Brookline focuses on 'comprehensive' view of history
Brookline educator Joshua Frank knows what it’s like to face backlash for teaching certain topics to K-12 students. Eleven years ago, Frank was at the center of a controversy in Wellesley.
In 2010, then-Wellesley Middle School Principal Frank took students in his world religions class to an Islamic center and mosque in Roxbury. The field trip was one of many, including past trips to a church and a synagogue.
Following the field trip, Frank endured several days of accusations he was attempting to turn children into radical Muslims.
“The controversy taught me that there are plenty of people who will try to use kids for their own political ends. Eleven years later, it helps me understand critical race theory. I want to help people understand what's happening,” said Frank.
Frank, who also taught at Brookline High School, now teaches a class on critical race theory at the Brookline Adult and Community Education Center (BA&CE).
Controversial topic
The conversation about how to teach racism and the history of our nation’s origin has become divisive, as schoolboards, politicians, administrators, teachers, parents, and scholars take to social media and the streets to voice their opinions on the proper way to educate K-12 students.
The focus of the dispute is critical race theory — an academic phrase which states that, “race is a social construct, and racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies,” according to an article in Education Week.
As of August, eight states had passed legislation banning the inclusion of what lawmakers perceived to be critical race theory in K-12 curriculum.
Most recently, Republican Glenn Youngkin won the governor’s seat in Virginia in part on pledges to ban pledging to ban critical race theory.
Brookline
In Brookline, the schools are not teaching critical race theory.
Senior Director of Educational Equity Jenee Uttaro pointed to a blurb on the district's website: “CRT is an analytical framework and process. It is not a curriculum for Pre K-12 and we do not teach critical race theory in Brookline.”
According to Frank critical race theory is too complex to be taught to elementary students and only applies to students at collegiate or graduate levels.
“Critical race theory is a real discipline,” Frank said. “However, it's been transformed into a metaphorical boogeyman invented by conservatives for the sake of removing unwanted material, usually material about people of color, from elementary K-12 curriculums.”
Malcolm Cawthorne, an educator at Brookline High School and the Brookline High School METCO coordinator, said in a phone interview he is not teaching critical race theory, and those who claim to are often mistaken.
“I think it's really important to define what critical race theory is and is not. I’ve heard teachers say that they’re teaching CRT, but I completely disagree,” said Cawthorne. “I would never say that... Even though I'm trying to get kids to think critically about history, about race, I still wouldn’t say that’s CRT.”
Teaching history
Kaylene Stevens, program director of social studies education at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, went one step further, saying she wishes she understood why parents and politicians are so afraid of critical race theory.
“While I don’t think the theory behind critical race theory is being taught widely in schools, I still don’t fully understand the fear,” said Stevens, who co-wrote “Teaching History for Justice,” a book outlining a justice- and equity-oriented teaching plan for social studies. “I don't know if they fully understand what they're fighting against, because if they want their students or kids to be active, kind, thoughtful members of society who work for change, then critical race theory is one of many theories that could maybe help teach about inequity in our society.”
Frank and Cawthorne agree children should be taught a more comprehensive view of American history, including the perspectives of people of color, but they don’t believe this approach needs to involve critical race theory, as Stevens suggests.
What the schools are teaching, said Miriam Aschkenasy, town Select Board member and parent of two children in the school system, is history.
“For me, [the term critical race theory] is a red flag because what we teach our children is history, and race and racism is a part of our history,” said Aschkenasy. “It’s a failure of our educational system if we don’t teach them these things, and we shouldn’t be labeling them in such a way as to make them a political piece.”
Aschkenasy said that thanks to the curriculum, her children are getting a much more accurate picture of history than she did when she was in school.
“When I was in school, we were taught that the Civil War was about states’ rights,” said Aschkenasy. “My children have learned a much more accurate account of why we had the Civil War, and a much more accurate account of who Abraham Lincoln was as a person.”
Camellia Natalini, parent of a fourth grade student at Heath Elementary, said she’s “grateful” the school teaches nuanced history of race and racism.
“I remember when we first moved here, getting paperwork sent home for parents with some guides as to how to talk about racism with your children, and just being so impressed that that was something that was coming home,” said Natalini.
Aschkenasy said she would be surprised if there wasn’t pushback from parents, but that people who don’t want their students to learn about racism are behind the times.
"Learning, teaching and curriculum evolves, and this is no different, frankly,” said Aschkenasy. “Parents can push back, but I’m sure there were some parents who were sad to see corporal punishment leave the elementary schools. I was not one of them.”
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