Minnesota's Bold Move: Teaching Resistance in Schools

Minnesota is making waves with its new social studies standards, set to roll out in fall 2026. These standards include a new "liberated" ethnic studies strand, which will be taught in classrooms across the state.

Grade-Specific Curriculum

Sixth-graders will dive into "Protest Art and the Movement for Black Lives", learning about the Black Lives Matter movement's principles and creating their own protest art. They'll also explore the idea that being "Unapologetically Black" involves dismantling systems like capitalism and white supremacy.
Seventh-graders will study the 1977 San Francisco sit-in by disability rights activists and discuss how to advocate against ableism.
High school students will learn about the impact of slave trade money on Minnesota's development and explore ways to resist oppressive systems.

Implementation and Controversy

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) adopted these standards in 2024, aiming to promote racial and cultural understanding. However, critics argue that the standards divide children by race and push an extremist political agenda.

The MDE has not released a 62-page implementation framework, despite earlier promises. Instead, the University of Minnesota's Center for Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender & Sexuality Studies (RIDGS) is leading the charge, developing lesson plans for elementary students.

RIDGS' Role and Mission

RIDGS' mission is political, aiming to challenge systems of power and inequality.
The MDE has collaborated with RIDGS since 2020.
RIDGS has received a taxpayer-funded grant to build an ethnic studies initiative for K-12 public schools.
Many school districts may adopt RIDGS' lesson plans due to their prestige and free cost.

National Context

While Minnesota pushes forward, other states are reconsidering ethnic studies.

California, the birthplace of liberated ethnic studies, has seen backlash. Gov. Gavin Newsom backed off his support, and over 400 UC professors opposed a proposed ethnic studies course for admission. The California Justice Department also warned about politicized education.
In San Francisco, district leaders reminded teachers to avoid expressing political opinions during school hours. Superintendent Maria Su suspended the district's homegrown ethnic studies curriculum, emphasizing that teaching should focus on how to think, not what to think.

Conclusion

Meanwhile, Minnesota is forging ahead, implementing the nation's most extreme K-12 ethnic studies regime. While other states grapple with the divisiveness of these programs, Minnesota is embracing them wholeheartedly.