowledge about how to become politically and socially engaged. Ethnic Studies can inspire all students to identify the inequalities in their own community and work towards solving them. 

This curriculum is not new, and it is not radical. Seattle Public Schools is in the process of implementing Ethnic Studies into all levels of its curriculum. School districts across the country from Sacramento, CA to Bridgeport, CT have been leaders in making sure its students are ready for the world they graduate into. Shoreline Schools has the opportunity to join these districts in being a national model for creating the leaders of tomorrow, and there is no better opportunity than now to commit to taking action.

The Shoreline School District aims to “embrace equity and diversity” and “teach in ways that are relevant and engaging.” This is an empty promise to students and families until every student has the opportunity to learn about the experiences and realities of their communities of color.