What does the research say about teaching ethnic studies in K-12 schools?
This expanded second edition of Transformative Ethnic Studies in Schools provides a research-based framework for dismantling racism and decolonizing curricula to rehumanize learning spaces for all students. Authors Christine E. Sleeter and Miguel Zavala dive into the current curricula, pedagogies, and activism of P–12 teachers to show how ethnic studies improves student identity, empowerment, and academic achievement.
The text critiques mainstream education as "white studies" and offers a comprehensive update on the academic and social value of ethnic studies. By showcasing contemporary curriculum exemplars—from early childhood through high school—the authors illustrate how core concepts are applied across diverse disciplines and local contexts. This edition also examines the challenges with program implementation in contentious sociopolitical environments.
Transformative Ethnic Studies in Schools is essential reading for teacher educators, P–12 classroom teachers, curriculum developers, and researchers working to transform schools through antiracist and culturally sustaining practice.
Key Features of the Second Edition:
- Expanded Original Research: Reports on new interviews with ethnic studies teachers, advocates, and researchers.
- The Student Perspective: Includes a brand-new chapter detailing interviews with young people of diverse backgrounds who have completed high school ethnic studies coursework.
- Contemporary Curriculum Exemplars: Showcases P–12 curricula designed for various demographic populations, reflecting different local contexts and grade levels.
- Updated Research Synthesis: Provides a timely expansion of the research on the academic and social value of ethnic studies, originally commissioned by the National Education Association (NEA).
- Modern Challenges: Examines the challenges with program implementation in contentious sociopolitical environments.
- Teacher Preparation: Addresses the critical need for, and practical approaches to, preparing teachers to facilitate ethnic studies effectively in the classroom.
Table of Contents:
ContentsSeries Foreword James A. Banks ix
Acknowledgments xvii
1. What Is All This Fuss About Ethnic Studies? 1
A Story of Schooling and the Legacies of Colonialism 1
Ethnic Studies as a Decolonizing, Unfinished Project 4
Epistemic Privilege: Propelling the Movement Forward 5
Ethnic Studies in Our Schools 6
Hallmarks of Ethnic Studies 8
Overview of This Book 18
Joining the Struggle for Ethnic Studies 19
2. Mainstream Curriculum as (Multicultural) White Studies 25
Whose Viewpoint Structures Curriculum? A Contested Domain 26
What Do Current Curriculum Analyses Find? 29
Assumptions Embedded Within (Multicultural) White Studies 39
Students’ Perspectives 42
Conclusion 47
3. What the Research Says About Ethnic Studies 49
Academic and Personal Impact on Students of Color 50
Ethnic Studies for Diverse Groups That Include White Students 69
Conclusion 75
4. Ethnic Studies Curriculum as Counternarrative 77
Ethnic Studies as a Conceptual Approach 77
Ethnic Studies in Early Childhood 80
Black Studies in High School 84
Native American Studies 87
Asian American Studies 93
Ethnic Studies With Diverse Students 97
Youth Participatory Action Research and Ethnic Studies 100
Conclusion 103
5. Ethnic Studies Teachers’ Reflections on Their Praxis 105
Ethnic Studies Teachers 106
Identity as Central to Teaching 107
Foundational Values 110
Key Challenges 118
Conclusion 124
6. Student Perspectives on Ethnic Studies 127
Ethnic Studies Students 128
Beyond Traditional High School History 128
Nurturing Ethnic Identities 130
Nurturing Racial Literacies 133
Nurturing Academic Identities 135
Other Impacts 136
Shortcomings 140
Conclusion 141
7. Research and the Movement for Ethnic Studies 143
Uses of Research in the Growing Movement for Ethnic Studies 144
Ethnic Studies Advocates 145
The Role of Research in Ethnic Studies Advocacy 146
Challenges 155
Sustainable Research and Advocacy 159
Looking Toward the Future 162
References 167
Index 187
About the Authors 197
About the Author :
Christine E. Sleeter is professor emerita in the College of Education at California State University, Monterey Bay.
Miguel Zavala is an associate professor of teaching in the School of Education at the University of California, Riverside.
