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In response to the school board’s decision to shorten ethnic studies to a single semester course, the Mountain View Los Altos High School District’s social studies department has created a proposal for how to fill the open semester.
Teachers’ union President Dave Campbell presented the recommendation to the board on behalf of social studies teachers at a Monday, Dec. 15, meeting. The idea is to require freshmen to take one semester of world studies in conjunction with ethnic studies, which teachers believe would minimize disruption to students and prepare them for more rigorous courses in the future.
Currently, sophomores can take a full-year world studies course or one of several advanced placement social studies classes. The teachers’ proposal would mean moving the first semester of world studies from sophomore year to the now free semester freshman year.
“Under this structure, all freshmen will complete one semester of ethnic studies and one semester of world studies, providing a cohesive, yearlong social studies experience that supports heterogeneous grouping and consistent skill development,” Campbell said.
This comes after a November meeting at which board members asked social studies teachers and staff to create proposals for potential electives that students could take alongside one semester of ethnic studies. One of the department’s main concerns with this request, however, was that filling the semester with electives would create competition among teachers and lead to a lack of a common ninth grade experience, Campbell told the board on Monday.
“A course should not rely on an individual teacher’s personal passion to be viable,” Campbell said. “It should exist because it reflects the interests and, even more critically, the needs of our community.”
The proposal would also address concerns about teachers losing their jobs. Shortly after the board first voted to shorten ethnic studies, district staff were notified of the potential for layoffs in the social studies department. The new proposal mitigates the risk of this happening by filling the gap that the lost semester of ethnic studies would cause, Campbell said.
Monday’s proposal also addresses calls from the community for a freshmen course that dives into world history, specifically covering the Holocaust, Latin American experiences and World War II, Campbell said.
He also argued that the setup aligns with the district’s 35-unit social studies graduation requirement, which the board approved this week. Each semester of a course typically equates to five units. Previously, with a full year of ethnic studies, the district required 40 units of social studies coursework.
Under the new proposal, students would still have an open semester if they choose to take the second half of world studies as sophomores as opposed to one of the yearlong AP offerings. This free slot in a student’s schedule could be used to take the district’s in-person health class, which is an opportunity several community members have pushed for at recent meetings.
“I want to stress that this proposal would not force students into taking an extra five credits of social studies,” Campbell said. “This proposal encourages students’ choice to take the class that piques their interest.”
The social studies department is working to get the proposal submitted to the board through the official course approval process by the first meeting in January so that the trustees can vote on it, Campbell told the Voice. According to board president Thida Cornes, the board extended the deadline for social studies course proposals until Jan. 26.
Following Campbell’s presentation, several teachers spoke during the portion of the meeting set aside for public comment to express support for the proposal and urge the board to consider it. Roger Kim, a Los Altos High School social studies teacher, highlighted that the suggested model continues “the rigorous course of study that our community expects,” while also preserving the jobs of “highly qualified teachers.”
“To say the last few months have been a bumpy, rollercoaster ride for department members … would be an understatement,” Kim said. “But, the board has an opportunity to make for a smooth landing.”
Since the proposal from the social studies department was not on the board’s agenda for the Monday meeting, school board members did not provide comments on it or pose any questions.
Asked for his reaction to the proposal after the meeting, Superintendent Eric Volta said that he thought it was “unique” and that he didn’t know of another school that splits world studies into two separate years. However, he emphasized that he has yet to form an opinion on what he feels is best for district students.
“I’ll be thinking about it in my sleep,” Volta said. “Instead of sugarplum fairies, I’ll be thinking about MVLA social studies.”
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