NEA President Becky Pringle Responds to College Board’s Revised Advanced Placement African American Studies Framework

Washington—The College Board today released its long-anticipated framework for Advanced Placement African American Studies curriculum. NEA President Becky Pringle issued the following statement in response:

“Most of us believe that all children—no matter where they live or how much money their parents make—deserve an honest and accurate public education. They want an education that teaches critical thinking and how to learn from mistakes to make a better future.

“At a time when some are trying to whitewash American history and culture, this new curriculum provides an opportunity to celebrate and elevate the study of African American history and culture to a new and historic level. Long overdue, this latest curriculum is a big step in the right direction, ensuring students— especially students of color—have access to advanced courses that reflect the diversity that is America.

“By supporting culturally responsive education that centers our diverse history, cultures, families, and communities, we allow students to see themselves reflected in the classroom, to have strong relationships with their educators, and to understand the world in which they live. We know that students who have inclusive curricula are more academically engaged, perform better academically, and graduate at higher rates. This course is a must-have for every school looking to prepare students for the critical thinking, analysis and love of learning that comes in college-level classes. Yet, we have so much more work to do.

“African American history IS American history, a history that includes incredible works by artists, activists, and authors whom we will not allow politicians to cut from the fabric of our lives. This is a story of people who are making history as we speak, changing the world with their scholarship, activism, and creativity. As we begin the annual observance of Black History Month, we hope the College Board’s course provides a catalyst for all school districts to examine their American history curricula to ensure it is inclusive, honest, and reflective of the contributions of all Americans, whether they are White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, LGBTQ+, or differently abled.

“Educators, parents and students remain alarmed that some politicians are trying to censor what educators should teach, what students should learn and what books they should read. Our high school students are young adults preparing to enter college and careers and it is imperative that we give them every opportunity to excel. Politicians should trust parents, students and educators to handle the demands of this curriculum and they should not deny students the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.

“Instead of injecting culture war issues into the classrooms, we encourage these politicians to work with educators and parents to strengthen our public schools, get students the one-on-one support they need, keep students safe by keeping guns out of schools, address educator retention and recruitment, and ensure students are learning the skills needed to succeed. Let’s give students the freedom to learn and educators the freedom to teach.”

Follow NEA on Twitter at @NEAmedia and @BeckyPringle

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, health care workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.