Vote could change how NC children learn about U.S. history, race

We could find out soon whether or not standards will change for how social studies are taught in North Carolina schools.

On Thursday, the State Board of Education will hold a meeting to review and vote on the documents that guide the implementation of the new social studies standards for grades K-5.

The main difference in the proposed new standards is the emphasis on including more diverse perspectives when teaching U.S. history. State board-adopted new social studies guidelines means the state needs to come up with tools to help the educators for their curriculum.

Critics of the changes believe the standards give too much of a negative impression of the country, but supporters feel it's important to hear different discussions regarding racism and discrimination.

NC State Board of Education approves new guidance for how students will learn about history, race

The board meets at 10 a.m.

The state updates curriculum every few years. The legislature sets a deadline of when the standards have to be implemented.

Earlier this month, state Superintendent Catherine Truitt said she had recommended the removal of some groups from example lists of marginalized communities during the documents’ drafting process.

The documents listed sample marginalized groups that a lesson could explore, and Truitt said the examples for lessons largely referred to Black people. Other groups were listed in only one example for a social studies objective and some weren’t mentioned where Truitt thought they should be.

The examples Truitt referenced weren’t provided to board members, but Truitt briefly described them Wednesday as being too specific and too heavy on Black history.

The board approved the social studies standards in February, and they are effective next school year. The standards have not been delayed. Only the vote on these particular documents was delayed, so that the glossary document could be updated to include more citations.

A separate bill that hasn't yet passed through the NC Senate is seeking to delay the standards’ implementation until the 2022-23 school year.

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Curriculum is ultimately left to school districts and schools, and lesson plans are ultimately left to teachers. But these documents are important for educators because the documents help them form curriculum and lesson plans by way of suggesting activities, explaining how objectives can be met and outlining which objectives should be mastered first.

“These documents being approved, or disapproved, on Thursday are guidance documents, and they are not requirements necessarily for how schools need to implement this curriculum,” said WRAL Education Insider Emily Walkenhorst.

The State Board of Education will meet regarding the K-12 social studies glossary, crosswalk and strand maps and K- 5 unpacking documents, the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) State Plan and other items.

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