Ethnic-studies classes will soon become a staple in both the Los Angeles and San Francisco districts.
The Los Angeles district will require high schools to offer at least one semester of ethnic studies by the 2017-18 school year, and the class will be a graduation requirement by 2018-19. In the San Francisco district, all high schools will offer ethnic-studies courses next fall, with the goal of making the subject a graduation requirement within five years.
School board members in both districts say they hope the classes will help narrow achievement gaps tied to race and ethnicity.