Kids walk through the hallways at Mission High School in San Francisco, California on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.
Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle
Taking a year-long ethnic studies course could be helping San Francisco high school students earn better grades and exam scores, according to a newly released study that examined the program over a decade.
The research, which analyzed San Francisco Unified School District student outcomes from 2008 to 2023, found that students who took an ethnic studies course showed lasting improvement in their grades, particularly among those who previously struggled academically. And the classes even boosted some students’ chances to get into University of California schools, giving the extra edge necessary to pass eligibility thresholds.
The findings come as the district implements a controversial ethnic studies graduation requirement for the class of 2028, with the school board set to finalize the curriculum on April 28.
Article continues below this ad
The study — published in the American Education Research Journal — suggests that students who took ethnic studies experienced a notable academic boost after taking it, on average increasing their grade-point average by 0.19 points (about the same as going from a B to a B plus) compared to peers who didn’t take the course.
Those gains persisted through their years in high school, the study says, suggesting that long-term academic benefits can come from ethnic studies courses rather than just short-term improvements.
San Francisco Chronicle Logo
Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.
Add Preferred Source
University of California, Irvine assistant professor of education Emily Penner — who worked on the study — told the Chronicle those improvements could come from the program’s emphasis on identity and empowerment.
“There’s something about the experience that’s building them up, their identities, the positive reinforcement, their relationships,” she said. “Students are taking that affirmation and that confidence into other classes.”
Article continues below this ad
San Francisco has been a leader in offering ethnic studies classes since the late 2000s, when it introduced the option for high school students to take the class as part of a pilot program.
The courses often focus on the histories, cultures, and contributions of diverse racial and ethnic groups, and in 2021 California made it a statewide requirement for students to take a semester of ethnic studies. In San Francisco, students are required to take a two-semester class, typically as freshmen, but disagreement remains over how the courses are taught.
The debate over ethnic studies in California has largely centered around whether to teach students to appreciate other cultures than their own or, in what some argue is a more activist approach, to teach about white supremacy, racism and other historic injustices and give students the tools to address them.
Ethnic studies programs have become a flashpoint in recent debates around race, identity politics and education, especially amid the Trump administration, which has sought to eliminate federal funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Critics argue that some versions of the curricula used in ethnic studies courses promote leftist ideology, and there have been accusations of antisemitism that have led to lawsuits in multiple districts.
Supporters and scholars have countered that these criticisms are politically-charged and that ethnic studies are intended to be inclusive and help students understand diverse points of view.
Article continues below this ad
In San Francisco, the battle over ethnic studies recently has focused on the district’s homegrown curriculum, introduced in 2010 for a semester-long elective course. Since then, the content evolved and was more about teaching students what to think rather than how to think, district officials have said.
Superintendent Maria Su pulled the curriculum last summer and replaced it for one year with an off-the-shelf option called Voices for the current school year.
The board is expected to vote on the final curriculum later this month.
For Nikhil Laud, who oversees the ethnic studies program at SFUSD schools, the study’s findings detail what he has seen first hand since he began teaching ethnic studies at Balboa High School, before transferring to run the full program. Laud said ethnic studies gives students a rare space to explore identity and build connections across different groups.