A fresh look at years of San Francisco high school records suggests a single year-long ethnic studies class can give students a real academic lift, one that sticks with them through graduation and in some cases nudges them over the line for University of California eligibility. The findings land just as the district and school board prepare to finalize a revamped ethnic studies curriculum later this month.
The research, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, looked at San Francisco Unified student outcomes from 2008 through 2023. Students who took a full-year ethnic studies course saw an average 0.19-point bump in GPA, roughly the difference between a B and a B+. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, those gains held up across later high school years and helped some students clear the UC A-G eligibility bar.
University of California, Irvine assistant professor Emily Penner, who worked on the study, told the paper the impact may come from the course’s focus on identity, empowerment and relationships. "There’s something about the experience that’s building them up, their identities, the positive reinforcement, their relationships," she said, in comments reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
New Numbers, Same Direction
The latest analysis adds to a growing body of research suggesting that when ethnic studies is well designed and well taught, academics tend to follow. A 2021 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that being assigned to a ninth-grade ethnic studies course increased high school graduation, boosted attendance and raised the likelihood of enrolling in college. An earlier study in the American Educational Research Journal reported large short-term GPA and attendance gains among at-risk ninth graders in San Francisco who took the course.
Local Fight Over Requirements And Curriculum
On the ground in San Francisco, ethnic studies is not just an elective idea, it is a graduation box students must check. The district requires two semesters, or 10 elective credits, of ethnic studies for the class of 2028, a local rule adopted in 2021, according to SFUSD. A statewide law requiring one semester of ethnic studies was also signed in 2021, but its implementation hinges on state funding and guidance from the California Department of Education.
This year, the district started piloting an off-the-shelf curriculum, The Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey, while it conducts an audit and community review, as outlined by SFUSD. Local outlets have chronicled protests by parents and advocacy groups over how quickly the new program is being adopted and how transparent the process has been. The Frisc has detailed delays in the district’s evaluation of the pilot and the resulting community backlash.
All Eyes On The April Vote
The school board is slated to take a final vote on the curriculum on April 28, a decision that will determine whether the Voices pilot becomes the standard ethnic studies course for the next school year. If the board signs off, district officials say they will keep auditing the program, training teachers and monitoring how it plays out in classrooms. Opponents are pushing for a longer, more teacher-driven adoption process before anything is locked in.
For now, the new analysis gives both sides of the debate more data to wield in an argument that has been as political as it is pedagogical. Parents, teachers and board members will be watching that late-April vote closely, knowing it could shape thousands of students’ schedules for years to come.
