Best Practices for Recruiting Students for the Black/Latinx Studies Course
Recruiting a wide range of students to the newly mandated Black/Latinx Studies elective course is central to its success, particularly as some schools in the state have acknowledged they are not offering the course this year as required because of low enrollment.
On February 22, 2023, the CT Council for the Social Studies (CCSS) and the Anti-Racist Teaching & Learning Collective (ARTLC) co-sponsored a teacher-led panel focused on best practices for recruiting students to the course.
At the outset Jenny Heikkila-Diaz of CCSS and the ARTLC Steering Committee explained three misconceptions about the Black & Latinx Studies course that must be addressed in recruiting students:
(1) That the course is not academically rigorous or challenging;
(2) That the course is only of interest to self-identified Black/Latinx students;
(3) That the course focuses on themes and events (i.e. Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King) that students have already been taught.
Current instructors of the course, including Melissa Zablonski (Putnum High School) and Max Ames The Morgan School, Clinton), shared several best practices that have helped them overcome these challenges and effectively recruit students.
1. Emphasize that All Students Should Know this History
Many teachers and schools who piloted the course have shared that it has been students of color who are often the first to enroll in the course as they feel an immediate connection to the content and history. Such personal connections are certainly critical, as the themes explored in the course about community formation, social movements, freedom, racism and inequality, impact students in different ways.
But in promoting the course it is also important to remind all students, including those who identify as white, that the history, materials, and content are deeply relevant to their lives; everyone must know these histories. While all available data reminds us that Connecticut public schools continue to be highly segregated by race and class, this course presents an opportunity for students to learn in an inclusive, diverse, and desegregated environment that honors the questions, ideas, and experiences of all students. They help us deepen our understanding of the past so that we can engage thoughtfully in creating a more just future.
2. Develop a Compelling Written Description of the Course in the Official Course Guide
For schools that develop guides and individual course descriptions for students as they develop their schedules, it is important to describe the course in compelling and distinct language. Consider this description used by colleagues at Staples High School in Westport:
The African American, Black, Latino, and Puerto Rican Studies course is an opportunity for students to explore accomplishments, struggles, intersections, perspectives, and collaborations of African American, Black, Latino, and Puerto Rican people in the U.S. Students will examine how historical movements, legislation, and wars affected the citizenship rights of these groups and how they, both separately and together, worked to build U.S. cultural and economic wealth and create more just societies in local, national, and international contexts. Coursework will provide students with tools to identify historic and contemporary tensions around race and difference; map economic and racial disparities over time; strengthen their own identity development; and address bias in their communities.
Some instructors also have suggested having current students create their own course descriptions to use as a basis for writing the official version that is promoted to students.
3. Engage School Counselors
It is critical to educate school counselors about the specifics of the course so that they can effectively promote it to students. At Staples, current students enrolled in the course met with the guidance counselors to share their experiences and the materials and ideas they engaged in. After the meeting, one Staples counselor explained that “having the super-impressive group of students come to talk with us…and being so struck by the impact on them that the course was having.... was amazing to witness and definitely something we've used to promote in talking with other interested students."
4. Use Existing Classes, Venues, and Opportunities to Publicize the Course
When it comes to publicizing the course, it is advised to use existing structures, such as pre-existing classes, familiar venues, and established opportunities. For example:
Present to students in other history and social studies courses to explain and promote the distinct features of the course.
Encouraging stories in the school newspaper about the course, that can feature interviews with current students and teachers, such as this story, from the Morgan School (Clinton) and this one from Staples High School.
Display student projects from the course throughout building/campus to communicate major themes and highlights from the course
Create posters or a course website to highlight important features of the course and include examples of compelling course activities
5. Consider an Honors Designation
Some schools have designated one section of the course as an “honors section” in order to communicate the rigor of the course, especially for students who build their schedules around courses with “advanced” designations (e.g. Advanced Placement, Honors).
6. Develop a Short Video to Promote the Course
Rachel Torres, who teaches the course at Newtown High School, developed this uplifting video that emphasizes the themes, concepts and highlights of the course for prospective students.
7. Emphasize the Role of Student Activism in Creating the Course
One unique feature of the course that can be explained to prospective students is that was mandated by the state Legislature following powerful testimony and lobbying by high school students affiliated with groups including Students for Educational Justice, Hearing Youth Voices, CT Students for the Dream, and Citywide Youth Coalition. Consider including stories about these efforts and communicating its connection to ongoing student organizing.
8. Encourage Current Students to Promote the Course to Classmates
As with nearly all courses and electives, word-of-mouth among students is key. Reminding them to reach out to their classmates and to explain the insights of the course is key.