Modesto City Schools will launch an ethnic studies course in fall 2025.
The semester-long course will be required for all students during their freshman year and will incorporate part of Modesto’s local history. Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation in 2021 making California the first state to require all students to complete a course in ethnic studies to graduate high school.
This requirement will begin with the graduating class of 2029-30, with high schools obligated to start offering these courses from the 2025-26 academic year onward.
Modesto City Schools will have a pilot class in January 2025, with full implementation to meet state requirements by fall semester.
Research by Stanford University, looking at curriculum offered in the San Francisco Unified School District, shows enduring academic benefits for freshman students who take ethnic studies. The benefits include increased attendance, higher graduation rates and elevated college enrollment.
Janeen Zambo, Modesto City Schools’ history and social science coordinator, said it’s helpful to have the class be during freshman year because students transitioning from eighth grade will bring fresh perspectives, leading to more nuanced discussions in class.
Students also will have a chance to see themselves reflected in the curriculum. “The students get to see themselves in the content. They develop a voice, agency for themselves, that might have been missing before,” Zambo said.
Showcasing Modesto’s local history
The California Department of Education encourages districts to add a local flair to their ethnic studies curriculum.
This may encompass initiatives like those led by Sharon and David Froba, who uncovered extensive racial housing discrimination in numerous Modesto neighborhoods. Their research unveiled racially restrictive covenants in 91 out of 169 subdivisions in Modesto from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Froba said the goal for the curriculum is to show that segregation didn’t just happen in the South but also was prevalent in places like Modesto.
Zambo said the intention of the course is to also represent the diverse communities within Modesto, including Mexican, Hmong and Vietnamese communities, which make up a significant portion of the student population.
“We’re helping students become more aware of what’s happening in their community to develop their critical thinking skills,” Zambo said.
Developing the Ethnic Studies course
Since June, Modesto City Schools has been convening monthly with a community guidance council to craft the curriculum. This council comprises representatives from the NAACP, the school board, and students.
Zambo said the course aims to empower students to draw their own conclusions.
One of the council members is Dzifa Ackuayi, a senior at Modesto High School and the student representative to the Board of Trustees.
Ackuayi said they’ve been evaluating sample lessons provided by the state to determine which ones will be most effective. They then enhance the lessons based on suggestions for topics that would benefit students.
Teachers test the enhanced lessons, and feedback from both teachers and students is reviewed.
For instance, Ackuayi proposed that a lesson on Latin American identities incorporate corridos, traditional Mexican ballads that often narrate historical events.
The goal of these lessons is to prompt students to contemplate their identity, their community, and to inspire them to engage civically.
“I think that students will benefit a lot from learning about themselves and seeing themselves centered in a course,” Ackuayi said.
Centering student identity
Because Ackuayi will graduate this spring, she will not have the chance to take the class. However, she intends to take college courses in African American studies or any subject delving deeply into the contributions of various racial groups.
She expressed her hope that the class will not only help students understand themselves but also show the legacies of those who preceded them. By understanding the obstacles faced by their peers, students can gain insight into the experiences that shaped their current path, she added.
Ackuayi said that including the history of redlining in Modesto will offer valuable context for understanding today’s patterns and statistics about educational outcomes across different demographics.
“It’s gonna build a sense of pride in students’ identity that inspires them in their journey towards whatever they want to do, whatever they set their mind to,” Ackuayi said.
