“To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Great Gatsby,” and “Of Mice and Men.” These titles ring a bell for many people in the U.S. and even across the globe. In addition to being regarded as some of the finest literary works of the last century, they have something else in common: all three, among dozens of others, describe the American Dream, or the realities of the Great Depression, and even the prominence of African American racial attitudes throughout the 20th century all sharing a space in the bookshelves and reading lists in modern-day high school classes.
According to the California Department of Education English standards, the skills required for high school students are “reading, writing, speaking and listening, conventions, knowledge of the language, and vocabulary,” with district liberty over recommended reading selections for each high school grade level.
When looking into the Carlmont English Department’s curriculum, it details over a dozen optional literary choices for each grade level, leaving the rest up to the teacher’s discretion. By looking closely at this list, researching titles I had never heard of, and recognizing others I had previously read in my freshman, sophomore, or junior year English classes, I noticed a few alarming patterns.
Most culturally diverse literary options are in the ninth-grade curriculum. These options feature cultural perspectives from distinct Latin communities and an Iranian and Afghan point of view. These still compose a minority of 42% of these options. However, this percentage is relatively high compared to other alternatives in the following years.
Looking into the tenth-grade curriculum, only 28% of the books listed maintained perspectives that did not revolve around white or African American viewpoints, and of these four novels listed, not one is taught at the advanced English level. In comparing the English-intensive literary choices, 60% and 66% of ninth and tenth-grade curricula focus on non-white and non-African American viewpoints.
The junior and senior year analytics are even more shocking. A singular novel from the extensive junior year reading list featuring 23 literary options offers a distinct non-white or non-African American perspective, a mere 4% of the options. Of the 32 literary senior-year options, 15.6% represent non-white and non-African American perspectives.
This points out some concerning analytics. The lists within this department are already limited, with the highest percentage of culturally diverse literary options in ninth grade. Given that teachers can only choose a few books to investigate each year, this limits the probability of exploring distinct perspectives in the subsequent year, given that this number drops dramatically by tenth grade.
We can’t deny the hours of unreported work that goes into crafting an English curriculum, which is why many prefer to reuse it rather than start from scratch. However, sacrificing cultural representation and investigation within such a diverse youth population for convenience is unacceptable. Adapting curriculum to the constantly evolving modern day is critical to address issues that may be prevalent in students’ lives.
The value of literary works such as Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “Macbeth,” or even Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” cannot be denied. These novels dive into critical morals, flaws, and violence surrounding human nature that have transcended centuries because their value applies to modern-day realities.
But we can’t ignore the fact that choosing to deny teenagers the opportunity to explore history beyond a polarized perspective of black and white limits the depth of cultural diversity.
Based on the 2023 Carlmont data, 29.3% of students identified as Asian, 13.8% identified as Latino, and 7% identified as coming from “two or more backgrounds.”
Together, these students make up a majority of the student body, yet these perspectives are not taught in English classes. Students will benefit from exploring cultures and perspectives that resonate with them and sharing these perspectives with their fellow peers. The themes of ethics and human nature analyzed within the traditional English selection are prevalent beyond the current limited choices.
The difference is that allowing students to recognize and identify with what they’re reading will engage students, encouraging crucial conversation and teaching that the history of the U.S. does not solely rely on two perspectives. Instead, it is a culmination of cultures and stories that have been overshadowed for centuries, and this narrative must end.
Therefore it is critical for high school teachers to expand their curriculum and recognize the importance of going beyond what is comfortable by exploring culturally diverse literature.
*This editorial reflects the views of the Editorial Board and was written by Daniela Cuadros. The Editorial Board voted 7 in agreement, 3 somewhat in agreement, and 3 refrained from voting.
