Mandate for change

In 1967, thousands of Philadelphia high school students boldly walked out of school, taking their demand for African American curricular inclusion to the School Board. In 2005, almost four decades later, the District has made history by becoming the first in the nation to mandate an African American history course.

The District's new African American studies course, which is to be taught as a “mandatory elective” in high schools, coupled with new measures to infuse African and African American studies across all grades, moves Philadelphia in the direction of teaching a critical approach to history. This means a history in which students have a voice; a history that examines who has power and who does not; a history in which there are arguments and alternatives; and a history that prepares students to be change agents.

The need for a critical, inclusive curriculum is not unique to Philadelphia. There has been something terribly wrong – and in fact damaging – about the history that has been taught in our schools.

Generations of schoolchildren have grown up taking history courses that teach them little or nothing about Africa. These same classes too often have taught students an inaccurate, narrow story of African Americans in the United States, one that revolves around slavery and a handful of heroes, excluding a broader, deeper narrative about the diverse experiences of African Americans.

Similarly, in science, math, literature, foreign languages, music, and art classes, content that is focused on Europeans and European Americans has predominated. Africans and African Americans are among the groups that are often invisible.

For decades, there have been cries of protest to overhaul this Eurocentric curriculum, but Philadelphia has tinkered around the edges of this problem rather than addressing it thoughtfully.

The decision to highlight African American history is a significant step forward that has galvanized support and generated positive momentum for change in the curriculum.

The response to the new course this fall has been heartening. Many students and staff have greeted the opportunity with eagerness and enthusiasm. A publisher has worked with the District to adapt a highly regarded college textbook for a high school audience. A core group of teachers is faithfully attending and engaging in professional development for the class. Other districts have contacted Philadelphia to learn more.

With so much at stake and with so many eyes on Philadelphia, it is important that the new course be done right. In order to sustain momentum and ensure that these efforts genuinely improve teaching and learning in our schools, effective pedagogy needs as much attention as we have given to the politics surrounding the course.

Proponents of the course hope it will transform the classroom environment – increase student self-awareness and engagement rather than simply teach more facts about African and African American history. We hope for the same. But this kind of instruction has been hard to achieve, particularly in Philadelphia's struggling high schools.

An investment in new books has helped, but the problem is much bigger than who is included in textbooks. Many of the system's teachers, while they may want to be sensitive to their students' needs, have cultural and educational backgrounds shaped by the very biases that need to be addressed.