>> CATHY: "CRITICAL RACE THEORY" HAS BECOME A HOT BUTTON TOPIC IN MUCH OF THE COUNTRY, BUT HERE IN THE NORTH STAR STATE THE DEBATE IS OVER ETHNIC STUDIES.

INCLUSION OF THE TOPIC IN SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSES HAS BEEN CONTESTED FOR YEARS HERE IN MINNESOTA, AND LAST YEAR, THE D.F.L.

TRIFECTA SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY TO REQUIRE ETHNIC STUDIES CURRICULA FOR ALL STUDENTS.

THIS WEEK A JUDGE APPROVED THOSE STANDARDS, ALBEIT WITH A FEW TWEAKS.

BECKY DERNBACH HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS TOPIC FOR THE SAHAN JOURNAL, AND JOINS US NOW TO SCHOOL US ON THE ISSUE.

IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> YOU TOO.

>> WHAT GENERALLY IS ETHNIC STUDIES?

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE IT?

>> YEAH, SO ETHNIC STUDIES, STUDENTS ARE OFTEN REALLY EXCITED ABOUT ETHNIC STUDIES BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SEE MORE DIVERSE HISTORIES AND TORIES REFLECTED IN THEIR SCHOOLS, AND THAT'S ONE REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF ETHNIC STUDIES IS JUST TEACHING ABOUT MORE CULTURES AND MORE HISTORIES.

THERE ARE ALSO SOME OTHER COMPONENTS THAT INCLUDE DOING SOME PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH, STUDENTS LEARN WHAT'S GOING ON IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND MAKE A PLAN TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

THE STANDARDS THAT WERE APPROVE THEY DID WEEK, I WANT TO CLARIFY SOMETHING.

SO THERE WERE SORT OF TWO DIFFERENT PATHS OF ETHNIC STUDIES.

THE D.F.L.

IN THE LEGISLATURE APPROVED THNIC STUDIES CLASSES THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED IN ALL HIGH SCHOOLS STARTING IN 2026 AND THOSE WILL BE ELECTIVE CLASSES.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK WAS SEPARATE FROM THAT.

IT WAS AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR FOUR YEARS THAT'S GOING TO JUST LIKE ENTERGREAT ETHNIC STUDIES INTO ALL SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSES.

>> Cathy: GOT IT.

>> Eric: WHAT ARE SUPPORTERS SAYING ABOUT THE CHRISISM THAT IT SETS UP THE OPPRESSOR VERSUS THE OPPRESSED, KIND OF A MARXIST PHILOSOPHY, DIVIDES STUDENTS RATHER THAN BRINGS THEM TOGETHER AND CREATES VICTIMS?

>> YEAH, THEY JUST DON'T THINK THOSE ARE TRUE.

THEY THINK HAT IT REALLY ALLOWS ALL STUDENTS TO FEEL SEEN IN THE CLASS AND LEARN ABOUT THEMSELVES AND TO LEARN ABOUT EACH OTHER AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE LEARNING ABOUT EVERYBODY'S HISTORY AND THAT PEOPLE FEEL MORE ENGAGED IN SCHOOL WHEN THEY FEEL REPRESENTED.

>> Cathy: HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ABOUT THIS?

>> THEY'RE REALLY EXCITED.

THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR A LONG TIME.

THIS PARTICULAR ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS THAT WE JUST SAW, THAT GOT STARTED IN 2020, A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE 2020 AND THERE HAVE JUST BEEN BUREAUCRATIC STEPS AND BUREAUCRATIC STEPS AND THIS RULING WAS REALLY A WIN THAT THEY HAVE TO MAKE ONE SMALL CHANGE, THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS O MAKE ONE SMALL CHANGE AND THEN THE STANDARDS ARE SET TO GO INTO EFFECT.

BUT THEY REALLY FEEL LIKE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE, TO BE LEARNING MORE HONESTLY AND WITH MORE HUMANITY AND REALLY FEELING MORE RECOGNIZED AND ABLE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR CLASSMATES.

>> Cathy: HOW MIGHT THIS PLAY THOUGH ON THE LOCAL LEVEL?

SOME SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS I'M BETTING PROBABLY NOT TOO HAPPY.

>> SO CURRICULUM IS SET AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.

STANDARDS ARE SORT OF THE BROAD CONCEPTS AND TOPICS THAT STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO LEARN AND THEY'RE PRETTY BROAD AND THEN THERE ARE ENCHMARKS WHERE IF YOU'RE IN FOURTH GRADE YOU HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE YOU'VE LEARNED THIS STANDARD BY X, Y, Z.

AND SO ON BUT CURRICULUM IS STILL AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND SO THERE WILL PROBABLY BE SOME RESHUFFLING AT DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT CURRICULUM DO WE WANT THAT ALIGNS WITH THESE STANDARDS.

BUT THAT'S ALL STILL SET LOCALLY AND THERE WILL BE CHOICES ABOUT HOW PEOPLE WANT TO TEACH THESE STANDARDS.

>> Eric: HOW DO YOU JUDGE THE DEBATE, IT'S BEEN PRETTY ROBUST OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS THAT OPPONENTS SAYING THAT IDENTITY AND RESISTANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE KIND OF LAW POLITICS COULD PLAY HERE?

>> I MEAN, I THINK THAT FOR STUDENTS, I THINK THAT A LOT OF STUDENTS OF COLOR HAVE REALLY FELT INVISIBLE IN THEIR SCHOOLS FOR A LONG TIME AND TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR IDENTITY, TO LEARN ABOUT HISTORIES OF THEIR COMMUNITIES AND OF OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT THEY CAN DRAW ON, THEY FIND REALLY EMPOWERING AND MAKES THEM WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL WHEN THEY FEEL SEEN AND THEY HAVE CLASSES THAT THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT AND MAKES THEM THEN ENGAGED IN OTHER CLASSES AS WELL.

>> Cathy: SO BY THE WAY, ISN'T IT A FIVE OR TEN-YEAR PROCESS WHERE THE STATE LOOKS AT THE STANDARDS?

>> IT'S A TEN-YEAR PROCESS, SO EVERY TEN YEARS BY STATE LAW FOR EVERY SUBJECT AND THIS WAS SOCIAL STUDIES' TURN, MATH HAS A TURN, SCIENCE HAS A TURN.

BUT, YEAH, THIS IS A ROUTINE PROCESS AND THE STATE APPOINTS A COMMITTEE OF EDUCATORS ND PARENTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT THIS AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY WANT THE STANDARDS TO LOOK LIKE.

>> Eric: THE TEACHERS ADEQUATELY TRAINED TO TEACH THE STUFF?

>> THAT WILL BE PART OF THE PROCESS TOO.

THERE WILL BE SOME REVISION TO HOW TEACHERS ARE TRAINED AND THAT'S, YEAH, THAT'S ONE OF THE NEXT STEPS.

>> Cathy: LWAYS GOOD TO HAVE