



































Ethnic Studies: A Research Summary


Volume 1, Issue 2 

2018 

Allies for Education 2018, 1, 2 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 

 

Ethnic Studies: A Research Summary 

 
Dr. Michelle Jewett 
Teacher Education Faculty 
Central New Mexico Community College 

 

In the 1960's Ethnic Studies initially took the form of Black independent schools, Afrocentric public 

schools, tribal schools, and language immersion schools (Sleeter, 2011). However, Ethnic Studies can be 

traced as far back as the 1900's when educator and historian W.E.B. Dubois argued for the teaching of 

Black history in U.S. schools (Anderson, 2016). In higher education, Ethnic Studies began in 1968 after 

grassroots organizing and student demand sparked programs at San Francisco State University, UC 

Berkley, and UC Santa Barbara (Hu-Dehart, 1993). A well-known contemporary example of Ethnic 

Studies is the Mexican-American Studies program that began in 1998 at Tucson Unified School District. 

Although this popular high school elective was shut down by a statewide legislative ban in 2010, a 

federal appeals court judge overturned the Ethnic Studies ban in 2017 after deeming it unconstitutional 

and discriminatory (Depenbrock, 2017).  

Ironically, the Tucson ban increased awareness and prompted research into the success of Ethnic 

Studies, leading to new legislation for its expansion (Depenbrock, 2017). For instance, Governor Jerry 

Brown signed AB-2016 encouraging all districts and charter schools in California to offer high school 

Ethnic Studies courses by 2021. Following the lead of El Rancho USD, Los Angeles Unified, the second 

largest district in the nation, now requires all high school students to complete a one-semester Ethnic 

Studies course to graduate. In other states, a recent bill passed in Oregon to enact K-12 Ethnic Studies 

Standards by 2020 and similar laws have been proposed in Washington and Texas. With students of 

color now the majority in U.S. public schools (Strauss, 2014), and with one in five speaking a language 

other than English at home (Camarota & Zeigler, 2014), many communities are expressing a need for 

curricula that is inclusive and representative. Not only is Ethnic Studies good and culturally relevant 

teaching, research indicates Ethnic Studies leads to significant, positive changes in student performance 

(Cabrera, 2012; Dee & Penner, 2016; Sleeter, 2011).  

Ethnic Studies Research 
 Ethnic Studies explore the intellectual and cultural traditions and resources of racial and ethnic groups 

that are underrepresented and marginalized in the textbooks and curricula of U.S. schools (Hu-Dehart, 

1993). These multidisciplinary courses draw upon the fields of history and literature and often integrate 

concepts from anthropology, political science, psychology, law or criminal justice. Ethnic Studies focus 



Ethnic Studies: A Research Summary 
Dr. Michelle Jewett 

Allies for Education 2018, 1, 2 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

on the experiences of African Americans, Chicana/os, Latina/os, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and 

other groups, as determined by region and student population (Arce, 2016). Because group identity is 

complex and multilayered, Ethnic Studies also explore how race and ethnicity intersect with other social 

and cultural elements such as gender, class, and sexuality (Hu-Dehart,1993). In sum, Ethnic Studies 

require students to think critically about relationships between past and present in terms of power and 

equity by exploring the histories, experiences, and perspectives absent from the traditional curricula 

taught in most K-12 schools and universities (Arce, 2016; Hu-Dehart, 1993). This holistic, student-

centered instruction allows students to critique and potentially disrupt systematic oppression and the 

legacy of colonialism through community projects, outreach, and inquiry while focusing on social justice, 

social responsibility, and social change.  

In response to the Ethnic Studies ban in Arizona, the National Education Association (NEA) 

commissioned a review of research to determine how Ethnic Studies programs relate to student 

achievement. The resultant report, "Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies" details the positive 

effects Ethnic Studies curricula have on student engagement, achievement, and identity development 

(Sleeter, 2011). Specifically, evidence indicates that students of color in Ethnic Studies courses are less 

likely to miss class, more likely to graduate, have greater self-esteem, and increased test scores 

compared to students who are not in such courses. However, this does not mean assigning texts about 

diverse groups will automatically improve student performance. As the NEA report details, Ethnic 

Studies should integrate the following components to have positive social and academic student 

outcomes: 

1. Teachers must have rapport with students and believe they can learn; they must know their 

content well, including the perspectives of groups they are studying; being of the same ethnic 

background as most of their students is also helpful.  

2. Ethnic Studies must include critical thinking and active strategies that are engaging and relevant 

to students' lives; students must be able to connect their everyday lived culture and language to 

the readings and history they are studying.  

3. Ethnic Studies should be academically challenging and aligned with state standards and 

assessments; instead of standalone lessons or classes, Ethnic Studies works best when it is 

seamlessly integrated into academic subject matter.     

In addition to the positive impact of Ethnic Studies on students of color who are members of the group 

under study, the NEA report found that Ethnic Studies positively affects White students, as well. When 

taught how to talk about race and specific actions they can take to address racism—including  

perspective-taking and intercultural communication—White students produce higher levels of thinking 

and cognitive complexity, and show increases in achievement, engagement, and empathy (Sleeter, 

2011).   

Ethnic Studies Content  
Below are outcomes selected from an Ethnic Studies survey course syllabus provided by the Los Angeles 

Unified School District. These learning outcomes are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for 

Reading and Writing in History/Social Science and exemplify the kinds of multidisciplinary, culturally 



Ethnic Studies: A Research Summary 
Dr. Michelle Jewett 

Allies for Education 2018, 1, 2 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

relevant, and challenging content secondary students explore in Ethnic Studies courses. Although these 

are taken from a much larger list, note that these outcomes address a number of components discussed 

above, including the study of relationships between past events and present experience. Additionally, 

these outcomes use high level cognitive verbs such as "examine," "evaluate," and "analyze," indicating 

that students are required to think complexly about social, political, historical, and cultural content.  

In this course students will know and be able to: 

• Explore histories, struggles, and triumphs of the LGBTQ community in the United States. 

• Examine and evaluate gender stereotypes. 

• Examine and analyze the effects of dehumanization through the capture, trade, and 

enslavement of Africans, within a regional and global context. 

• Examine the role that Mendez v. Westminster School District played in the desegregation of 

American schools. 

• Evaluate the impact of immigration policies on Latino Americans. 

• Evaluate the impact of the reservation system on American Indians.  

• Examine push-pull factors that led to Asian immigration to the United States. 

In another example, San Francisco Unified School District's high school Ethnic Studies course includes six 

units, each focusing on two key concepts, such as identity & narrative, systems & power, transformation 

& change, and causality & agency. Each unit integrates cross-cutting values such as love, respect, hope, 

community, self-determination and is guided by complex essential questions, such as: How have people 

historically, and in the present, challenged oppression? What role do individuals play in the 

transformation of themselves, their community and larger society? How do race, ethnicity, nationality, 

and culture shape identity?  

Similar to the LAUSD syllabus, SFUSD's literacy-based content integrates critical thinking, active 

strategies, and cultural relevance. The suggested reading list includes contemporary and challenging 

texts such as Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, Howard 

Zinn's A Young People's History of the United States, Ronald Takaki's A Different Mirror for Young People: 

A History of Multicultural America, and Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in 

the Age of Colorblindness. The use of cross-cutting values, essential questions, and contemporary 

readings connect to students' everyday experience while challenging them to apply this content to their 

communities and lives. 

Ethnic Studies and Good Teaching 
As research indicates, all students benefit from Ethnic Studies, no matter what age, race, or ethnicity. 

However, key components must be present for Ethnic Studies to fulfill its promise of increased 

engagement, academic achievement, and student empowerment. Diverse texts and discussions about 

race are not enough. In order for Ethnic Studies to produce good teaching it must: 1) be taught by 

instructors who are knowledgeable, engaged, and want to challenge oppressive conditions, 2) explore 



Ethnic Studies: A Research Summary 
Dr. Michelle Jewett 

Allies for Education 2018, 1, 2 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

content that is political, social, and economic in local, personal, and critical ways, and 3) use 

instructional methods that are active, authentic, and connected to students' everyday lived experience.    

About the Author 
Dr. Michelle Jewett is full-time faculty in the Education Department at Central New Mexico Community 

College. She has over twenty years of experience teaching secondary and post-secondary students. 

Michelle studies anti-bias curriculum and how it relates to teacher education and whiteness.

References 
AB2016, Alejo. Pupil Instruction: Ethnic Studies. Assemb. Reg. Sess. 2015-2016. (CA 2016). 

Anderson, M. (2016, Mar. 7). The Ongoing Battle Over Ethnic Studies. The Atlantic. Retrieved from 

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/the-ongoing-battle-over-ethnic-

studies/472422/  

Arce, S. (2016). Ethnic Studies Approaches & Curriculum Unit Narrative (Series Number: IP-WP-X045). 

UCLA CENTER XCHANGE. Retrieved from: https://ucla.app.box.com/v/Ethnic-Studies-Approaches 

Cabrera, N. L. (2012). Empirical Analysis of Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American Studies 

Department, 2010 graduating cohort. Tucson, AZ: Report to Special Master Dr. Willis D. Hawley on the 

Tucson Unified School District Desegregation Case.  

Camarota, S. A. & Zeigler, K. (2014, Oct. 3). One in Five U.S. Residents Speaks Foreign Language at Home, 

Record 61.8 million. Center for Immigration Studies. Retrieved from https://cis.org/One-Five-US-

Residents-Speaks-Foreign-Language-Home-Record-618-million 

Dee, T., & Penner, E. (2016). The Causal Effects of Cultural Relevance: Evidence from an Ethnic Studies 

Curriculum (CEPA Working Paper No.16-01). Retrieved from Stanford Center for Education Policy 

Analysis: http://cepa.stanford.edu/wp16-01 

Depenbrock, J. (2017, Aug. 22). Federal Judge Finds Racism Behind Arizona Law Banning Ethnic Studies. 

National Public Radio. Retrieved from 

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/08/22/545402866/federal-judge-finds-racism-behind-arizona-

law-banning-ethnic-studies 

Hu-Dehart, E (1993). The History, Development, and Future of Ethnic Studies. The Phi Delta Kappan, 

71(1), 50-54. Retrieved from http://pages.ucsd.edu/~rfrank/class_web/ES-200A/Week%201/Hu-

DeHart%20PhiDK%2075-1.pdf 

Los Angeles Unified School District (n.d.) Ethnic Studies Semester Course. Retrieved from 

https://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/226/Ethnic%20Studies%20Survey%2

0Course%20.pdf 

San Francisco Unified School District (n.d.) Ethnic Studies Course Overview. Retrieved from 

http://www.sfusdhumanities.org/ethnic-studies.html 

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/the-ongoing-battle-over-ethnic-studies/472422/
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Ethnic Studies: A Research Summary 
Dr. Michelle Jewett 

Allies for Education 2018, 1, 2 
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe 
 

Sleeter, C. (2011). The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies: A Research Review. Washington, 

D.C.: National Education Association. Retrieved from https://www.nea.org/assets/docs/NBI-2010-3-

value-of-ethnic-studies.pdf 

Strauss, V. (2014, Aug. 21). For First Time, Minority Students Expected to Be Majority in U.S.  

Public Schools This Fall. The Washington Post. Retrieved from  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/21/for-first-time-minority-
students-expected-to-be-majority-in-u-s-public-schools-this-fall/?utm_term=.95ea5ad1f564  
 

https://www.nea.org/assets/docs/NBI-2010-3-value-of-ethnic-studies.pdf
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/21/for-first-time-minority-students-expected-to-be-majority-in-u-s-public-schools-this-fall/?utm_term=.95ea5ad1f564

