Education Week - February 22, 2023 - 13

"
The College Board has claimed
that these changes are pedagogical,
not political. Maybe so. But
the College Board must be aware
that in the context of Florida leaders'
comments, the changes risk sending
the message that political threats
against the teaching of particular
types of content can succeed in
silencing that content.
JEREMY C. YOUNG
Senior manager of free expression and education, PEN America
Dear principals, assistant
principals, aspiring principals,
and all school leaders,
Pitre was surprised to see any
mention of Garvey because he was,
in some cases, a precursor to Elijah
Muhammad, a leader of the Nation
of Islam, and he is not often a figure
covered in high school courses.
This unit also explores how " Black
women promoted the advancement
of African Americans " in the early
20th century, the Harlem Renaissance,
as well as the origins of historically
Black colleges and universities.
Pitre said he would have preferred
that the sections on HBCUs be expanded
to discuss the ripple effect
integration in the 1960s had on
enrollment in these schools. As it
stands, the framework covers these
institutions up to that time, though it
does ask that students " explain how
the creation of HBCUs in the United
States impacted the educational and
professional lives of African Americans
nationally and internationally. "
Unit 4: Movements and Debates
The unit, the one closest to covering
contemporary figures and events,
focuses on:
* Anticolonial Movements and the
Early Black Freedom Movement
* The Long Civil Rights Movement
* Black Power and Black Pride
* Black Women's Voices in Society
and Leadership
* Diversity Within Black Communities
* Identity, Culture, and Connection
This unit includes a section on the
G.I. Bill and redlining with an essential
knowledge statement saying,
" The G.I. Bill's funds were administered
locally and subject to Jim Crow
discriminatory practices, and as a result,
they were often disproportionately
disbursed to White veterans. "
It also states: " Throughout the mid20th
century, mortgage lenders practiced
redlining-the discriminatory
practice of withholding mortgages to
African Americans and other people
of color within a defined geographical
area under the pretense of 'hazardous'
financial risk posed by those
communities. "
In a later section, this unit also
states: " Despite the growth of the
Black middle class, substantial disparities
in wealth along racial lines
remain. Discrimination and racial
disparities in housing and employment
stemming from the early 20th
century limited Black communities'
accumulation of generational wealth
in the second half of the 20th century.
In 2016, the median wealth for Black
families was $17,150 compared to
$171,000 for Whites. "
It explores the civil rights movement,
including the roles faith, music,
and the arts played.
It includes sections on the Black
Panther Party; Black Is Beautiful
and the Black Arts Movement; Black
Women and Movements in the 20th
Century (with Toni Morrison's " What
the Black Woman Thinks About Women's
Lib " as a primary source); Black
Achievements in Science, Medicine,
and Technology; and an exploration of
Afrofuturism as " a cultural, aesthetic
and political movement that blends
Black experiences from the past with
Afrocentric visions of a technologically
advanced future that includes
data science, forecasting, and AI. "
A primary source includes a video
called " Let's Talk about 'Black Panther'
and Afrofuturism " referring to
the 2018 Marvel superhero film.
In the section on the evolution of
African American music, Pitre would
have wanted a deeper dive into hip
hop in particular. For instance, requiring
students to deconstruct what
hip hop means today from its origins
tied to Black consciousness, then discussing
how commercialized it has
become and why.
He also would have wanted to see
more Black athletes in the framework
overall as part of its coverage of activism
and advocacy-the likes of Muhammad
Ali and Colin Kaepernick,
for instance.
In general, Black athletes and other
non-required topics such as the Black
Lives Matter movement; gay life and
expression in Black communities;
and the writings, contributions, and
impact of Black thought leaders are
all listed as possible research project
topics. They are subject to refining by
states and districts.
EDUCATION WEEK | February 22, 2023 | www.edweek.org | 13
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Education Week - February 22, 2023

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