5 Signs Your School Has an Inclusive Curriculum

Date Published: April 29, 2021

Conversations around race and racism in America seem to be happening much more often, and rightly so. But interestingly, one important place where this conversation often isn’t happening is in schools. When it comes to education around race, racism, and history, we have a long way to go. That’s why students are leading the charge for more accurate and inclusive school texts and curriculum. They aren’t alone either, as 83% of teachers say they’re somewhat or very willing to teach anti-racist curriculum.

When we have a more accurate and inclusive education, everyone benefits. So what can an inclusive curriculum look like when it’s done well? Read on to learn how to spot some of the signs that indicate if your school has (or doesn’t have) an inclusive curriculum.

(You have the power to make sure students in your school are learning the whole histories. Join our Whole Histories campaign to answer 3 quick questions on improving curriculum on race, racism, and US history. We’ll use your submission to create actionable guides for a more inclusive school.)

1) Curriculum includes books by multicultural authors.

When it comes to any media (including literature), representation matters. Books can often serve as a mirror into our own experiences and culture, which can have positive social and emotional effects. One study found that “reading texts written by members of the ethnic groups that are underrepresented in school curricula improves the self esteem of students of that ethnic group.” Not only that, but all students are given the opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation of cultures outside of their own. It’s a win-win.

There is no shortage of online reading lists featuring diverse authors, so when you’re taking a look at your class syllabus, ask yourself: whose identities and perspectives are represented here, and whose aren’t?

And that doesn’t only have to pertain to your English class. DoSomething member Celia, 18, had this to say about her school’s inclusive art curriculum: “Since being at school I have been able to learn a lot about race through BIPOC artists, which my art classes have focused on. [We’ve been] taking long looks at the pieces, discussing their symbolism, and how these pieces are their way of telling their story of being a POC.”

2) History lessons reflect diverse perspectives.

Certain history textbooks are known to fall short when it comes to having complete portrayals of historical events. That’s why it’s important that both students and educators stay on the lookout for what perspectives their lessons may be lacking. Let’s think of this using, for example, the Civil Rights Movement. Some questions we might ask ourselves include:

• What voices are missing from the lesson?
• Are we learning about how this intersects with gender equality, immigration, and the stories of Latinx, Hispanic, and Native American peoples?
• Is this lesson providing a framework for me to understand how this has influenced current social issues?

After asking these questions, for example, a Denver school revised its curriculum to better integrate Black history into its lessons after its students pushed heavily for change. But if your school’s textbook’s are referring to enslaved Africans in America as “immigrants” or “workers,” it might be time for you to push for change too.

3) Difficult conversations are welcomed.

Talking particularly about race can be uncomfortable, but sometimes if something is uncomfortable it actually means that it’s more important to talk about it. By having these discussions at school, students can learn from their peers’ thoughts and experiences in order to think more critically about race and racism.

So what does that mean in practice? It means that rather than avoid difficult conversations, space is made to explore and unpack ideas, thoughts, or questions. Prompts that your educator might use to facilitate these conversations may include:

• “Tell me more about that…”
• “It sounds like you have strong views on this – have you had some personal experience that might help us understand where you are coming from?”
• “I’m glad you brought this up, because this sentiment is something we hear a lot in popular culture, and it’s important to understand and unpack. What are the concerns underlying this statement?”

One DoSomething member’s school has found an inventive way to integrate these discussions into their classrooms.

“My teachers have designed lesson plans that allow students the opportunity to ask questions anonymously over the computer to gain clarification on certain topics without having to speak in class,” says Grace, 18. “These responses and questions are presented by the teacher who leads a classroom discussion about them. This provides students the opportunity to ask questions and share ideas they may not have felt comfortable saying directly to the class.”

4) Students are encouraged to take reflective actions to help resolve social problems.

“Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Sure, we’ve heard it all before. But how can we avoid repeating history’s mistakes if we aren’t reflecting on how we can avoid them? In an inclusive curriculum, educators should ask students to clarify their values and make decisions about existing social problems using multi-cultural perspectives.

For example, when discussing racism during the periods of Reconstruction and Jim Crow, you can also talk about the connection between those eras and the forms of systemic racism that exist in America today, such as mass incarceration?

DoSomething member Emily, 18, explains how one teacher put this into practice: “I think that one of the most impactful lessons was just an exercise where our teacher played a video of a racial injustice and told us to just feel. We then captured how we felt. Were we sad? Uncomfortable? Outraged? Then we wrote action items we could do to be more involved.”

5) Cultures outside of the dominant culture are celebrated.

Whether it’s in your textbooks or during classroom discussions, consider the way that certain identities and histories are discussed. A study by the Fordham Institute found that in many states, schools “generally fail to address the non-Western world in sufficient detail.” In history classes in particular, Eurocentrism is usually the norm. When we don’t get the whole histories of a group or culture, it can leave more room to look at them through a demeaning lens (whether we mean to or not).

For example, Black history education for many students can often look like this: Slavery. Frederick Douglass. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rosa Parks. Oh, and George Washington Carver popularized peanut butter. The end. But when we’re only looking at Black history through the lens of struggle, we exclude some of the rich and complex Black history outside of slavery and colonization, including figures like Marsha P. Johnson, Lewis Latimer, Maya Angelou, and so many more. And as mentioned earlier, that has a huge impact on the way we see not only others, but also ourselves.

So consider this when examining your own curriculum: Are members, histories, and cultures of the nondominant group characterized/represented with demeaning messages in discussions or resources?