Dr. Jason Reiman, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services, and Jaliza Eagles, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator, for the Castro Valley Unified School District provided an outstanding and thorough overview of how the District is strategically implementing its Ethnic Studies curriculum under Assembly Bill 101- Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirements. They began the presentation with a quote that is common in Ethnic Studies because it emphasizes the need of all of us to know our roots and what our people have contributed to this nation. Without that knowledge, it is difficult to truly know who you are.
Jason went on to define what Ethnic Studies is and how Castro Valley USD is implementing a curriculum that honors and benefits its diverse student population
Throughout the presentation, Jason and Jaliza stressed that CVUSD would not be purchasing an out-of-the-box, but use local and national expertise to develop a curriculum that addresses the needs of the students. To that end, the District has partnered with the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Institute (LESMCI) to develop the curriculum and provide the necessary professional development for staff. Jaliza explained the rationale for partnering with LESMCI and the five (5) themes that the curriculum will incorporate.
They concluded the presentation by highlighting four key points and asked Club members and guests for their input on the curriculum. Audience comments were extremely positive and supportive of the work. President Dwight invited Jason and Jaliza to return in the future to update the Club on the implementation of the Ethnic Studies curriculum.
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