WCS to tweak language on slavery in new social studies curriculum
Williamson County Schools will make adjustments in the way it teaches slavery and African-American history in its new social studies curriculum.
WCS to tweak language on slavery in new social studies curriculum Williamson County Schools will make adjustments in the way it teaches slavery and African-American history in its new social studies curriculum. Check out this story on Tennessean.com: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/williamson/schools/2019/04/04/williamson-county-schools-slavery-social-studies-curriculum-change-focus-inclusion-controversy/3299889002/
Amelia Ferrell Knisely, Nashville Tennessean Published 6:00 a.m. CT April 4, 2019 | Updated 1:55 p.m. CT April 4, 2019
Williamson County Schools will make adjustments in how it teaches slavery and African-American history in a new online social studies curriculum set to roll out district-wide in August.
The district's changes, incorporated alongside required state changes to social studies education, arrive as it has come under fire for homework assignments regarding slavery.
WCS Superintendent Mike Looney confirmed a homework assignment handed out in an eighth grade class the week of March 24 asked students to list the pros and cons of slavery.
He did not say whether or not the teacher who handed out the assignment received disciplinary action.
"It breaks my heart," Looney said.
Williamson County Schools will make adjustments in the way it teaches slavery and African-American history in a new online social studies curriculum set out to roll out district-wide in August. (Photo: File / The Tennessean)
The country's history of slavery is included in Tennessee's required eighth grade social studies curriculum that addresses early American history along with some Tennessee history.
Last month, two WCS social studies teachers resigned over a different homework assignment that asked middle school students to pretend their families owned slaves.
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What's in the new curriculum
The new K-12 social studies curriculum is known as Open Education Resource, or OER, and moves the subject to an exclusively online platform.
A team of WCS social studies teachers spent the last year developing the new curriculum, which is mostly centered around adapting the district's social studies standards to mirror updated state standards.
According to Tennessee Education Department Communications Director AE Graham, there have been no recent changes to the thematic nature to state social studies standards from 2018 to 2019.
"The changes are related to the standards themselves — length, curriculum, and streamlining content," Graham said.
Williamson County Schools has apologized for this homework assignment at Sunset Middle School. (Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Fountain)
WCS Secondary Social Studies Curriculum Specialist David Rector said that, as a teacher, he felt the edited standards "didn't dig as deep" on sensitive topics.
Looney tasked the district's cultural competency council, a diverse group of parents and educators, with providing input on the curriculum, as several parents in the council reported issues with racially-insensitive comments made on Civil War-related field trips.
The council did not at any time view the actual curriculum. Rather, Looney explained, the group was asked to give input on teaching sensitive topics including race and slavery under state standards.
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Parents offer input on sensitive topics
Tizgel High, a Brentwood resident with children in the district, said she took issue with how the teaching often only included one example of a successful African American and failed to address slavery after the Civil War.
"Some of the statements were stated as factual when they were more of (an) opinion," High said. "We were teaching the children as if there were only one woman or one non-white person involved in history."
Another issue raised was how the district taught about President Barack Obama within its presidential history, according Revida Rahman, who has a child in the district.
"It was pointing out negatives and did not follow the same format as the other presidents," she said.
Williamson County Director of Schools Mike Looney is addressing issues of inclusion in the district. (Photo: Melanie Balakit / The Tennessean)
The parents also offered suggestions on the type of language that would be used when teaching slavery. Rector said next year the district will ask teachers to make terminology changes that that include saying "enslavement" or "people who escaped slavery," instead of saying "slaves."
Rector did not give specific details on field trip changes, but explained the district will incorporate more historical markers and that field trips will only be used when applicable to content being taught at that time.
High, who is an African American, said she was grateful for the opportunity to have input on the curriculum.
"I think they're trying to move the needle without causing a fever pitch," she said.
The move to an online-based curriculum is set to save the district $4 million on textbooks, according to school officials. The district will still purchase textbooks for advanced placement and international baccalaureate courses.
Teachers will have access to a myriad of online teaching sources that have been vetted and meet state standards, Rector said.
"There's benefit in it saving teachers time," he said. "That's what I'm really excited about."
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Teachers will receive 'extensive training,' district says
Looney has made inclusion a priority, and said the district will provide "extensive training" to educators on teaching sensitive topics, specifically African-American history.
"We will include directions on how we might teach topics that have the potential to create conflict and confusion," he said.
The district will not bring in any outside resources to help with that training, Looney said.
For now, until the new curriculum rolls out next school year, Looney is urging principals to vet social studies lesson plans to minimize problematic homework assignments.
"How individual teachers approach the standards is a teacher decision," he said.
RELATED: Williamson GOP claims schools are 'indoctrinating' students with video series on inclusion
Reach Amelia Ferrell Knisely at aferrell@tennessean.com, 615-210-8286 or follow @ameliaknisely on Twitter.
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