Every year, hundreds of Berkeley High School students finalize their schedule choices without including cultural studies courses. Many factors contribute to the classes students choose to enroll in; graduation requirements, personal interest, and academic pressures are often primary considerations. As students begin to contrast their many options, it is crucial to keep in mind the importance of diversifying their cultural education.
Because not all students will enroll in specific department classes, BHS and other high schools should integrate more cultural studies into standard history curricula to ensure all students receive a well-rounded education.
Cultural diversity integrated into schools has substantial benefits to both students and faculty, enriching education and discourse. A study across 29 school districts by Halpin et al. (2016) found that core subject curricula including cultural diversity saw narrowing achievement gaps, higher graduation rates, and school pride compared to strictly Eurocentric district curricula.
A five-year study by Castagno et al. (2014) found that literacy rates, GPA, and emotional well-being for Black students increased when their schools adopted culturally sustaining African American history and literature courses.
BHS has reflected these findings in programs such as the African American (AfAm) Studies department — which has been a noticeable mark of what makes BHS special. The department was born from protests by the Black Student Union in 1968 demanding a comprehensive Black studies program and an increased number of African American teachers. No other public high school in the country has a specific department dedicated to the study of the African American experience.
The wide range of classes provided by the AfAm department is an incredible resource for students to deepen their understanding of various culturally rich and important subjects. Some currently offered courses include AP Patterns of Black Literature, Spanish in the African Diaspora, African American Psychology, and more.
While BHS students each year enroll in AfAm department courses and benefit from the subjects offered, many students are unable to fit these classes into their schedule.
Due to stricter course requirements for underclassmen, limited elective spaces, academic pressure to take certain AP classes, or simply a lack of awareness surrounding the AfAm studies program, many students will never have the opportunity to engage with much of the content taught in AfAm courses.
These students' main exposure to Black history is likely limited to within their respective history classes, which vary greatly between small school and teacher. Without specific guidelines, the level of multicultural education a student receives is greatly dependent upon chance. It leaves individual teachers and current curriculum with the most influence, and risks discrepant levels of content coverage between classes.
While the AfAm department remains a defining strength of BHS, access to culturally relevant and sustaining educational opportunities should not depend on whether or not a student has free space in their schedule. BHS and other schools committed to providing an inclusive and equitable education must incorporate culturally diverse perspectives into the standard curricula, ensuring that students unable to take specific cultural courses still benefit from increased exposure to diverse teachings.