CT Teachers Meet to Discuss Black and Latinx History Course Materials from SERC

This spring, the Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning Collective (ARTLC) organized three cohorts of Communities of Practice (CoP) for teachers who will be piloting the new Black and Latinx History Course this fall. These CoPs served as spaces for teachers to brainstorm ideas, share resources, and build community. One of the products of these sessions was the creation of this teacher-generated resource guide for teaching Black and Latinx studies, which we encourage all educators to check out!

The State Education Resource Center (SERC) recently released teaching materials for the Black and Latinx History course which encompassed learning objectives, essential questions, and 11 units broken into two semesters. The first semester focused on “Black and African-American History” and the second focused on “Puerto Rican and Latino History.” For a summary of each unit, the document provides a “Units at-a-Glance” chapter towards the end of the document, which some educators have found to be a useful place to start.

On July 7th, as a continuation of the ARTLC’s CoPs, we hosted a virtual community discussion to review these materials and brainstorm how teachers might utilize the document in their own classrooms. Attended by 16 teachers and teacher-educators from around Connecticut, educators shared both their excitement as well as their questions about the materials and teaching the course. The divide in the curriculum between Black and Latinx histories into two separate semesters rather than one integrated history was a concern for many. Others shared concerns over the sheer length of the 11 unit curriculum and the feasibility of completing the material.

Some teachers had already begun taking action to make the course and materials work for their students’ particular needs. Nataliya Braginsky shared her edited version of the curriculum that she plans to teach in the New Haven Public Schools. Kristen Levinthan is working to compile state and local level resources for the course. (Kirsten requests that if you have any resources to share or ideas to please reach out to her!)

Overall, the session provided a space for teachers to share ideas, concerns, and resources to teach the course. One recurring theme was the importance of developing a strong community of teachers teaching this course. Together, teachers can develop a just and impactful course for their communities.