For the first time in a very long time, Republicans won a statewide race in California. Their candidate, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, narrowly lost the race for governor. That was a huge surprise. On this week’s podcast, Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss the shocking outcome and what it means for the future of California. Also, Ana and Cenk have a special Halloween edition of “The Young Turks” on Tuesday. Cenk and Ana also will host a live podcast on Saturday, so tune in for that. And while you’re at it, subscribe to The Young Turks on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theyturks Hosts: Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian Cast: Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian *** The Largest Online News Show in the World. Hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian. LIVE STREAMING weekdays 6-8pm ET. https://goo.gl/tJpj1m Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Subscribe to Young Turk (YoungTurk.com) Why Not Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill on Wednesday requiring all public and private schools in California to adopt an ethnic studies curriculum that prepares students to be “critically aware of, knowledgeable about, sensitive to, and grounded in the histories, cultures, languages, and contemporary experiences of California’s diverse communities.” Brown signed the bill by Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) with the support of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood). The resolution, A.B. 151, mandates that schools provide education “that recognizes and emphasizes the histories, accomplishments and ongoing contributions of the people of California” and which “includes and documents the indigenous historical, literary and artistic contributions of California’s ethnic and cultural groups.” The bill has generated controversy in the state. Some school board officials worried that ethnic studies would be too divisive, while some educators said they were concerned that such instruction was not supported by facts or scholarship. The bill requires that ethnic studies classes be taught with the same rigor as other subject matter. The bill gives local school districts the option of offering ethnicity-based classes only to students of that ethnic group. The bill prohibits such classes from “advocating ethnic solidarity, promoting racial stereotypes or hatred, and encouraging pupil self-segregation in any public school.” The bill follows on the success of ethnic studies courses in elementary and middle schools. San Diego Unified has been offering ethnic studies classes since 2008 and LA Unified now offers them to fourth and eighth graders. A number of school districts use classes created by UCLA education professor Robert Ross to teach elementary students about ethnicity in a California setting. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson praised the bill as well as the work of ethnic studies teachers. He said his department’s “first priority has always been to make sure students receive quality instruction.” In recent years, many parents have complained about the amount of time devoted to ethnic studies classes in the Golden State. One man even told the Los Angeles Times in 2015 that his child’s school kept an “ethnic-studies wall” in her classroom. The Wall Street Journal noted in an article last year that the growing ethnic studies movement in California has the potential to change the way America’s schools approach racial issues. The bill comes as California tries to respond to President Donald Trump’s efforts to divide the country by race. While ethnic studies instruction is not required by the bill, it is being implemented at several high schools in California including the San Francisco Unified School District, which launched an ethnic studies course at Lincoln High School in 2014. The program won praise from California Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), who took a picture of himself at the school while touting the course. He has praised a bill that would make ethnic studies a core course of study in public high schools. “As a graduate of Lincoln High School, I am proud that our students are learning about the significant role that Chinese Americans have played in building our great nation,” Yee said. “Learning about different cultures and people, and how we all can work together, can only strengthen our understanding of what it means to be an American.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. Like this: Like Loading... Related Share this post: 510 Shares