Fullerton College Empowers High School Educators to Meet Ethnic Studies Requirements
The Department of Ethnic Studies at Fullerton College is now helping local high schools meet the new state requirement for California high school students to complete an ethnic studies course to graduate. In 2021, Professor Dr. Amber González and Associate Professor and Department Chair, Dr. Ziza Delgado Noguera, responded to the passage of AB 101 by developing the Ethnic Studies for Educators (ESE) certificate program so it could launch in time for schools to train their staff before the fall 2025 deadline.
The ESE program is geared toward educators who teach at the high school level, consisting of three core classes aimed to foster a deeper understanding of ethnic studies while offering an emphasis in Chicano, African or Native American studies. Courses are offered online or in person.
The department felt it was crucial to create a program to prepare high school teachers to teach ethnic studies because there is no official credential for it. The program would provide high school teachers with the foundational knowledge and qualifications to teach an ethnic studies course. In fall 2023, Dr. Anita Juarez was hired to lead the ESE program and teach the core courses. Under her leadership, the program and building partnerships with local and statewide districts.
“Ethnic Studies represents sacred knowledge to all of us trained and mentored by the founders of our discipline, and we wanted to offer future educators the chance to learn from area experts while also experiencing our unique pedagogical approach.” said Dr. Delgado Noguera. “How we teach ethnic studies is just as important as what we teach, and educators need to engage with this firsthand to bring it into their own classrooms effectively.”
In Fall 2025, both AB 101 and the new California community college ethnic studies graduation requirement will go into full effect.
Fullerton College students are now working to meet the requirement, having filled up ethnic studies for fall 2024 classes. In these courses, students can expect to learn about the history of ethnic studies, intersectionality, unity, contributions and the challenges and brilliance that communities of color have brought to the country.
“We believe a young person’s first exposure to ethnic studies should be a transformative and positive experience, and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure that.” said Dr. Delgado Noguera. “This certificate program is our ofrenda to our community and the students our future ESE educators will teach.”
