Meet the S.F. school board candidates: Should ethnic studies have been reformed?

"The district's homegrown curriculum was offered as an elective for high school students from 2010 to 2024, but in 2024, when the district made the two semester class a graduation requirement, anger from some quarters ensued."

"An overwhelming 85 percent of students who took the survey at the end of the 2024-2025 school year said that they benefitted from taking the course. Studies conducted by Stanford University additionally found that students who took the class were more likely to graduate and receive higher grades than students who did not enroll in the course."

"Still, SFUSD in 2025 caved to complaints from parents and alumni groups, including the powerful Friends of the Lowell Foundation, and scrapped the course in favor of a new one: “Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey.” After a year pilot, the district is planning to permanently use the new curriculum."

"On April 28, the Friends of the Lowell Foundation sent a letter to the school board arguing that the new course is “unvetted” and “illegal” and have sought to meet with Mayor Daniel Lurie to urge him to end it. The mayor does not have control over SFUSD."

SFUSD approved a new ethnic studies curriculum for the upcoming school year after years of controversy. The district’s homegrown elective ran for high school students from 2010 to 2024, then became a graduation requirement in 2024, prompting objections. Critics argued that curriculum content covering racism, sexuality, and gender identity was inappropriate and challenged specific lesson plan excerpts. A student survey found that 85% of surveyed students said the course benefited them. Stanford University studies found that students who took the class were more likely to graduate and earned higher grades than students who did not. In 2025, SFUSD replaced the course with “Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey” after complaints from parents and alumni groups, and planned permanent use after a pilot. Pushback continued, with claims that the new course was unvetted and illegal.

Read at Mission Local