Back to School: What to Look for in Ethnic Studies

By Mitch Siegler, Founder

When kids return to school this year, many will take a course in ethnic studies or similar disciplines, especially in the states that require instruction in the history of certain ethnic groups.

Ethnic studies, when taught correctly, is an important subject for our diverse society. It recognizes that the American story is made up of many sub-stories that converge: E Pluribus unum – out of many, one. Understanding the various groups who have contributed to American history does not have to diminish our sense of unique American identity; on the contrary, it can unify us by enhancing our knowledge of where we come from and where we’re heading as a nation.

But ethnic studies is too often not taught in a unifying manner. Rather, the foundations of many ethnic studies classes are inherently divisive, based on categorizing students with certain immutable characteristics as oppressors and others as oppressed; that only divides people.

THINC recommends that parents examine their children’s course syllabus – and has drafted a handy checklist to this effect – to determine if the course is unifying and constructive ethnic studies, which seeks to build bridges, or “liberated” ethnic studies (LES), which seeks to indoctrinate and divide. A politicized, zero-sum approach, LES posits that all human history can be reduced to an oppressed versus oppressor binary – and invariably accuses the U.S. of being a fundamentally racist and oppressive force, both at home and abroad.

The latter approach is both inaccurate and harmful.

LES is inaccurate because it flattens complicated history into a simplistic morality play. It does not recognize the complexity of the individual, nor intra-group diversity. It seeks not understanding but activism against supposed “oppressors,” including whites, successful minorities (like Jewish-Americans and Asian-Americans), the United States, Western civilization as an institution, and capitalism. To introduce nuance, its proponents believe, is either naïve or counterrevolutionary. “No need for nuance, debate or discussion – we have all of the answers already,” they say.

LES is harmful because it tears at the fabric of American society. Teaching children to view their classmates and neighbors primarily through categories of heritage, oppression, and privilege can make them more suspicious of one another and less willing to listen, compromise, or find common ground – all essential skills in a diverse democratic society. This sort of approach primes students to feel guilt, resentment, envy, distrust, and apathy (why try if the deck is stacked against you?), which manifest at both the individual and societal levels with dire implications for our democratic institutions and practices and our society.

Telltale Signs of Constructive, Unifying Ethnic Studies

Constructive and unifying ethnic studies promotes mutual understanding rather than division, encourages critical thinking, emphasizes the importance of civil dialogue, and prizes academic rigor. These are indispensable attributes and centering our common humanity creates a strong foundation for working together to build a better society.

Constructive curricula are grounded in history and scholarship. Lessons include the unique features, challenges, and achievements of various communities, as well as how those communities have become American over the years.

Constructive curricula expose students to multiple perspectives on complex issues and primary source documents. They encourage learners to probe the evidence, ask questions, and confidently express their own opinions – and, importantly, to listen respectfully to their fellow students, whose opinions may differ.

Telltale Signs of LES

LES, on the other hand, is not interested in presenting a range of opinions because it claims to have the right answers. It sees countervailing perspectives as irritants or threats.

LES curricula encourage students to adopt certain political viewpoints – including anti-capitalism, anti-Americanism, anti-Westernism, and anti-Zionism – and then to become activists for those viewpoints. Complex issues, whether historical or current, are presented through a single interpretative lens.

Students learn to view themselves mostly through the prism of ethnic heritage rather than as unique individuals for whom ancestry is but one, non-defining factor. Meritocracy is rejected for its individualism, as is the concept of America’s melting pot, with assimilation presented as cultural imperialism and American identity as a myth or a sin.

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Make sure to request your child’s curriculum and read it closely. If you run into roadblocks or the school is not transparent,  ask why they’re not rolling out the red carpet for you as a parent. Refer to the indicators we’ve laid out here – which you can also find on this dedicated webpage – to help distinguish between education that expands students’ understanding and ideological indoctrination that tells students what to think. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to the teacher or a school administrator. Feel free to reach out to the THINC team at info@thinc.org.

It is incumbent on all of us to make sure that children are receiving the high-quality education they deserve, one that prepares them to ably navigate the world as adults.