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Schools

Richfield Educators Report Readiness for State Curriculum Changes

As Minnesota updates its social studies requirements, Richfield High School teachers report on changes already being implemented in their classrooms.

Following a nearly six month review process that began last December, in May the Minnesota Department of Education is scheduled to unveil revised statewide requirements for social studies instruction in Minnesota public schools. The review is required every seven years. This year's review will look at U.S. and world history, economics, geography, and civics and government curriculum.

Educators at Richfield High School (RHS) emphasized that while the school remains in full compliance with state curricular standards, because of its diverse student population, the social studies curriculum at RHS always aims to go beyond such requirements.

With a student body currently estimated to be 38 percent Caucasian, 27 percent Latino, 24 percent African-American, and 12 percent ESL (English as second language) students, Dr. Stephen West, principal at the high school, said that he and other teachers at RHS are constantly working together to make sure social studies speaks to students’ personal experiences.

“There’s a rich history that typical social studies curricula doesn’t tackle, and that really is [aimed at] who helped build this country,” said West. “From the Chinese immigrants who helped build the continental railroad to the African-Americans who were a part of slavery, who helped build this country on their backs, to the Latino population that has a rich history, we don’t talk about it [enough] in American history or any of the other social studies topics.”

West meets with members of the school’s social studies department at least once a month to discuss curricular advances and follow up on target-specific goals that are unique to RHS. When working with teachers in any department, his aim is to identify areas in which the curriculum is lacking and find specific ways of addressing the gaps.

“I’m very pleased at the work of my teachers as they try to supplement curriculum where they know things are missing,” he said. “Especially with as diverse a population as we have, you have to.”

Chris Peterson, an 11-year teaching veteran at RHS and the educational leader of its social studies department, said that he and others on his team are currently at work trying to make aspects of social studies more relevant to the school’s Latino population. In addition, he emphasized that for a number of years he has been trying to more thoroughly integrate the achievements of African-Americans into his American history curriculum.

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With both the Richfield School District and West emphasizing the teaching of subjects in a manner where the concerns and cultural histories of students are better represented, Peterson said that one of the goals of such changes is to make students relate to the subjects they’re learning more effectively.

“In world history, American government, civics–those subjects are rife with opportunities to expose our students to the achievements of different cultures,” Peterson said. “[Teaching subjects differently] is about connecting students with the material. As an educator you’re always trying to make those connections.”

How ready is RHS for the state’s new social studies requirements?

Peterson said that, while he was familiar with changes the citizens committee was likely to recommend–including greater emphasis on financial literacy and geography–he wasn’t terribly worried about the high school’s ability to adjust.

“Last time it was just a matter of trying to identify the direction the state went and identify those areas where we had holes. There were a few things they wanted us to emphasize that we hadn’t been emphasizing,” Peterson said. “There weren’t mass adjustments.”

Peterson said that he doesn’t expect RHS will need to make any major changes this time around either.

State law has already decreed that a greater emphasis will be placed on the contributions of Minnesota American Indian tribes and communities in the revised academic standards, and West said that he hopes state requirements for social studies will continue to emphasize multicultural studies in general.

“What we still see in many textbooks and social studies curricula is a propensity to show Eurocentric history, and that’s a component of institutional racism,” West said.

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Rather than stressing assimilation, as he thinks social studies curriculums have traditionally done, he maintains that it’s necessary to respect the unique contributions of various cultural histories if teachers expect to keep students engaged.

“What I see from my kids of color is [the question], ‘Why do I have to assimilate? This is who I am.’” West said.

Teachers expect this year’s revisions will leave more room for teachers to decide, on an individual basis, how they will communicate broader goals in various subjects.

The citizens committee responsible for revisions to the state’s social studies recently met with the Minnesota Department of Education on March 22. Commissioner Brenda Cassellius is scheduled to receive the committee’s final report for approval in May.

Richfield Patch will update readers on what changes will be implemented once a proposal is approved.

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