United StatesEthnic studiesRace and classEthnic-studies lessons benefit low-achieving non-white pupilsSOME CONSERVATIVES have been on a mission to remove critical race theory from classrooms.Described by these advocates as any coursework discussing topics through the lens of racial identities (which is well beyond the original definition used by the critical theorists themselves), they argue that this approach to pedagogy is divisive.Eight states have passed laws banning these discussions in classrooms.Six have proposed similar legislation, or plan to.Some teachers claim they now fear discussing race with their pupils.But there is a trade-off here: according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, removing discussions about race from the classroom could disadvantage some low-achieving pupils.The study shows that San Francisco’s ethnic-studies curriculum, a programme for ninth-graders (who are about 14 years old) that is designed to focus on the history of disadvantaged communities and encourages a focus on social issues, had benefits beyond merely what was learned in the classroom.Sade Bonilla of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her colleagues show that the programme increased high-school attendance by 6-7 percentage points, course credits earned by up to 15 points (equivalent to about 3 courses) and high-school graduation by 16-19 percentage points.
