Bolster proficiency scores while teaching Black history

In the recent school board election, one candidate voiced opposition to HB 198, which would require integrating Black history throughout the school year rather than relegating it to just one month. Improving proficiency in math and reading were offered as a more pressing issue.

Experienced teachers recognize this false dichotomy, as if teaching Black history necessarily compromises teaching reading and math. For years now, educational research has demonstrated that the old “skills and drills” and rote memorization approaches to learning - frequently associated with developing proficiency because of the standardized tests so often used to measure progress - are far less effective in student learning than devising activities that teach skills in context. Black history can provide that context in tandem with other contexts.

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the social reckoning it prompted, a wealth of teaching materials has been developed by educators who are trying to do their part to right the wrongs of yesteryear. The Zinn Education Project, for example, offers an ever-growing database of resources that teachers at all levels may use to teach skills in math and reading (and in many other subject areas) while focusing on African American issues (www.zinnedproject.org).

The site links to such resources as Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers (second edition) or Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching About Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word. These are just two of the resources at this site, and this site is just one among dozens - possibly hundreds - now available on the web.

Sussex County students want such instruction. This winter and spring, the Youth Education Committee of the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice delivered Zoom modules to student volunteer participants from Sussex Academy, Sussex Tech and Cape Henlopen. Our modules addressed the topics of Cultural Competence, Antiracism and The History of Slavery in Delaware, and our work with these students included short lectures, discussions, breakouts, and student development of shared resources online to reflect modules’ content. At the conclusion of the three months during which the modules were delivered, students were asked to evaluate anonymously the experience via a Google Form, which included a question as to whether students would recommend including modules such as these in their regular curriculum at school. 

Students unanimously voted in the affirmative, with such comments as:

“I would love it if these modules were integrated into school curriculums. Learning about racism and how we can accept everyone and make everyone comfortable is important for everyone to learn.”

“One hundred percent. These topics are perfect for the history class where our country’s mishaps are often sugar-coated or overlooked.” 

“Yes, these topics should be regularly talked about as a part of either social studies or homeroom.” 

As co-facilitators of two of the modules, we found these students to be wicked smart and truly inspirational, giving us hope for a future that has of late appeared quite dim. We are heartened by the returns in the recent school board election and we hope that Sussex County educators will take the proactive step to integrate Black history into year-long curricula whether or not this step is mandated by HB 198.