Approved textbook follows summer of controversy, criticism from some parents
The San Francisco Unified School District has finally settled on a temporary ethnic studies curriculum for the 2025-26 school year, a resolution that has left some advocates of the program more satisfied than other critics who originally called for it to be reevaluated.
And with less than two weeks until the first day of classes, many teachers, administrators and parents still don’t know much about what the new course will look like. The San Francisco Board of Education on July 29 approved the district’s usage of Gibbs Smith Education’s “Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey” as its curriculum for the upcoming school year. Meanwhile, the district will conduct an audit of its previous curriculum, which came under fire in recent months by a vocal segment of parents and community members and Superintendent Maria Su described as “problematic.” The district will craft a revamped, city-specific curriculum to take the place of “Voices” in the 2026-27 school year and beyond. SFUSD spokesperson Laura Dudnick said the district will open up office hours in the coming days for parents and media to learn about the course contents. Nikhil Laud, head of the school system’s ethnic studies department, said teachers received advanced copies of the students’ new textbooks a few days after the board’s vote. But only this Tuesday and Wednesday were teachers allowed to look at the educator-version of the “Voices” textbook, tailored to train and advise instructors on how to implement the curriculum, according to Laud. Educators will be formally trained on the curriculum beginning Aug. 12, six days before students return to class. Still, despite a summer of uncertainty and skepticism from many ethnic-studies educators, Laud said the “Voices” curriculum matches similar “concepts” San Francisco’s ethnic-studies teachers have taught since the class was installed in 2010. “The essence of ethnic studies is reflected in this curriculum, and when appropriate and applicable, allowing specially localized supplemental materials that are connected to San Francisco history, allowing community histories a place to be woven in,” Laud said. Dudnick said no matter the subject, whenever the district installs a new curriculum, it’s standard for teachers to not get trained until they return from summer break, That’s generally the week before school starts, and the district’s first day of instruction is Aug. 18. Laud agreed, saying it's “common” to have new course materials arrive near the beginning of the school year. But he admitted it has and likely will continue to be a chaotic stretch for his department in the days leading up to when students return to school. “We are trying to fulfill a lot of needs at once, responding to interested community members who have questions around ethnic studies and implementing the pilot curriculum,” Laud said. “All of the normal things of getting ready for a school year are already hectic, but you have to balance that on top of training for a new core curriculum.” Over the last few months, critics have called for the SFUSD’s ethnic studies course to be altered, removed as a graduation requirement, or eliminated entirely. Detractors have contended that the previous instruction taught students what to think rather than what is historical fact. Board of Education Commissioner Supriya Ray, a parent of two district students, echoed this as one of two members to vote against approving the curriculum. She counted herself among those who believe ethnic studies — which, broadly, examines the lived experiences of non-white ethnic communities in the U.S. — has a firm place in education, but she argued The City’s public schools have done a poor job of teaching it. “I’m deeply, deeply troubled by the course of events with ethnic studies in our district in recent years,” Ray said during the July 29 board meeting. “I really have to ask, how could we arrive at a place where the district requires ethnic studies to graduate and implement this requirement as a foundational course in ninth grade, yet we have no adopted curriculum?” Last year’s freshman class at SFUSD was the first group of students mandated to take two semesters of the course in order to graduate. Ray expressed frustration that, despite multiple efforts, she was not given permission to read the “Voices” curriculum’s contents before voting on whether to approve it. Ex // Top Stories How should you spend this week in SF? Here are 18 ideas Block parties, parades and live performances are among the events bringing the heat to The City during the dog days of summer Bay Area creatives can apply to leave their art in San Francisco San Francisco General Hospital Foundation is currently accepting applications for next year's Hearts in San Francisco Forthcoming SF fair to showcase artists with disabilities “The Bay Area is leading the way in the integration of this work into the larger art world,” one of its organizers saidRay also took issue with the short runway teachers will have to learn the materials, especially for a course as uniquely delicate and potentially polarizing as ethnic studies. “I find it really hard to understand how teachers can be able to teach an entirely new curriculum based on such limited professional development,” Ray said. It’s unclear how many district parents are upset, but they wielded enough influence for Su to announce on June 30 that the district will pull back its previous curriculum. The SF Parent Coalition, one of the largest parent organizations in the district, told The Examiner the organization is “not actively focused on this issue as a coalition right now.” The organization had previously declined to comment amid the uncertainty over next year’s instruction. Its executive director told The San Francisco Chronicle in May of the previous ethnic-studies materials that “some parts of SFUSD’s curriculum feel like they were rushed or not fully thought through, and we wonder if the current program is going to have the intended outcomes we want to see for our students.” During last week’s meeting, Su did not say what specifically was problematic about the older course, only emphasizing that “hate has no place in our city” and that the district’s ethnic-studies plan should “embody” that principle. “I have listened. I have heard your questions. I have read your emails. I have had conversations with young people, parents, stakeholders and community members about your concerns,” she said. Su said the “Voices” curriculum — which is also being used statewide in cities such as Visalia and Petaluma, and nationally in Pittsburgh and Des Moines, Iowa — was the only option which both aligned with the state’s curriculum and was written by a “reputable publishing house.” District administrators will also increase oversight over ethnic-studies teachers during this school year. Teachers must get approval from the district before deploying supplemental lessons which reference material outside of the “Voices” curriculum. The policy comes after some parents alleged there were several problematic lessons taught last year, including one in which students role played as Israeli soldiers putting Palestinians in refugee camps, and another which equated Mao Zedong’s red guard in communist China to the American feminist and civil rights movements. No ethnic studies educator who has spoken to The Examiner has been able to confirm either incident took place. Laud said the central office is still working on the specifics of the oversight process. But he’s confident the extra procedure won’t be a hurdle for teachers to continue layering in local ethnic-studies histories, like that of the Third World Liberation Front. “We have an excellent core curriculum offering that is true to ethnic studies. But no curriculum, despite its well-intentions, is perfect,” Laud said. “That is where good teaching emerges. Good teaching takes the best resources that we can offer and then finds the localized, applicable, relevant materials, aligned to state frameworks materials, and seizes those connections to enhance the materials and make them pop even more with our students.”
Ethnic Studies Maria Su San Francisco Board Of Education
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