The Snake Swallows the Elephant: Ethnic Studies Hijacks Education

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In “The Little Prince,” the title character discusses his “masterpiece,” a drawing depicting a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. However, the adults mistake it for a hat due to its silhouette, causing the little prince distress.

Many adults, influenced by societal norms, fail to uncover the profound truths within themselves. Instead of relying on common sense and intuition, they often conform to popular culture, replacing innate moral compasses with political correctness. This trend is particularly evident in education, where learning and excellence are overshadowed by indoctrination and lowered standards.

To this end, ethnic studies, a controversial emerging discipline, serves as a potent trojan horse. In California, ethnic studies will be a high school graduation requirement by 2025, following the state mandate—Assembly Bill 101—passed in 2021. The law mandates that ethnic studies be taught to cultivate students as “global citizens with an appreciation for the contributions of multiple cultures,” free from bias, discrimination, or religious doctrine.

Unfortunately, existing curriculums in numerous public school districts in California do not align with these legal requirements. Instead, they share a conspicuous endorsement of race-based ideologies, critical pedagogy, the oppressor-victim narrative, and divisive identity politics.

Adding to the concern, the University of California Academic Senate is reconsidering a proposal to make ethnic studies a systemwide requirement for undergraduate admissions. The revised proposal, submitted on Jan. 11, 2024, promotes a politicized version of ethnic studies based on debunked research on its educational benefits.

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Based on the revised criteria, ethnic studies courses must apply “culturally relevant pedagogy,” “abolitionist teaching,” “critical analysis,” and “nuancing approaches to race, racism and racialization” for UC undergraduate admissions. Questionable scholarly sources are cited as evidence for K-12 ethnic studies. If these criteria are adopted, the University of California would enforce ideologically rooted guidelines, incentivizing local school districts to teach ideologically hijacked ethnic studies.

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Advocates of liberated or critical ethnic studies, who protested California’s state model curriculum as a compromise, are pushing for the integration of ethnic studies into other academic disciplines. In the San Diego Unified School District, where proficiency levels in English and math are concerning, a multi-million dollar plan was approved to implement ethnic studies, anti-racism, and restorative justice in all academic areas.

The California Council for the Social Studies held an annual conference focusing on best practices in social studies, featuring an “Ethnic Studies Symposium” and sessions on various ethnic studies topics.

At the CCSS conference, an “Ethnic Studies Forum” discussed pedagogical frameworks and best practices related to ethnic studies. Teachers emphasized the need for ethnic studies to transform education by challenging historical biases, prejudices, and stereotypes.

Speakers at the forum, including educators from districts like Salinas Union High School District and Elk Grove Unified School District, highlighted the importance of ethnic studies in reshaping the educational landscape and addressing societal issues.

During the CCSS conference, she also led another session named “Honoring Our Ancestors: Pedagogies for Black Children,” in which a “(Black) Labor Acknowledgment” was introduced to honor “enslaved Africans and their ascendants.” In a ritualist style rooted in the 1619 Project, the Black Labor Acknowledgment states that “much of what we know of this country today … has been made possible by [Black] labor.” The session went on to discuss “culturally sustaining pedagogy,” a teaching method that “calls for schooling to be a site for sustaining … the cultural ways of being of communities of color.”

When a hotly contested field of scholarly inquiry such as ethnic studies is pushed as a foundation for all academic instruction, the ideological hijacking of education begins. In California, the snake of radical ethnic studies is swallowing the elephant of public education. Sadly, education leaders and bureaucrats treat the hijacking as a harmless “hat,” rather than the venomous snake it actually is. Art imitates life.

The author wishes to thank Ms. Kelly Schenkoske for her valuable contributions to this essay.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

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