Grossmont Union High School District

Research has shown that ethnic studies classes can raise grades and attendance for teenagers at risk of dropping out. As of October 2023, the ethnic breakdown of GUHSD was American Indian or Alaska Naive (0.64%), Asian (4.80%), Black or African American (5.04%), Hispanic or Latino (42.25%), Mutli-ethnic (5.87%), Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (0.49%), Not Specified or Other (0.26%), and White (40.65%). Students identifying themselves as White includes many students who identify themselves as Middle Eastern, West Asian or North African due to the absence of federal idenfications for these ethnicities.

 

Ethnic Studies has emerged to both address content considered missing from traditional curriculum and to encourage civic engagement. As a field, ethnic studies seeks to empower all students to engage socially and civically and to think critically about the world around them. Students will develop respect, empathy, and value for individuals and groups of people locally, nationally, and globally by examining aspects of race, culture, ethnicity, and identity. It is important for ethnic studies courses to share the experiences of people of color in order for students to develop a more complex understanding of the human experiences that have not traditionally been offered to them. Students will analyze the development of social movements that grew out of those inequalities and evaluate the effectiveness of the movements. Through these studies, students will develop respect for cultural diversity and a better understanding of their abilitty to affect postive chage through civic engagement in their communities.