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Navigating political polarization: a group case study of community engagement in the adoption of intersectional ethnic studies in a southern California K-12 school district

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Navigating political polarization: a group case study of community engagement in the adoption of intersectional ethnic studies in a southern California K-12 school district

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Content Navigating Political Polarization: A Group Case Study of Community Engagement in the
Adoption of Intersectional Ethnic Studies in a Southern California K–12 School District
Michelle Villa
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
A dissertation submitted to the faculty
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education
May 2024

© Copyright by Michelle Villa 2024
All Rights Reserved

The Committee for Michelle Villa certifies the approval of this Dissertation
Christina Kishimoto
Paul Gothold
Greg Franklin, Committee Chair
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
2024

iv
Abstract
This qualitative case study applied Easton’s political framework combined with Kotter’s change
theory to understand a Southern California school district’s early adoption of an intersectional
ethnic studies curriculum during a politically divisive time in education. The study explored the
experiences of six different stakeholder groups within this school district and local community.
The purpose of this study was to examine this school district’s process, which led to their
adoption of a new curriculum ahead of Assembly Bill 101’s 2029–2030 deadline. Also, this
study sought to understand what elements of a system change proved to have positive effects on
the political system of the district. Through semi-structured interviews from six participants in
the community organizer stakeholder group, motivations, concerns, and trust were explored and
transcripts of interviews were created. Transcripts were coded thematically considering the
Easton/Kotter conceptual framework. Findings from this study indicated that authentic
engagement and communication, training of mid-level administrators, and opening engagement
opportunities to all voices is needed to strengthen a change process. This study may provide
insight to school district leaders on the importance of clear and meaningful communication
among all stakeholder groups and the need for high levels of trust to exist between these groups
and the school district in order to make meaningful and lasting change.
Keywords: intersectional ethnic studies, educational policy adoption, community
engagement in education, curriculum adoption, political polarization in education, Easton’s
political systems framework, Kotter’s change theory

v
Dedication
To those who dedicate their lives to improving the lived experiences of our children. To the
educators and educational leaders who experience threats to their careers and well-being for their
work toward equity and inclusion. To the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles who continue
to run with the torch, working to make their communities and local schools places where their
children and grandchildren see they belong and flourish.
To those who, despite strong disagreements and differences in political environments, make safe
spaces to engage with one another even when it is difficult. It is through these interactions and
deep conversations that, perhaps, we can move away from the highly emotionally charged
responses that lead to violence and perpetuate divisions. For those who choose to be vulnerable
and seek understanding in these moments, I dedicate this work to you.

vi
Acknowledgments
I would like to start by thanking my husband for his incredible support during the entirety
of the doctoral program. We planned a wedding, got married, and had two anniversaries during
the course of the program, and he only supported my decisions and made our home a peaceful
place to study and write. He also always listened as I processed new information and worked
through challenges. Your love and support made this possible.
My deep gratitude to my committee chair, Dr. Gregory Franklin, for his encouragement,
insights, and faith in the collective work of this dissertation group and in me as an individual. It
is also because of Dr. Franklin that I had the confidence to enter into the doctoral program and
believe that this could be a possibility. I am appreciative that I was able to begin and end this
experience with such a positive and guiding force.
To Dr. Christina Kishimoto and Dr. Paul Gothold, my committee members, your
feedback led to great developments in my thinking, and I am very grateful for your willingness
to take on this work and to share your wisdom and insights.
To my parents, who have supported me my whole life. For instilling in me an
appreciation for higher education and for showing me a strong work ethic while maintaining a
constant focus on family. Thank you for your love and support through every educational degree,
new job, and life moment.
A special thanks to my partners in this case study, Elizabeth Enloe, Sarah Gonzales,
Jennifer Huynh, Jeralyn Johnson, and Lani Hsieh. Their partnership in each stage along the
process was a comfort and joyful experience. I am forever thankful for their dedication to our
combined work and am proud to have worked with each of them.

vii
Table of Contents
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................... iv
Dedication....................................................................................................................................... v
Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xii
List of Figures.............................................................................................................................. xiii
Chapter One: Background of the Problem...................................................................................... 1
Statement of the Problem.................................................................................................... 2
Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................... 4
Research Questions............................................................................................................. 5
Significance of the Study.................................................................................................... 7
Limitations and Delimitations............................................................................................. 8
Definition of Terms............................................................................................................. 9
Organization of the Study ................................................................................................. 13
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature ........................................................................................ 15
History and Influence for Policy/Law............................................................................... 16
Opposition to Ethnic Studies ............................................................................................ 22
Development of Educational Policy ................................................................................. 24
Culture Wars: Red Versus Blue........................................................................................ 25
Case Study: Other Districts Implementing Early.............................................................. 27
Community Engagement .................................................................................................. 29
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy .......................................................................................... 30
Theoretical Framework..................................................................................................... 32
Summary........................................................................................................................... 36
Chapter Three: Methodology........................................................................................................ 38

viii
Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................... 40
Selection of the Population ............................................................................................... 42
Design Summary............................................................................................................... 44
Instrumentation and Protocols .......................................................................................... 46
Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 46
Data Analysis.................................................................................................................... 47
Validity and Reliability..................................................................................................... 47
Summary........................................................................................................................... 48
Chapter Four: Findings................................................................................................................. 49
Participants........................................................................................................................ 49
Research Questions........................................................................................................... 50
Results for Research Question 1....................................................................................... 50
Discussion for Research Question 1 ................................................................................. 53
Results for Research Question 2....................................................................................... 54
Discussion for Research Question 2 ................................................................................. 58
Results for Research Question 3....................................................................................... 59
Discussion for Research Question 3 ................................................................................. 63
Summary........................................................................................................................... 64
Chapter Five: Discussion .............................................................................................................. 66
Summary of Findings........................................................................................................ 67
Limitations........................................................................................................................ 73
Implications for Practice ................................................................................................... 74
Future Research ................................................................................................................ 76
Conclusions....................................................................................................................... 77
Chapter Six: Synthesis of Recommendations............................................................................... 78

ix
School Board and Senior District Leaders........................................................................ 82
Community Organizers..................................................................................................... 83
Consultants........................................................................................................................ 85
Teachers............................................................................................................................ 87
Site Administrators and Junior District Administrators.................................................... 88
Parents............................................................................................................................... 90
Summary........................................................................................................................... 91
References..................................................................................................................................... 92
Appendix A: Interview Protocol for Senior District Leaders and Board Members ................... 103
Research Questions......................................................................................................... 103
Introduction..................................................................................................................... 103
Questions......................................................................................................................... 104
Closing ............................................................................................................................ 106
Appendix B: Interview Protocol for Community Organizers and Religious Group
Members ..................................................................................................................................... 108
Research Questions......................................................................................................... 108
Introduction..................................................................................................................... 108
Main Interview Questions............................................................................................... 109
Demographic Questions.................................................................................................. 111
Closing Question............................................................................................................. 111
Closing Comments.......................................................................................................... 111
Appendix C: Interview Protocol for Consultants........................................................................ 112
Research Questions......................................................................................................... 112
Introduction..................................................................................................................... 112
Questions With Transitions............................................................................................. 113
Closing ............................................................................................................................ 114

x
Appendix D: Interview Protocol for Teachers............................................................................ 115
Research Questions......................................................................................................... 115
Introduction..................................................................................................................... 115
Questions (With Transitions).......................................................................................... 116
Closing ............................................................................................................................ 117
Appendix E: Interview Protocol for District and Site Administrators........................................ 118
Research Questions......................................................................................................... 118
Setting the Stage Questions ............................................................................................ 118
Closing Questions........................................................................................................... 120
Appendix F: Interview Protocol for Parents............................................................................... 121
Research Questions......................................................................................................... 121
Introduction..................................................................................................................... 122
Setting the Stage (Background/Demographic) ............................................................... 123
Heart of the Interview (CF: Inputs: Demands/Supports)................................................ 123
Closing Question............................................................................................................. 124
Closing Comments.......................................................................................................... 124
Appendix G: Screening Protocol for Teachers........................................................................... 125
Background Information................................................................................................. 125
Adoption Process............................................................................................................ 126
Teacher Preparation ........................................................................................................ 127
Appendix H: Screening Protocol for Parents.............................................................................. 128
Research Questions......................................................................................................... 128
Concepts From the Conceptual Framework That Are Addressed in This Survey.......... 128
Target Population............................................................................................................ 129
Introduction..................................................................................................................... 129

xi
Demographic Survey Items............................................................................................. 130
Close-Ended Survey Items.............................................................................................. 131
Open-Ended Survey Item................................................................................................ 132
Closing ............................................................................................................................ 132

xii
List of Tables
Table 1 ........................................................................................................................... iv
Table E1......................................................................................................................... 119

xiii
List of Figures
Figure 1 .......................................................................................................................... 34

1
Chapter One: Background of the Problem1
In Spring 2020, the United States experienced a global pandemic and the murder of
George Floyd by an on-duty police officer, which layered onto the already polarizing effects on
high school campuses because of the charged political rhetoric of the Trump administration
(Rogers et al., 2017). As the public was being asked to isolate themselves at home, wear masks,
and get vaccinated against COVID-19, social movements such as Black Lives Matter formed to
bring attention to police violence and racial inequality (Christián et al., 2022). At the same time,
local social movements such as “Let Them Breathe” and “Let Them Play” formed, due to the
feeling of a loss of individual freedoms because of mask mandates and stay-at-home orders
(Young, 2022).
Amid these challenges, California schools were directed to implement an ethnic studies
course as a graduation requirement by the 2029–2030 school year (Cal. Assemb. B. 101, Chapter
661 [Cal. Stat. 2021]). Ethnic studies is rooted in the 1960s social movements that developed this
course in universities (Kim, 2020). Ethnic studies courses have further been considered at the K–
12 level to diversify a curriculum often criticized for its colonial upbringing and White-centered
approach that is blind to the experiences of minoritized groups (Milner, 2007). Many school
districts have experienced community backlash to their compliance with state mandates,
including the implementation of (or plans to implement) an ethnic studies course (Alliance for
Constructive Ethnic Studies, n.d.; Smith, 2021). This backlash has come in the form of
contentious school board meetings, threats to school board members and district officials, and
local school board members being recalled.
1 Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, and Chapter Six are the collective effort of six researchers, all bringing
insights from their individual studies to create this unified work that represents a synthesis of diverse perspectives.

2
This was the contentious backdrop of a Southern California school district that decided to
adopt an ethnic studies course years ahead of the mandate, despite a polarized community, with
the help of a consulting group to bring the voices of all educational partners together. Studying
their process and the resulting adoption is important not only to the districts that have yet to
implement this course and must do so in the upcoming years, but to all organizations dealing
with competing discourses over changes that might be divisive in a community. The purpose of
this study was to examine the process by which this district led its adoption efforts, to better
understand how educational leaders can approach change and invite the participation of all
stakeholder voices. It was important to study this adoption process in a Southern California
school district to examine the effects and influences on the community and specifically students
of color within that community.
Statement of the Problem
In Fall 2021, California became the first state to add an ethnic studies component to its
basic graduation requirements (Cal. Assemb. B. 101, Chapter 661 [Cal. Stat. 2021]). The broader
aim of the bill was to move the state away from the “deficit notions of the resources of
Communities of Color” that have “fueled intolerance, bigotry, and assimilation throughout the
history of U.S. public education” (del Carmen Salazar, 2013, p. 122) and toward a future where
all students are exposed to a broad curriculum that acknowledges and celebrates the historical
struggles and contributions of Native American, Latino, African American, Asian American, and
Pacific Islander Californians to the state (California Department of Education, 2022). This new
curriculum has special importance in California, as the state serves the largest student population
and is among the most diverse in the nation, with approximately 6.2 million students speaking
more than 90 languages (California Department of Education, 2023b). More than three quarters

3
of California’s K–12 students are non-White: 55% Latinx, 22% White, 12% Asian or Pacific
Islander, and 5% African American.
When the ethnic studies course as a graduation requirement was voted into law, several
districts in Southern California found that the requirement brought celebration for some families,
but fear and anger for others (Kim, 2020; Rothermich, 2021). This bill quickly became
controversial and the subject of many school board meetings as districts began considering its
implementation (Andruss, 2022). This specific moment in time holds great importance owing to
the profound psychological impact on large populations in quarantine and the far-reaching
consequences of widespread unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have
caused the escalation of social movements as a way to escape isolation (Christián et al., 2022).
Ethnic studies gained attention on both sides of political action groups—some believing the
course needed immediate implementation and was past due, and some believing that this
course’s purpose was divisive and should not be implemented at all.
Research has claimed two broad categories of support for ethnic studies: personal
academic empowerment of the student and increased understanding of diverse people (Dee &
Penner, 2017). Dee and Penner’s (2017) causal study in San Francisco schools provided
evidence that ethnic studies courses, taught with fidelity to the stated aims and with culturally
relevant instruction, resulted in improved grade point averages for students of color and increases
in credits earned. Bonilla et al. (2021) completed a study in the San Francisco Unified School
District that also demonstrated positive outcomes, including increased graduation rates, for
students enrolled in ethnic studies courses. De los Ríos et al. (2015) identified increased civic
engagement with local and state issues as a product of enrollment in ethnic studies courses.

4
This group study examined one Southern California district, which engaged in
stakeholder input strategies before the adoption of ethnic studies in advance of the state
requirement. Despite the media coverage of heated political debates between school boards and
community groups resulting in recall efforts, there has been a lack of discussion about the
engagement process in the literature and few to no studies dedicated to the behaviors and
activities of districts as they construct and reconstruct their social reality through educational
policy. As California districts approach the 2029–2030 school year, ethnic studies will become a
mandate, and the community pressure felt by school boards will be faced by more than just a few
early adopters. This group case study focused on a large K–12 school district in Southern
California during the adoption process of an intersectional ethnic studies curriculum.
Specifically, we examined the engagement process with the community in the context of policy
adoption amid rapid political polarization in the post–George Floyd Trump administration era.
Each researcher explored a different educational partnership to gain a deeper understanding of
the experiences of the respective participants.
Purpose of the Study
Through an engagement process among multiple educational partners, the school district
was able to approve an intersectional ethnic studies (IES) adoption. This study focused on
educational partners in the local and broader community who participated in the engagement
process. The group investigated the experiences of approximately 34 educational partners and
their understanding of the stresses, demands/supports, and systems that led to the decision to
pursue early implementation.

5
Research Questions
This study was guided by the following research questions, organized by each
stakeholder group who participated in the engagement process.
Educational Partner: School Board Members and Senior District Leaders
1. What stresses led the district to implement a community engagement process before
making the decision to adopt intersectional ethnic studies?
2. What did the school board and senior district leaders hope to accomplish through the
adoption of a community engagement “campaign”?
3. What impact did the community engagement process have on board members and
senior district leaders regarding the adoption of intersectional ethnic studies?
Educational Partner: Community Organizers
1. What was the motivation of community organizers for participating in the school
district’s dialogue regarding the adoption of an ethnic studies curriculum?
2. What were the community organizers ’concerns about the district’s adoption of
intersectional ethnic studies during the engagement process?
3. How, if at all, did the engagement process about intersectional ethnic studies by a
school district affect community organizers ’confidence in district decision-making?
Educational Partner: Consultants
1. How do consultants in a Southern California school district describe their
participation and role in the steps leading up to the implementation of intersectional
ethnic studies?
2. What challenges did the consultants encounter in the steps leading up to the early
implementation of intersectional ethnic studies?

6
3. What impact do the consultants think their work had on the process toward
implementing intersectional ethnic studies?
Educational Partner: Teachers
1. How do teachers describe the Southern California School District’s process for
engaging teachers in policy decisions?
2. In what ways do teachers in the Southern California School District describe the
community engagement prior to the adoption of ethnic studies?
3. What are the teachers ’attitudes toward the state ethnic studies curriculum,
instructional practices, and learning goals?
Educational Partner: District and Site Administrators
1. From an administrator’s perspective, what led the district to implement the
community engagement process that led to the adoption of a K–12 intersectional
ethnic studies resolution?
2. How were site and district administrators involved in the community engagement
process that led to the adoption of a K–12 intersectional ethnic studies resolution?
3. What are administrators ’perceptions of the consensus-building process that led to
adopting an intersectional ethnic studies resolution?
Educational Partner: Parents
1. How did parents perceive the communication by the district and its representatives
during the ethnic studies adoption process?
2. In what ways, if any, did parents engage in the ethnic studies adoption process?
3. How was parental input received by the district and its representatives?

7
Significance of the Study
Implementing ethnic studies courses as a high school graduation requirement in all
California schools will have a significant impact on the opportunity gap, culturally relevant
pedagogy, and community engagement (Gay, 2017). This study contributes to the literature on
implementing change in an educational setting. The special focus on politically divisive issues is
especially important, as many school districts are implementing changes that are both necessary
and unpopular. In Los Alamitos Unified School District, a nearby district, the school board
experienced several acts of civil disobedience, causing interruptions to meetings due to the mask
mandate (Andruss, 2022). Tustin Unified School District similarly experienced hundreds of
protesters at a school board meeting regarding the COVID-19 mask mandate (ABC7 Los
Angeles, 2021). These Orange County schools have also received critical feedback regarding the
implementation of ethnic studies as the state presented the new assembly bill enacting the
graduation requirement. While some community members expressed that California schools
should have already implemented a requirement of this sort and were glad to hear the legislative
change, others believed that the curriculum would blame White children for the ills of the world
and shame them into believing they knowingly or unknowingly espouse White supremacist
ideology (Smith, 2021). As a result of this divisive climate, there has been a rise in recall efforts
of school board members, some of which have been successful. For example, in Orange Unified
School District, the successful recall of school board members put a new majority school board
in place, which led to the firing of the superintendent and assistant superintendent without cause
in the 2022–2023 school year and is believed to hold implications for the district’s
implementation of ethnic studies (San Román, 2023).

8
The controversy extends beyond the borders of California. Arizona State Superintendent
of Public Education Tom Horne condemned ethnic studies, deeming it anti-American, and
accused it of causing resentment toward White people. He lobbied various bills to ban ethnic
studies, finding success in the long history of race wars in Arizona in 2010 (Cammarota, 2017).
In 2017, a federal judge overturned the ban on ethnic studies courses, saying it was motivated by
racial discrimination and violated pupils ’constitutional rights (Harris, 2017). The battle is far
from over, as Horne was re-elected as superintendent in 2022; his campaign promised to get rid
of critical race theory in schools and put an end to bilingual education (Sievers, 2022).
This study may provide district officials with an understanding of the processes by which
meaningful discussion and change can happen and how this can influence a community’s trust
and support of the school district. Although a district can use many processes to adopt a new
curriculum, the district in this study used direct community engagement, producing a successful
outcome during a time when others experienced political disruption. Additionally, the findings
from this study may improve the ability of researchers to bring systemic change to educational
organizations, particularly when the change being made is difficult or controversial.
Limitations and Delimitations
A limitation of this study is its nature as a case study, which focused on a moment in time
of one particular school district going through a change process. Time was also a limitation; the
researchers needed to interview those who were involved before the nuances of their experiences
were forgotten or they were no longer reachable, as the events took place in the previous
academic school year (2021–2022). Additionally, because this case study focused on one
district’s experience, the results may not be generalizable to all other school districts due to the
small sampling of various educational partners. Due to the sampling of each stakeholder group,

9
the inclusion of other members might have led to a different interpretation. The participants ’
responses are limited by their awareness of the influences on their decision-making, their
comfort with sharing their viewpoints, and their retroactive reflection of their experiences, which
are therefore subject to the potential degradation of memory that is to be expected when 1 year
has passed. Retroactive interference is a phenomenon where new information or experiences
disrupt one’s ability to recall old information or experiences (Baddeley & Dale, 1966). Although
our study was limited to the adoption process that took place in 2021, the experiences of the
initial implementation of ethnic studies as well as the ongoing political debate that has occurred
since then may have colored the participants ’memory of the events.
The delimitations in this study are that it was limited to a single, large K–12 school
district in Southern California. The focus group was intentionally delimited to groups of
individuals inside the school district as well as outside the school district, including an activist
group and religious group members who participated in the adoption process. This study also
delimited the research to the adoption of the policy and purposefully excluded experiences of
implementation.
Definition of Terms
Assembly Bill 101 (AB 101) is legislation that was passed in the California State
Assembly in 2021 and is also known as the “Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.” The purpose of
AB 101 is to promote cultural awareness and appreciation and to help students develop a better
understanding of the experiences and contributions of historically marginalized communities in
the United States. The curriculum covers topics such as Native American studies, African
American studies, Chicano/Latino studies, and Asian American studies, among others.

10
Critical race theory (CRT) was developed within the fields of legal studies and social
sciences. Critical race theory is an analytical framework designed to examine and challenge how
race intersects with and influences societal structures, institutions, and legal systems. CRT seeks
to understand and address systemic racism, emphasizing that race is not merely an individual
characteristic but a pervasive and enduring aspect of social organization.
Culturally responsive/relevant pedagogy (CRP) is an educational approach that
emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting students ’cultural backgrounds and
experiences in teaching and learning. The goal of CRP is to create a learning environment that
values diversity and promotes equity by centering the experiences, voices, and perspectives of
students from historically marginalized groups.
Demands are those kinds of wants of persons or groups placed before the political system
that require some special organized effort on the part of society to settle them authoritatively.
Easton’s political framework theoretical model was developed by David Easton to help
explain how political systems work and how they respond to changes in their environment. At
the core of Easton’s (1979) framework is the concept of a “political system,” which he defined as
a set of interactions and interdependencies between different actors within a society. This system
includes both formal and informal rules, as well as the institutions and organizations that carry
out these rules. Easton argued that the political system is responsive to changes in its
environment, which can include things like economic, social, and cultural factors.
Equity is providing students, and people in general, with what they need to thrive. Unlike
equality, where everyone is treated the same, equity is the promotion of fairness and takes into
consideration different backgrounds, learning styles, and material realities to account for what
each individual student needs to succeed.

11
Ethnic studies is a program that focuses on the interdisciplinary and comparative study of
the history, sociology, politics, culture, and economics of North American racial and ethnic
groups relative to the community, including African Americans, American Indians/Native
Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans.
Ethnicity is “an identity marker based on ancestry, including nationality, lands/territory,
regional culture, religion, language, history, tradition, etc. that comprise a social group”
(California Department of Education, 2022, p. 3).
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a federal law that was signed by President
Barack Obama on December 10, 2015, and replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. The purpose
of the law is to provide all students with equal access to high-quality education, regardless of
their race, ethnicity, income, or disability status. Under ESSA, states are required to create
accountability systems that include standards for academic achievement, graduation rates, and
English proficiency, among other things.
Kotter’s change model was developed by John P. Kotter to explain the dynamics of
organizational change and how entities respond to transformative processes. At the core of
Kotter’s (1996) framework is the concept of “change management,” which he defined as a
structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to
a desired future state. This model encompasses both formal and informal processes, as well as
the structures and strategies that facilitate these processes. Kotter contended that organizational
change is responsive to various factors, including internal and external pressures.
Let Them Breathe, a 501(c)(3) founded in California, is a nationwide network of families
and community members that organized events and protests surrounding the wearing of masks in
schools and the desire for this to remain a matter of family choice rather than mandate.

12
Let Them Play is a foundation formed out of the concern of inactivity facing children
during the COVID-19 pandemic. This group organized events and protests fighting for students
to be allowed to play sports again during a time when this activity was restricted.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was a federal law in the United States signed by
President George W. Bush in 2002. The law aimed to improve the performance of American
students in schools by introducing new standards, assessments, and accountability measures.
Under NCLB, states were required to administer standardized tests to students in certain grade
levels, and schools were required to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward achieving
proficiency on those tests. Schools that failed to make AYP for 2 consecutive years faced
consequences, such as offering students the option to transfer to another school or providing
additional educational services. NCLB was controversial and faced criticism for its heavy
reliance on standardized testing and the penalties it imposed on schools that failed to meet AYP.
In 2015, the law was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act, which gave more control to
states and districts in determining how to measure student achievement and progress.
Race, within the field of ethnic studies, is defined as a (neo)colonial social construction.
It is viewed as a “master category” based upon a Eurocentric biological fallacy that is central to
inequitable power relations in society (California Department of Education, 2022).
Racism is “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and
that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race” (California
Department of Education, 2022, p. 3).
Stresses are a severe type of disturbance occurring in the environment of a political
system that threatens to destroy it. A stress interferes in some fundamental way with the capacity
of a political system to keep a conversion process working.

13
Support is the energy in the form of actions or orientations promoting and resisting a
political system. Actions may include voting for a political candidate or defending a decision by
the highest court of the land. Orientations, in contrast, imply a deep-seated set of attitudes or
predispositions such as loyalty to a political party or the ideals of democracy and patriotism.
Support may be directed to three distinct objects of the political system: the authorities or the
government of the day; the regime or the principles, values, legal structures, and statutes that
make up the constitutional framework of the system; and the political community as a whole,
consisting of a group of persons who seek to settle difference or promote decisions through
peaceful action in common.
Organization of the Study
This dissertation is organized into six chapters. Chapter One provides an overview of the
study and introduces the context of political polarization found within the community at the time
of the policy adoption. It includes the stresses and demands that served as the impetus for change
as well as definitions of terms used in this study. Chapter Two presents a literature review in the
following areas: history of ethnic studies, development of educational policy, influence of culture
wars, case studies involving other districts implementing ethnic studies, community engagement,
culturally relevant pedagogy, and a theoretical framework. Chapter Three describes the
methodology selected for this research study and includes sample and population selection,
interview questions, data collection, and data analysis. Chapter Four is a report of the research
findings. Chapter Five is composed of a summary of findings, implications, conclusions, and
recommendations. Chapter Six reviews the findings from all six individual stakeholder groups.
Common themes are identified, and divergent perspectives are explored to make connections and

14
share insights that emerged when considering the findings collectively. References and
appendices are included in the conclusion of this research study.

15
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature
The California Department of Education’s mandate to implement ethnic studies courses
as a high school graduation requirement in all California schools has a significant impact on
student achievement, racially equitable instruction, and civic engagement. As local school
districts begin to adopt ethnic studies courses, each will engage in a specific change process. We
studied one of these change processes: the adoption of a K–12 intersectional ethnic studies
resolution in a suburban, Southern California school district. Intersectional ethnic studies is a
curriculum that seeks to explore systems of oppression and the histories of marginalized
communities while considering how our multiple identities intersect with power in society
(Anderson & Calderon, 2023). The adoption of this resolution took place within the contentious
political environment of the 2021–2022 school year, as COVID-19 masking mandates and the
Black Lives Matter movement were at the center of the national scene. The district’s success in
moving its IES resolution forward is examined in relation to Easton’s (1979) political systems
and Kotter’s change framework to glean best practices for other districts that will be similarly
tasked with engaging in this change process.
First, we introduce the historical issues and events that prompted California’s mandate to
move toward a more culturally relevant curriculum and instruction. Second, we address the
contentious climate associated with political backlash and pressures on school districts adopting
the mandate. It is also important that we review the literature associated with the adoption phase
and its impacts on student achievement. Last, we review literature that helped to create our
conceptual framework.

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History and Influence for Policy/Law
Ethnic Studies Early Policy
Ethnic studies is an interdisciplinary course that incorporates the political, social, cultural,
and economic experiences of people alongside race, ethnicity, class, gender, and systems of
power (Curammeng, 2022). This course was developed out of a desire for more culturally
diverse and inclusive representations of the history and the lives of marginalized American
communities (Gay, 2017).
In late 2020, Assembly Bill 1460 was passed, mandating this course for all CSU
undergraduate students (Kim, 2020). Smith (2018) looked at the benefits of having such a course
at the university level. At CSU San Francisco, ethnic studies majors as well as students who took
at least one ethnic studies course were followed, and their success was measured against that of
students without these experiences. Students who had taken ethnic studies demonstrated greater
academic and graduation success. Smith identified professors of these courses and their methods
as a large reason for this, noting that they explicitly taught content to help students with critical
thinking and finding services and meaning in their studies. Students in the ethnic studies major
also tended to have higher graduation rates (Smith, 2018).
Following AB 1460’s passage, a student-led grassroots movement promoted this course
beyond the CSU college requirement, leading to AB 331 being brought forward to make ethnic
studies a high school graduation requirement (Kim, 2020). Jewish groups criticized this bill
initially for minimizing antisemitism and taking sides with Palestinians over Israel. Others
criticized the bill for focusing on the United States’s shortcomings, especially in dealing with
race (Fensterwald, 2020). California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 331 in August 2020
for what was considered an imbalance in the proposal (Fensterwald, 2020). Assemblymember

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Jose Medina of Riverside reintroduced the graduation requirement in the form of AB 101 in
October 2021, and this bill was signed into law by Governor Newsom (Gomez, 2020).
California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum and the Statewide Mandate
Before the adoption in 2021 of a statewide mandate to implement ethnic studies as a
graduation requirement, Chapter 327 of the Statutes of 2016 added Section 51226.7 to the
Education Code. This new section of the Education Code required the California State Board of
Education to develop an ethnic studies model curriculum. The resulting curriculum framework
and instructional resources were adopted by the state to guide educators ’development of local
ethnic studies curricula. The model curriculum lays out four foundational disciplines that guide
ethnic studies at the high school level (African American, Latinx, Native American, and Asian
American and Pacific Islander studies) and includes general guidelines and sample course
outlines for the teaching of these disciplines (California Department of Education, 2022). The
requirements established in Assembly Bill 101 will go into effect with the graduating class of
2030 (Legislative Counsel’s Office & Medina, 2022). AB 101 does not require that the model
curriculum be adopted by local districts; instead, the model curriculum is intended to serve as a
model for best practices in teaching ethnic studies (California Department of Education, 2022).
AB 101 also allows districts to choose the length of the course; the required minimum is a
semester, but districts can also write yearlong courses or embed the requirement into a series of
courses (Bowers, 2021).
Pawel (2021) provided a succinct overview of California’s political journey toward the
successful adoption of ethnic studies as a prerequisite to graduate from high school statewide.
The model curriculum, as it was originally drafted, was criticized as lacking depth in the
representation of the Jewish community as well as other ethnic groups. While the state

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legislature approved the bill in 2020 to ensure that students study the experiences and history of
other ethnicities and races, Governor Newsom vetoed the measure; he agreed with critics that
“the initial draft of the model curriculum was insufficiently balanced and inclusive and needed to
be substantially amended” (Fensterwald, 2020, para. 3). After revision and improvement, the
Instructional Quality Commission approved the revised draft model curriculum. The curriculum
focuses mainly on African American, Chicano/Latino, Asian American, and Native American
students. However, it is adaptable to reflect the various ethnicities in respective communities
(California Department of Education, 2022, p. 3).
Intersectional Ethnic Studies
Although schools are a site for “gendered settler colonial capitalism,” there have been
movements calling for K–12 ethnic studies to disrupt conventional schooling (Ochoa & Ochoa,
2022). Sleeter and Zavala (2020) found that teachers who see identity as central to teaching share
foundational values of self-care and trust. They also see students as intellectuals and believe in
responsiveness and relevance to students and their communities. Additionally, these teachers
share in their critical analysis of racism and other power relations.
Ethnic studies has the conceptual tools to address the intersection of race and class
(Zavala et al., 2019). The hallmarks of ethnic studies include the following: curriculum as
counternarrative, criticality, reclaiming cultural identities, intersectionality and multiplicity,
community engagement, pedagogy that is culturally responsive and mediated, and students as
intellectuals (Sleeter & Zavala, 2020). Furthermore, ever since ethnic studies started, it has
“always included a particular intersectional analysis; that looked at race and gender along with
other axes of power and difference” (Zavala et al., 2019, p. 17).

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Cuauhtin (2019) explained how identity wheels tend to stop at a superficial level of social
identities, but ethnic studies programs work to understand and analyze intersectional identity,
relationships, and dynamics of power to resist oppression and help actively change the world for
the better. An intersectional analysis of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
community histories is necessary to address the harm created by historical and present-day
oppression (de los Rios, 2020). A community-responsive, intersectional approach goes beyond
the superficial levels of identity and weaves ethnic studies throughout the curriculum (Ochoa &
Ochoa, 2022). It has an intersectional framework, draws on the histories and cultures of the
students and the region, and calls specifically for race, class, gender, and sexuality components
to be included, in order to analyze power, lived experiences, and multiple forms of oppression
and resistance (Ochoa & Ochoa, 2022).
De los Rios (2020) made the case for implementing transformative justice ethnic studies
in P–12 schools, describing ethnic studies as a counternarrative and a form of healing. Part of
this healing comes from ethnic studies providing the opportunity to name racialized and other
intersectional harms. In their study, Snapp and Russell (2016) interviewed various stakeholder
adults in California and Arizona schools and found that inclusive curricular and pedagogical
approaches were supported because students benefited from being reflected in their learning,
violence against others lessened as a result of this kind of learning, and students became more
academically engaged and connected with their learning and school. While some ethnic studies
courses have seen issues of identity and gender as separate and apart from the course, others
believe ethnic studies and LGBTQ-inclusive curricula are the same (Snapp & Russell, 2016).
Through an intersectional approach, students can explore who they are, the systems of power and

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privilege that affect them, and allyship and solidarity through a solution-based approach (Sleeter
& Zavala, 2020).
Impact of Ethnic Studies on Student Achievement
Del Carmen Salazar’s (2013) review of literature described the oppressive and systemic
assimilation of students of color into dominant American society through public schooling and
then offered Paulo Freire’s concept of humanizing pedagogy as a tool for dismantling
dehumanizing structures within the school system. Del Carmen Salazar (2013) gleaned from the
literature five tenets of a humanizing pedagogy as a road map for applying Freire’s concept
within the American context:
1. The full development of the person is essential for humanization.
2. To deny someone else’s humanization is also to deny one’s own.
3. The journey for humanization is an individual and collective endeavor toward critical
consciousness.
4. Critical reflection and action can transform structures that impede our own and
others’ humanness, thus facilitating liberation for all.
5. Educators are responsible for promoting a more fully human world through their
pedagogical principles and practices. (p. 128)
By embracing these “humanizing” tenets, del Carmen Salazar (2013) asserted, teachers
confront their “deficit notions” of students ’abilities and support students in the development of a
healthy, scholarly identity (p. 131). According to del Carmen Salazar, developing a curriculum
that is reflective of students ’reality and engaging students in the development of a critical
consciousness around social and political issues will allow them to make crucial connections
between their own lives and the material taught in the classroom. These practices will instill hope

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in a learning committee for a better future and inspire students to participate in their own
liberation (del Carmen Salazar, 2013, p. 142).
De los Ríos et al. (2015) described the ethnic studies movement as a direct response to
the White supremacist instruction that is generally seen in high school and college curricula. In
2014, the Council of Great City Schools gathered data on the largest school districts in the
United States and reported that 71% of the 6.9 million students who were enrolled at the time in
the nation’s largest school districts were Latino or African American, 69% were eligible to
receive free or reduced lunch, and 17% were English language learners. The evolution of ethnic
studies is a change in philosophy and practice for how American schools can eradicate systemic
racism, White supremacy, and low expectations of the schools most in need. This case study
looked at two high schools and an afterschool program and defined critical pedagogy and the
implications of implementing ethnic studies. In their analysis of these case studies, the authors
argued that students of color who are enrolled in ethnic studies courses in their high schools are
more engaged and interested in their studies because they can see connections between the
course content and their own lives.
Cammarota (2017) focused on a youth social justice action research project made up of
young people of color. The Arizona Department of Education sought to eliminate an ethnic
studies program—the Social Justice Education Project (SJEP)—because it believed the program
could lead to the radicalization of the young people enrolled in the program. The elimination of
the SJEP was aggressively pursued by the Department of Education, which threatened to
withhold crucial funding from the Tucson Unified School District if the district did not agree to
ban the program, even though “SJEP students were outperforming their non–ethnic studies peers
in every academic measure” (Cabrera et al., 2014, as cited in Cammarota, 2017, p. 527). After

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the ban went into effect in January 2012, this youth group took action to prevent educational
injustices and spread the message of social transformation through the ethnic studies course.
According to Cammarota (2017, p. 528), students ’participation in the course before the ban had
a positive impact on their academic performance: Of the 17 seniors enrolled in the first cohort,
all but two graduated, despite being credit deficient at the start of the course (students enrolled
were still technically freshmen according to their overall credit count, despite having attended for
3 years, and were considered at high risk for dropping out).
Bonilla et al. (2021) investigated the claim that ethnic studies courses have a lasting,
positive effect on student achievement. Their study analyzed the impact of a ninth-grade ethnic
studies course on students in the San Francisco Unified School District. The researchers found
that, in this context, ethnic studies had a positive impact on student engagement, high school
graduation rates, and college enrollment after high school. Students who were assigned to ethnic
studies courses had higher attendance rates and higher graduation rates for those classified as
“lower performing” by the district (Bonilla et al., 2021, p. 8). As such, the authors said, ethnic
studies courses are a “relatively tractable lever for school reform” (Bonilla et al., 2021, p. 9).
Opposition to Ethnic Studies
Fear That Ethnic Studies Sows Division and Hate
Although ethnic studies as a graduation requirement was met with celebration by some
(Kim, 2020), there were still others who believed either the proposed curricula needed further
integration into all coursework or the course divided students into victim or oppressor roles
based on their heritage (Rothermich, 2021). The latter group feared the course was divisive and
would create more polarization, violence, and bigotry among students (Alliance for Constructive
Ethnic Studies, n.d.).

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In Orange County, California, several districts have experienced debates over this
course’s integration into the graduation requirements despite the bill’s passage and imminent
implementation. School board meetings in Los Alamitos have been filled with public comments
fearing the course will breed hate in students (Smith, 2021). In nearby Placentia-Yorba Linda, a
school board member shared a Facebook article denouncing the curriculum as purely political
and “left-wing” (Smith, 2021).
California has not been alone in this debate about the purpose and benefits of ethnic
studies. Arizona Superintendent of Public Education Tom Horne condemned the course as antiAmerican and signed a bill in 2010 banning the course in Arizona (Cammarota, 2017). Horne’s
bill received support from some who believe that ethnic studies underestimate students of color
while simultaneously focusing on evoking feelings of resentment and hatred (Cacho, 2010).
Fearing Critical Race Theory
The academic discipline of critical race theory has its origins in late-1970s counter-legal
scholarship (Ladson-Billings, 2010) and has been well developed by scholars such as Kimberlé
Crenshaw, Derrick Bell, and Richard Delgado (Melville, 2021). It argues against the slow pace
of reform and that Whites have traditionally been the primary beneficiaries of civil rights
legislation (Ladson-Billings, 1998). For example, many of the recipients of affirmative action
hiring policies have been White women whose income largely has benefited White households
even though the intended beneficiaries of the policy were people of color.
Critical race theory has been used by opposers of ethnic studies as an additional reason
why the curriculum should not be implemented in schools. Those who oppose critical race theory
believe it prioritizes activism at the expense of objectivity, rationalism, and critical thinking
(Adorney, 2022). Southern California school boards have heard public comments regarding

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some of these fears as well. The Orange County Board of Education held panels on ethnic
studies and heard public comments calling ethnic studies a vehicle for critical race theory and
that it was political indoctrination to anti-American ideals (Elattar, 2021).
Development of Educational Policy
Fowler (2009) explained what educational policy is and how it comes into practice via
power, economy, political systems, culture, values, and ideology. Public policy is created in
response to public problems in an attempt to address issues and often involves compromise
among policymakers.
Hochschild and Scovronick (2004) added further depth to a discussion of public policy
by defining the American public’s understanding of the primary role of public schooling to be
the provision of tools for pursuing one’s individual version of the American dream. They
described this understanding of the role of public education as the need to balance two
competing priorities: the success of individuals and a collective benefit to vulnerable groups,
such as students with disabilities. These two priorities clash, as the value of self-reliance
conflicts with the idea that some vulnerable groups should be identified for specialized treatment
in an attempt to ward off ill treatment in American society. These competing priorities result in a
lack of stability and continuity in national policy or practice.
The achievement gap is one of the most talked-about issues in U.S. education. The term
refers to the disparities in standardized test scores between Black and White, Latina/o and White,
and recent immigrant and White students. Ladson-Billings (2006) argued that a focus on the gap
is misplaced. Instead, we need to look at the “education debt” that has accumulated over time.
This debt comprises historical, economic, sociopolitical, and moral components. Ladson-Billings

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drew an analogy with the concept of national debt—which she contrasted with that of a national
budget deficit—to argue the significance of the education debt.
Culture Wars: Red Versus Blue
U.S. public schools have long been viewed as an apolitical function of the government.
There have been benefits to this view, largely in the public’s acceptance of funding educational
institutions (Kirst & Wirt, 2009). As a nation, there has been a general acceptance of public
schooling as a necessity that will be funded with public dollars. Additionally, Wolbrecht and
Hartney’s (2014) examination of partisan stances in educational issues and reform showed how
traditionally Republican and Democratic values have sometimes not been reflected in those
parties ’policies over the years. For example, George Bush’s No Child Left Behind and Barack
Obama’s Race to the Top both reflected some of the opposite parties ’previous talking points.
For example, Bush’s marketed “compassionate conservatism” expanded the federal role over
education, while Obama’s initiatives promoted ideas of school choice and performance pay for
teachers.
Over the last century, the changing economic goals of schooling as well as the public’s
desire to have their educational leaders carry out their own interests has created a change in this
more apolitical view of schools and has instead highlighted some polarized political views
(Horsford et al., 2018). U.S. schools ’primary goals have generally reflected the nation’s values
and views of the world and its place in it. From teaching reading for the purpose of reading the
Bible to progressively more purely economic reasons, education has always been guided by the
interests of the United States (Horsford et al., 2018). Along with a focus on self-interest, other
distinct qualities in U.S. politics that have had recent prevalence are an antiestablishment

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orientation, populism, and a good versus evil duality in thinking that has fed into a conspiratorial
stance of the world and educational institutions (Uscinski et al., 2021).
Political fights in education have become much more observable in recent years as there
has been movement in curriculum and standards, a focus on unions and their effects on
education, and vouchers and other systems designed to optimize family choice in schools
(Saltman, 2018). Although these political fights have clear sides, those politics have not always
been Democrat and Republican; rather, both political parties look to schools and their ability or
challenges in preparing an adequate workforce (Saltman, 2018). Both Democrats and
Republicans look at schools from an economic perspective and as an institution that helps to
teach the dominant values and views of society. Where the two parties have diverged is in which
values and views should be taught (Saltman, 2018).
After the election of 2016, Donald Trump’s presidency brought with it increased political
tension and conspiratorial thinking (Uscinski et al., 2021). Teachers and students reported higher
levels of stress and anxiety related to the policies and actions of politicians that affected their
campus culture and individual lives (Rogers et al., 2017). The COVID-19 pandemic in Spring
2020 heightened these fears and increased isolation between people. Christián et al. (2022) noted
that the health risks during this time took a higher toll on minoritized groups for both medical
and social reasons. This increased the consciousness of the Black community, especially as
police violence continued to take the lives of young Black people, culminating in the killing of
George Floyd and sparking a large Black Lives Matter movement (Christián et al., 2022). The
fears, injustices, and anxieties felt by many were coupled with the psychological effects of
isolation, creating a moment in history of mass protests on both sides of the political aisle
(Christián et al., 2022).

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While the Black Lives Matter movement brought out crowds, so did protests surrounding
the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns around critical race theory being taught in
K–12 schools. In Los Alamitos, California, groups protesting the mask mandate formed a “Let
Them Breathe” campaign, disrupting schools and staffing and demanding that children should be
allowed to learn on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic without a mask due to their
constitutional freedoms and fears that social distancing would do more harm psychologically and
socially than the disease itself (Young, 2022). In Tustin, groups of parents voiced their
disapproval of masks at school at board meetings as well and formed similar protests in a spinoff “Let Them Play” campaign formed through social media, holding protests in the San
Francisco Bay area and San Diego (Ludwig, 2021).
Case Study: Other Districts Implementing Early
It is important to study other school districts considering the early adoption of ethnic
studies, including the political contexts associated with them. Surrounding school districts
provided a glimpse into acts of civil disobedience with ever-evolving COVID restrictions
(Andruss, 2022). COVID restrictions ignited communities, creating tension and unrest in what
are typically civilized meetings. In neighboring school districts, COVID mandates became the
impetus for protesting policies and laws that school districts were required to enforce, such as at
Tustin and Los Alamitos Unified School District board meetings (Young, 2022). Regardless of
state and local mandates, communities were unwilling to have school officials maintain control
over highly politicized issues.
Students look toward adults and how they model behavior during highly tense political
contexts. A middle school student refused to wear a mask in class and was asked to leave class,
sparking a protest outside of the school (McAboy, 2021). More so than ever, parents and

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community groups have become more vocal and are mobilizing against state and school policies,
implying that the implementation of a new required course and curriculum may experience the
same pushback.
Los Angeles Unified School District implemented an ethnic studies course pilot through a
few of its high schools, specifically in a high population of Filipino and Latino students
(Tintiangco-Cubales et al., 2015). Roosevelt and Washington High Schools (both a part of the
pilot) received support in mentoring and curriculum development to ensure teachers were
prepared for proper implementation. The implementation was to provide targeted support for
those at risk of dropping out and/or being credit deficient. Administrators interviewed described
the need for an ethnic studies curriculum to address the gaps in opportunity within education
(Tintiangco-Cubales et al., 2015). Through the pilot of the curriculum, students developed a
stronger sense of cultural awareness and empowerment.
Also in Southern California, a teacher at Pomona High School sparked the
implementation of a Chicana/o-Latina/o ethnic studies college preparatory class (de los Ríos et
al., 2015). This was created in 2006 after this teacher witnessed her students protesting the
Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration and Control Act of 2005. This led to
school-facilitated community discussions and the development of the curriculum that formed the
class. The students ’participation in discussions eventually led to the community buy-in and
implementation of ethnic studies courses in schools. Students are an equally important
stakeholder in the process, as their educational experiences will continue to be affected in the
classroom and beyond.

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Community Engagement
In this case study looking at the early adoption of a curriculum, the school district being
studied engaged many different stakeholders in its process. Community engagement in schools
can have a significant impact on school and student success. Holistic approaches to education
that emphasize the need for schools, families, and communities to work together to create
supportive and nurturing learning environments for all students help build this engagement
(Henderson & Mapp, 2002).
Brown et al.’s (2022) study highlighted several dimensions of parental participation,
including involvement, engagement, and community. Involvement refers to parents ’active
participation in school-related activities, such as attending parent-teacher conferences or
volunteering. Engagement encompasses parents ’emotional connection with the school,
including their interest in their child’s education and willingness to support learning at home.
Community involves the establishment of collaborative relationships among parents, teachers,
and administrators to create a sense of belonging and shared responsibility (Brown et al., 2022).
Parents who are more involved in school activities tend to be more engaged and feel a stronger
sense of community, which positively affects student outcomes, such as academic achievement
and socioemotional development (Brown et al., 2022). Voluntary acts of parent participation as
well as school-sought-after acts of parent participation both have positive educational outcomes
for students (Jeynes, 2013).
There are various barriers to the equitable involvement of all parents, including language
barriers, limited resources, mistrust, and conflicting cultural expectations (Baquedano-López et
al., 2013). One method to strengthen this involvement is by the development of community
schools. Daniel et al. (2019) conducted a comprehensive study exploring key aspects of

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community schools, their impact on student outcomes, and the essential conditions necessary for
effective teaching in this context. Ultimately, they found that effective teachers and practitioners
must also demonstrate a deep caring and commitment to democratic participation so that they
can negotiate the collective understanding that supports their work. Baquedano-López et al.
(2013) emphasized the need for teacher educators to address these barriers by promoting cultural
responsiveness, developing effective communication strategies, and fostering meaningful
partnerships with families and communities. Inclusive involvement practices such as these can
empower marginalized families and help bridge gaps between home and school as well
(Baquedano-López et al., 2013).
Recognizing and valuing diverse cultural practices and communication styles within
communities is also essential because the dominant approaches in schools often reflect middleclass norms and exclude marginalized families (Baquedano-López et al., 2013). Edwards et al.
(2021) described the importance of parental involvement, adult education, and community
organizing, emphasizing the role of social justice leadership in fostering positive change in a
school community. These changes can be leveraged with the use of enrollment data, which plays
a crucial role in understanding the diversity within educational systems and its implications for
educational policy and practice (California Department of Education, 2022).
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
Ethnic studies policies have largely come from an increased desire to adjust instruction
and curricula to meet the backgrounds and needs of all students in public schools. Culturally
relevant pedagogy contains three main qualities:
Gloria Ladson-Billings proposed three main components of Culturally Relevant
Pedagogy: (a) a focus on student learning and academic success, (b) developing

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students ’cultural competence to assist students in developing positive ethnic and social
identities, and (c) supporting students ’critical consciousness or their ability to recognize
and critique societal inequalities. (California Department of Education, 2023a, para. 2)
These are all qualities that can be found in ethnic studies and the pedagogy used to teach this
course.
There are large achievement benefits for students of color enrolled in ethnic studies,
particularly concerning their attendance, grade point average, and high school credits earned.
The causal effect of an ethnic studies curriculum is that it is inclusive of culturally relevant
pedagogy (Dee & Penner, 2017). The power of culturally responsive caring must be explored
through ethnic and cultural diversity in curriculum content. The positive effects of culturally
responsive teaching continue to help students as they enter the college and post-school years. All
students will perform better on multiple measures of achievement when teaching is filtered
through students ’own cultural experiences (Gay, 2018).
Teachers of minority groups should also be cognizant of how their practices and
reflections on those practices provide a way to define and recognize culturally relevant pedagogy
as a central area of investigation. It is vital to challenge the notions about the intersection of
culture and teaching that rely on earlier generations of work. Previous generations of work
suggested that cultural mismatches exist in societal structures, while educational institutions
perpetuate the same social inequalities (Ladson-Billings, 1995b). Further, it should raise
questions about what schools can and should be doing to promote academic success for all
students. To do this, teachers must go beyond encouraging academic success and cultural
competence. It involves helping students recognize, understand, and critique current social
inequities; the teachers themselves must recognize social inequities and their causes.

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Good teaching practices are not enough. The centrality of good teaching plus culturally
relevant pedagogy leads to academic success (Ladson-Billings, 1995a). As students and
communities need to evolve, so do theories and concepts. An updated theory is referred to as
culturally sustaining pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 2014). Sustaining allows for more of a fluid
understanding of culture, and a teaching practice that explicitly engages questions of equity and
justice.
As adults research, craft, and implement structures and curricula, an important
stakeholder in the process to remember is the student. Student perceptions are important to study
when determining the effectiveness of multicultural education and skill development training
(Millhouse, 1986). Students gain significantly more rational attitudes toward diverse ethnic
groups when exposed to more diversity in people and ideas. Multicultural education and skill
development training is a significantly positive factor in improving rational and accepting
attitudes toward ethnic minority groups.
Education research is used as an analytic site for discussion, but the framework may be
transferable to other academic disciplines. According to Milner (2007), “Dangers, either seen,
unseen, or unforeseen, can emerge when we do not pay careful attention to our own and others ’
racialized and cultural systems of coming to know, knowing, and experiencing the world”
(Abstract). Instead, that can focus on several interrelated qualities: researching the self,
researching the self in relation to others, engaged reflection and representation, and shifting from
the self to the system.
Theoretical Framework
Silverman (2021) noted that a conceptual framework helps researchers understand the
various aspects of a study and how they connect. The conceptual framework for this study helps

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to form an understanding of how change processes can assist with pressures on the political
systems of schools. Figure 1 illustrates Easton’s process of a political system undergoing
Kotter’s change process.
Easton’s Political Systems Model
Developing a method that analyzes the evolving behaviors and adaptations encompassed
in various political systems is ideal for understanding how political systems work (Easton, 1979).
The development of this structural analysis tool provides a deeper understanding and findings
into the conceptual intertwining of political systems. Further, understanding this framework
fosters broader perspectives and helps to critically analyze power dynamics within a
community/organization. Easton’s approach develops a series of steps for decision-making in a
political system that is seen as delimited (i.e., without boundaries) and yet evolving and changing
(Easton, 1979). Easton noted that a political system is constantly under stress, which disrupts the
functioning of the system. The political system receives both demands and supports from
society, and it responds to the difficulties of demands to preserve itself. The demands and
supports received by the political system from society are inputs that become outputs, and a
feedback process then follows (Imene et al., 2023).
Critique
During the last half of the 20th century, the concept of a system was arguably the most
important in the theoretical repertoire of the discipline of American political science. Although
systems analysis was broadly employed in the behavioral sciences, Easton’s work was
particularly influential in the study of politics. Fullan (2015) outlined the “Elements of
Successful Change” in a larger examination of systems change within K–12 educational
institutions. These elements lend clarity to the extent of success produced by the district’s

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consensus-building process. This is in part because he attempted to develop a distinct account of
the political system that was not theoretically subservient to either general systems theory or
conceptions of the social system such as that advanced by Talcott Parsons (Gunnell, 2013).
There are many complexities behind Easton’s framework (Thomassen & Van Ham,
2017). As empirical research prompts the need for a consistent and simplified conceptual
framework, it can be challenging to utilize Easton’s framework considering so many of its
different aspects of the stresses, inputs, outputs, implementation, feedback loop, and outcomes.
Torfing and Triantafillou (2013) found that empirical research has largely ignored the demand
cycle, while attempts to explore the relationships underlying the supply cycle tend to suffer from
misconceptions of its terms. The authors proposed a framework for empirical theory that
addresses both shortcomings.
Figure 1
Conceptual Framework

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Support
Easton’s political systems model can be regarded as the most important non-normative
general theory in modern times (Fuchs & Klingemann, 2011). It has been influential in the study
of politics. Fuchs and Klingemann added that Easton’s framework was to be used for the analysis
of political life, also known as “systems analysis.” Kriek (1995) praised Easton’s contribution to
political science. Since 1953, when The Political System appeared, Easton has published several
well-known books. Considering all of Easton’s works in relation to one another is important in
understanding his contribution properly. Easton emphasized that every action is “interrelated and
systematically networked,” consequently establishing a social system. These social and
comprehensive systems are made up of people and their interactions with one another. Thus,
Easton drew attention to the people in the system as role players, helping to perform in their
political roles.
Cited Research
Easton’s framework for theorizing political support continues to be influential for
pertinent research (Lu & Dickson, 2020). Due to the complexity of Easton’s arguments, there is
some confusion on how to classify and measure political support in existing research. An
interdisciplinary, analytical framework is proposed to assist managers in identifying and tracking
political sources of international business risk (Van Wyk, 2010). The framework fuses the
political science concept of political system with managerial science’s notion of sequential risk
flow. With identification and early warning of political risks, managers may be more proactive,
not merely reactive, in formulating and executing their risk management policies. Proactivity is
an important aspect of coherent frameworks of an organization.

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Kotter and Fullan’s Change Theories
Fullan’s (2006) research considered the major premises of change knowledge and
focused on the need for motivation, capacity building, learning in context, changing context, a
bias for reflective action, tri-level engagement (district, community, and state), and persistence
and flexibility. In a broader context, looking at all industries, Kotter (2012) outlined the steps for
change leaders to take to achieve successful change. In particular, these eight steps include
creating a sense of urgency, developing vision and strategies, communicating a change vision,
removing barriers to action, accomplishing short-term wins, building on change, and making
change stick (Kotter, 2012). Both Kotter and Fullan also addressed how change often can fail.
Fullan provided examples that show errors in a change process when having an incomplete
theory of action that does not get close to the reality of what is happening in schools and
highlighted the need to have a strategy of change that focuses on simultaneously changing
individuals and the culture or system within which they work. Kotter’s pitfalls help support
Fullan’s errors by noting a need for governance, resources, buy-in, and clarity and
communication of vision.
Summary
This case study focused on the adoption of an ethnic studies curriculum in a Southern
California school district. Ethnic studies became a graduation requirement through AB 101 in
2021, following a time of political tension with particular attention on public schools (Gomez,
2020). The political left welcomed the new graduation requirement after the Trump
administration’s treatment of the U.S. immigrant population and the unnecessary killings of
many Americans of color, such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (Christián et al., 2022;
Uscinski et al., 2021). Some of these political stresses also put pressure on schools.

37
Many young Americans have experienced ethnic studies in colleges and universities,
which also helped create a grassroots movement supporting the course being brought to the K–12
setting, creating a demand on the political system (Kim, 2020). Ethnic studies is culturally
responsive in its approach and teaching methods, which further elevates the course as benefiting
all students in creating cultural competence and understanding of inequities that support the
political system (Dee & Penner, 2017). The political right, however, has largely feared the
implementation of the course, seeing this as a negative curriculum toward White students and as
another mandate to control them post-COVID-19, which is an opposing stress on the political
system (Young, 2022).
Despite the political climate, the school district in this case study chose to go through an
adoption process before the mandate’s 2030 deadline so that all students could begin taking
ethnic studies as a graduation requirement. This process required community engagement of
various stakeholders to create a guiding coalition. Voluntary parent participation not only is
essential for true collective district decision-making but also leads to greater student success in
school (Henderson & Mapp, 2002). It is also important to note that inclusive engagement
practices with marginalized families can help bridge gaps between school and home by
developing strong relationships and communication practices (Jeynes, 2013).

38
Chapter Three: Methodology
In Fall 2021, California became the first state to add an ethnic studies component to its
basic graduation requirements (Cal. Assemb. B. 101, Chapter 661 [Cal. Stat. 2021]). The broader
aim of the bill was to move the state away from the “deficit notions of the resources of
Communities of Color” that have “fueled intolerance, bigotry, and assimilation throughout the
history of U.S. public education” (del Carmen Salazar, 2013, p. 122) and toward a future where
all students are exposed to a broad curriculum that acknowledges and celebrates the historical
struggles and contributions of Native American, Latino, African American, Asian American, and
Pacific Islander Californians to the state (California Department of Education, 2022). This new
curriculum has special importance in California, as the state serves the largest student population
and is among the most diverse in the nation, with approximately 6.2 million students speaking
more than 90 languages (California Department of Education, 2023b). More than three quarters
of California’s K–12 students are non-White: 55% Latinx, 22% White, 12% Asian or Pacific
Islander, and 5% African American.
When the ethnic studies course as a graduation requirement was voted into law, it
brought celebration for some families, but fear and anger for others (Kim, 2020; Rothermich,
2021). This bill quickly became controversial and the subject of many school board meetings as
districts began considering its implementation (Andruss, 2022). This particular moment in time
holds great importance due to the mass psychological effects of large populations in quarantine
and the financial impact of large-scale unemployment due to COVID-19, which may have
caused the escalation of social movements as a way to escape isolation (Christián et al., 2022).
Ethnic studies gained attention on both sides of political action groups—some believing the

39
course needed immediate implementation and was past due, and some believing that this
course’s purpose was divisive and should not be implemented at all.
Research has claimed two broad categories of support for ethnic studies: personal
academic empowerment of the student and increased understanding of diverse people. Dee and
Penner’s (2017) causal study in San Francisco schools provided evidence that ethnic studies
courses, taught with fidelity to the stated aims and with culturally relevant instruction, resulted in
improved grade point averages for students of color and increases in credits earned. Bonilla et al.
(2021) completed a study in the San Francisco Unified School District that also demonstrated
positive outcomes, including increased graduation rates, for students enrolled in ethnic studies
courses. De los Ríos et al. (2015) identified increased civic engagement with local and state
issues as a product of enrollment in ethnic studies courses.
This group study examined one Southern California district that engaged in stakeholder
input strategies before the adoption of ethnic studies in advance of the state requirement. Despite
the media coverage of heated political debates between school boards and community groups
resulting in recall efforts, there has been a lack of discussion about the engagement process in the
literature and few to no studies dedicated to the behaviors and activities of districts as they
construct and reconstruct their social reality through educational policy. As California districts
approach the 2029–2030 school year, ethnic studies will become a mandate, and the community
pressure felt by school boards will be faced by more than just a few early adopters. This group
case study focused on a large K–12 school district in Southern California during the adoption
process of an intersectional ethnic studies curriculum. Specifically, we were interested in
examining the engagement process with the community in the context of policy adoption amid
rapid political polarization in the post–George Floyd Trump administration era. While we

40
studied this as a group, each researcher explored a different stakeholder group to gain a deeper
understanding of the experiences of each.
Purpose of the Study
Through an engagement process among multiple educational partners, the school district
was able to approve an intersectional ethnic studies adoption. This study focused on educational
partners in the local and broader community who participated in the engagement process. The
group investigated the experiences of approximately 34 stakeholders and their understanding of
the stresses, demands/supports, and systems that led to the decision for early implementation.
This study was guided by the following research questions, organized by the stakeholder
groups who participated in the engagement process.
Educational Partner: School Board Members and Senior District Leaders
1. What stresses led the district to implement a community engagement process before
making the decision to adopt intersectional ethnic studies?
2. What did the school board and senior district leaders hope to accomplish through the
adoption of a community engagement “campaign”?
3. What impact did the community engagement process have on board members and
senior district leaders regarding the adoption of intersectional ethnic studies?
Educational Partner: Community Organizers
1. What was the motivation of community organizers for participating in the school
district’s dialogue regarding the adoption of an ethnic studies curriculum?
2. What were the community organizers ’concerns about the district’s adoption of
intersectional ethnic studies during the engagement process?

41
3. How, if at all, did the engagement process about intersectional ethnic studies by a
school district affect community organizers ’confidence in district decision-making?
Educational Partner: Consultants
1. How do consultants in a Southern California school district describe their
participation and role in the steps leading up to the implementation of intersectional
ethnic studies?
2. What challenges did the consultants encounter in the steps leading up to the early
implementation of intersectional ethnic studies?
3. What impact do the consultants think their work had on the process toward
implementing intersectional ethnic studies?
Educational Partner: Teachers
1. How do teachers describe the Southern California School District’s process for
engaging teachers in policy decisions?
2. In what ways do teachers in the Southern California School District describe the
community engagement prior to the adoption of ethnic studies?
3. What are the teachers ’attitudes toward the state ethnic studies curriculum,
instructional practices, and learning goals?
Educational Partner: District and Site Administrators
1. From an administrator’s perspective, what led the district to implement the
community engagement process that led to the adoption of a K–12 intersectional
ethnic studies resolution?
2. How were site and district administrators involved in the community engagement

42
process that led to the adoption of a K–12 intersectional ethnic studies resolution?
3. What are administrators ’perceptions of the consensus-building process that led to
adopting an intersectional ethnic studies resolution?
Educational Partner: Parents
1. How did parents perceive the communication by the district and its representatives
during the ethnic studies adoption process?
2. In what ways, if any, did parents engage in the ethnic studies adoption process?
3. How was parental input received by the district and its representatives?
Selection of the Population
School Board Members and Consultants
To conduct this study, the researchers used census sampling because the researchers
wanted to interview all participants within both educational partners. This type of sampling
supported the study because there was such a small number of sitting board members (five),
district leadership (two), and consultants (five); an attempt was made to include all individuals
involved at the time.
Community Organizers
The researcher interviewed members of a social activist group in the local community
who participated in one Southern California school district’s adoption process of the ethnic
studies graduation requirement. The researcher found contact information for the group on
Facebook and began an email exchange to send a request to interview the group. Six members of
this group agreed to participate. The researcher attempted to involve all members of the group.
Gaining knowledge from the interviews may help educational leaders gain insight for their

43
adoption process of both the ethnic studies graduation requirement and other curricular or
instructional changes in the future.
Parents and Teachers
Participants in this study included 28 classroom teachers and 11 parents in a Southern
California school district. The school district serves approximately 25,000 students, from
kindergarten through 12th grade. The screener identified potential participants for interviews:
current teachers who were also employed by the district as a teacher in the 2021–2022 academic
school year. The researcher contacted parents with help from the assistant superintendent’s
office. These parents confirmed via a screener survey that their children were enrolled in the
school for the 2021–2022 academic year. Following the survey, emails were sent out to those
parents who had indicated their willingness to participate in the interview process.
The study used purposive sampling (Johnson & Christensen, 2017) where, specifically,
social science and English language arts teachers were selected because a credential in these
licenses may be required to teach standalone ethnic studies courses. The process of selection
required using a screener for all teachers in the selected school districts by the method of random
sampling. A random sample of teachers could provide a representative sample that resembles the
population group the researcher is interested in studying (Johnson & Christensen, 2017). Some
sampling issues that may have arisen:
1. This study was time intensive, and participants had to be willing to submit to hours of
interviews and taking surveys.
2. The scope of this study was limited to a snapshot of a set of individuals in one single
district; thus, it is not generalizable.

44
District Administrators
The researcher interviewed six site and district administrators who were employed in
administrative positions during the 2021–2022 academic year. The researcher was connected
with these individuals via the office of the assistant superintendent and confirmed their
employment in the district during the 2021–2022 school year as administrators during the
individual interviews. An email was sent to all administrators from a member of the district
administrative team inviting them to participate in the study, but no additional administrators
contacted the researcher and expressed interest in participating.
Design Summary
Overview of Methodology
The methodology included qualitative data from semi-structured interviews to seek
specific information while also allowing for respondents ’worldviews to emerge (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2016). Consistent with the grounded theory that shaped this study, this method allowed
the researcher to ask all participants the same questions but left space for flexibility to follow the
respondent’s thoughts if something unexpected emerged (Lochmiller & Lester, 2017). The
interviews also included possible topics for the participants to have room to share their
experiences and perspectives that might not have been shared through the set questions. The
design and methodology were appropriate because they presented an in-depth understanding of
respondents ’experiences. It is unlikely that surveys alone could have produced the rich and
varied responses that can be elicited through interviews.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework for this study was rooted in Easton’s (1979) political systems
framework, with consideration to Kotter’s (1996) change model. Easton’s framework provided a

45
method for organizing interview data into phases of the consensus-building process. Kotter’s
model outlines eight steps to leading change. This case study was focused on the efforts of one
Southern California school district to reach a consensus around the adoption of an intersectional
ethnic studies resolution. Therefore, the data were organized and analyzed using only the first
four phases of Easton’s (1979) framework (stresses, inputs, school systems as a political system,
and outputs and policies) and the first four steps of Kotter’s (1996) change model (create
urgency, build a powerful coalition, create a vision for change, and communicate the vision). The
case study explicitly limited its scope to these four phases and steps and did not include the
experiences after the ethnic studies resolution adoption nor the experiences of the district during
implementation. Therefore, neither the feedback loop portion of the political systems framework
nor the last four steps of the change model were incorporated as a part of the analysis. Within the
specific phase of school systems as a political system, Kotter’s change model was used to further
examine the extent of success produced by the district’s community engagement process.
In Easton’s (1979) political systems framework, stresses lead to a needed change; this
aligns with what Kotter (1996) identified as creating urgency. Easton asserted that the demands
and supports drive the policy change. In the instance of this case study, the stresses initiating the
change came in the form of a highlighted gap in content for historically marginalized students
and a fully White-centered curriculum. This conversation gained momentum out of national
events such as George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a police officer on duty, and an increase in
hate crimes focused on Asian Americans following the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of these
events, an activist group came to the local school district to demand that the already-passed AB
101 be implemented before the prescribed date. The innovation of ethnic studies in the initiation

46
phase led to support of the change from those within the school district and external change
agents in the consultants and non-district stakeholders.
Instrumentation and Protocols
The qualitative data were gathered through the use of interviews; questions were written
to ensure that they targeted the research questions and anticipated follow-up probes (see
Appendices A–H). The interviews conducted were open ended and semi-structured using an
interview guide, and the researchers took notes during the process (Patton, 2002). To stimulate
in-depth responses, the researchers included various types of questions that targeted the
experiences, opinions, feelings, and understanding of each stakeholder (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). The researchers ensured that multiple (double-barreled) questions and leading questions
were not included in the protocol (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Data Collection
Before the interviews, the researchers gained access to the participants through screeners,
census sampling, and snowball sampling. The researchers contacted participants with an email
introducing the study, their rights as participants, and the logistics of the interview if they chose
to participate. An integral addition to the email was including what the participants would get
from participating, also known as reciprocity (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). The researchers shared
how the participants ’experiences would support and inform other educational leaders on how to
implement any initiative, policy, or change that is considered polarizing or controversial. The
information and logistics of the interview were provided to the participants in advance. At the
start of each interview, participants were reminded of their rights and that the interview would be
recorded. Each interview took 60–90 minutes. After meeting with each participant, the
researchers transcribed and reviewed all the data from the recorded interviews.

47
Data Analysis
This study utilized a qualitative approach, deriving the data from interviews, transcription
of meeting notes, and analysis of district surveys given during the adoption process. All of the
items in the interview protocols were directly linked to the research questions, which guided the
data analysis. In instances where interviews were given in a language other than English,
transcription into English was completed with the assistance of a translator. To maintain
confidentiality and protect the participants ’information provided, all identifying information in
the transcription and analysis that followed was unlinked to ensure responses were not
identifiable to individuals.
After data were collected from the interviews, the researchers followed the steps of
transcribing, coding the data, synthesizing, and then looking for patterns (Bogden & Biklen,
2007). The researchers used Zoom, an online conferencing platform, to transcribe the recorded
interviews, which were then loaded into Nvivo, a data management tool, to manually code the
data. Before coding, the researchers made sure to organize the data by breaking it down into
manageable pieces. Researcher triangulation was utilized, where six different researchers
focused on the same case study but different educational partners to generate a more in-depth
understanding of the process leading up to the decision to implement intersectional ethnic studies
early (Lochmiller & Lester, 2017).
Validity and Reliability
The study was conducted with careful attention to the ways the data were collected and
findings were presented (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The researchers followed multiple steps to
promote validity and reliability throughout the study, including member checking, adequate time
spent collecting the data, self-reflection on any assumptions/biases, peer review, audit trail, and

48
purposefully seeking variation in the sample selection (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). To ensure that
there was internal validity in the study, the researchers used data triangulation to check for
consistency of findings among the data gathered from examining documents and artifacts,
interview data, and the extensive literature review. Easton’s (1979) political systems model and
Kotter’s (1996) change model were applied as a method of linking the findings within these
larger perspectives (see Figure 1). As the interviews sought to obtain information about events
that occurred during the previous school year, the responses may have been subject to
degradation of memory over the intervening year. This possible degradation of memory may
have affected the reliability and validity of the interview results.
Summary
This case study used a qualitative approach using data from document analysis and semistructured interviews to elicit information from sample participants to address the study research
questions. The data from the six stakeholder group interviews helped paint a data-rich picture of
the experiences with one Southern California school district’s adoption process of an
intersectional ethnic studies curriculum. The data also helped the researchers understand the
tensions that the participants faced throughout the process leading up to the decision. These
findings are presented in Chapter Four, with a discussion of the findings in Chapter Five and a
comprehensive analysis of all individual data in Chapter Six.

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Chapter Four: Findings
The purpose of this case study was to examine a district adopting a new ethnic studies
(ES) curriculum in a politically contentious time in education. Specifically, I sought to
understand the motivations of involvement and resulting relationships between a communityorganized group and a school district before and during the adoption process of an ES
curriculum. This study utilized a conceptual framework joining Easton’s political model and
Kotter’s change process. The results of my study add to the research on political processes and
change in schools and, specifically, ES adoption in Southern California schools. My research
questions focused on the motivation for participation in the districts ’dialogue regarding ES, the
goals and concerns of the community organizers leading to their participation in the adoption
process, and how the engagement process with the school district affected the community
organizers ’confidence and trust in the district’s decision-making.
Participants
This qualitative study made use of interviews through the online platform Zoom. To
accommodate participants, one interview was a focus group in style and lasted approximately 2
hours. The following individual interviews were approximately 1 hour in length. Additionally,
members of the group provided me with information through email communication before the
interview, including articles on their group and the work that they have been accomplishing since
2017.
All study participants met the criteria as members of the community-organized group. All
six members considered themselves part of a multigenerational collective in the community with
close ties and rich histories in the school district. Two participants were siblings whose parents
worked as teachers in the district, attended schools in the district themselves, and are sending

50
their children to schools within the district. Three other participants were also parents of students
within the district. One participant was both a parent and a grandparent of students in the school
district. In all cases, the participants had worked within the community-organized group to bring
a more inclusive curriculum to the school district that is more representative of the rich histories
of the students within it.
Research Questions
The research findings are presented by each research question. The following research
questions were used to guide my study:
1. What was the motivation of community organizers for participating in the school
district’s dialogue regarding the adoption of an ethnic studies curriculum?
2. What were the community organizers ’concerns about the district’s adoption of
intersectional ethnic studies during the engagement process?
3. How, if at all, did the engagement process about intersectional ethnic studies by a
school district affect community organizers ’confidence in district decision-making?
Results for Research Question 1
Research Question 1 asked the following: What was the motivation of community
organizers for participating in the school district’s dialogue regarding the adoption of an ethnic
studies curriculum? The purpose of this question was to identify what reasons members of the
community organized group had for being a part of curriculum adoption. Given the political
climate due to the Trump administration’s call to action against critical race theory (CRT) and
Trump’s conflation of CRT with ES (Uscinski et al., 2021), this curriculum has become a
common topic at school board meetings across the country, and especially in California after AB
101 was passed (Young, 2022). As a result, understanding why groups outside of the school

51
district are motivated to participate in this conversation is of particular interest. Two themes
emerged from this research question: community involvement in decision-making, and
multigenerational responsibility and collective progress.
Community Involvement in Decision-Making
Of the six participants interviewed, all referenced the community as a necessary
contributor to district decision-making. Interviewee 1 explained that “student success” should not
be “limited [to] test scores” but should also be looked at “more broadly about family and
community.” She also noted that the ES curriculum should represent the community their
children come from and therefore should “look different” than in other districts “given [their]
distinct histories” to “demystify prevailing ideologies and misconceptions of distinct or different
groups” within the community. Interviewee 4 said, “Latinos and Asian Americans have been
pitted against each other in various ways . . . some with great animosity,” and because there has
not been “atoning” for this at the district leadership level, “it all kind of simmers at the edges.”
Interviewee 6 noted that it is important for the community to be an “integral part of creating a
curriculum” such as ES to take steps that help bring the community together.
The community organizers collectively believe that there are changes needed in the
district, to better represent the students and find greater success. They agreed that the community
needs to be involved with the district, but, equally, the district needs to be involved in the work
of the community. Interviewee 3 noted that they have worked toward a more democratic process
within the district’s board elections, hosting “community forums” and writing op-eds in local
newspapers. Interviewee 2 talked about the board elections as well, explaining that they wanted
to take this opportunity to show “examples of progressive community-based women of color
running for school board” and that the community-organized group also held “forums around

52
ethnic studies” bringing in “ethnic studies teachers from across [the state] to engage the
conversation” about what the curriculum could look like. Interviewee 4 said the district “talks
about community relationships” but that “it has to be beyond just a singular ethnic studies class
that is offered in a high school.” Interviewees 1 and 2 agreed that the work with this curriculum
was only a small part of the larger work with the community and school district.
Community presence in decision-making was noted as the main way participants have
experienced change in the district. Interviewee 2 said, “The only way, really, for education
change to really happen” is with a “strong community pushing, pushing the administration,”
adding that “the resolution [they wrote for ES] was written in the wake of the George Floyd
demonstrations and the police violence when everyone had high hopes for some change.” Three
interviewees directly noted the need for more to be done specifically to support students ’feelings
of representation within schools. Interviewee 5 said they “want the power of collective
community voices to be part of the decision-making within the district,” which is why they
remain “very present” and engaged.
The community organizers ’goal for ES as a curriculum was to represent the students ’
stories and histories and influence their futures by recognizing and not marginalizing them.
Interviewee 4 said that “when you feel a sense of belonging,” you are “able to achieve selfactualization.” Interviewee 1 said, “It’s also about certainly community and love and connection
and historical realization and transformation, so that those disparities, divisions, are not fueled in
the present and in the future.” Although the organizers ’resolution was not adopted, the work of
the group in the next school board elections did change the representation in those who were
elected, which was one of the group’s goals in assisting the adoption work of ES.

53
Multigenerational Responsibility and Collective Progress
The multigenerational work and responsibility of the community organizers were
additional motivating factors for their participation in this process. Interviewee 5 noted that the
work of the group has withstood “the test of time,” although it has experienced “significant
pushback [and] some struggles” over the years. Interviewee 1 said, “It’s a real, beautiful,
transgenerational collective that’s been successful in moving things despite various roadblocks,”
and that while those “roadblocks” can lead to “burnout, frustration, [and] aggravation,” the
collective gives power to the group’s continued work in picking up and continuing where others
have left off.
Because of the experiences of the community organizers as a collective, the district’s
histories are also still clearly remembered. Interviewee 1 explained that some of their members
“were in high school in the late ’60s and early ’70s” and that “there was a time in this district as
well where there were ethnic studies, classes . . . early ’70s. Fast forward then, even into the
’90s, when my mother . . . taught ethnic studies kind of class, right? So, there has been
precedent.” Interviewee 6 added that “through the race riots, [he] mediated conflict between the
principals and Black, White, and Latino students” and was very involved in all parts of the
school and district at that time.
Discussion for Research Question 1
When examining the motivation of the community organizers ’participation in the ES
adoption process, the two themes that emerged were community decision-making and
multigenerational responsibility and collective progress. The community organizers ’work
toward bringing a resolution to the school district on ES is in keeping with Bonilla et al.’s (2021)
findings that ES courses have a lasting, positive effect on student achievement. Community

54
involvement in district decision-making and general participation in schools positively influences
student outcomes, such as academic achievement and socioemotional development (Brown et al.,
2022). The motivation of the group comes from their deep ties to the community and having
their families still connected to the local schools. It benefits not only their local community but
also their own families to have a school system that shares the foundational values of self-care,
critical analysis of racism and other power relations, and responsiveness and relevance of the
curriculum to students (Sleeter & Zavala, 2020).
Results for Research Question 2
Research Question 2 asked the following: What were the community organizers ’
concerns about the district’s adoption of intersectional ethnic studies during the engagement
process? Participants in this study were asked to identify their concerns leading to their
involvement in the adoption process to identify potential barriers challenging the groups ’
dialogue and successful adoption of the curriculum. Understanding these potential barriers can
help districts avoid pitfalls and create a process that honors the group and acknowledges them
fully. The findings centered on three themes: district accountability and engagement, exclusion
and erasure, and political backdrop in education.
District Accountability and Engagement
Through participant interviews, it was evident that the school district’s accountability and
engagement with the community were a concern before the adoption process as well as
throughout it. Interviewee 5 wondered before participating, “Are they actually going to listen to
the voices of the community?” Interviewee 3 explained that, in their own engagement process to
write a resolution that they presented to the district, “we had representatives from every area in
the district” and every stakeholder group and that it “wasn’t a comfortable process at all.” Yet,

55
they felt that work had been ignored by district officials. Interviewee 1 explained that, leading
into the process, she felt that “the school district needs to know who our community is and needs
to provide critical spaces in our schools for those dialogues and historical foundations,” and she
was concerned based on past experiences.
Interviewee 1 described feeling that the district was “trying to divide further divisions
among the group” by capitalizing on where community members differed. She said, “Ethnic
studies is not just a class. It’s not just a graduation requirement. It’s just not to mark the box and
say that we did it.” She said she preferred that the district focus on ethnic studies as “a way of
thinking, a way of community and connectivity” instead.
Participants described district engagement with the community organizers during the
adoption process as “scripted,” “controlled,” “superficial,” and “tokenistic.” Interviewee 1
quipped, “So, here’s a survey. Fill out this survey. . . . Again, who has access to time and
resources to be able to fill out an online survey?” Interviewee 3 said that when she does speak up
about the process or decisions being made, she feels as though the district tries to “deal with”
her: “I don’t need to be handled. I don’t need to be smothered. I’m like, just do your job.”
Interviewee 6 explained that “the districts that are doing ethnic studies successfully are engaging
all the stakeholders.” Interviewee 2 noted that when “principals and central district folks” are not
a part of that work, “then there’s no real transformation.”
Participants also felt that certain stakeholders were not engaged in important parts of the
process. For example, Interviewee 4 explained, “They weren’t going to have a coordinator right
until we asked for one . . . and then it all happened super quickly after that.” Additionally,
participants brought up the use of consultants in this area. Interviewee 2 said, “It’s not
meaningful engagement,” and he felt that the district administrators present were “there to

56
protect the inner circle.” He also felt “it was not really a partnership” but was “instead a series of
meetings about different things in the district to learn about.” The district did not end up “using
our backgrounds and our knowledge and our experiences right to help shape [the curriculum].”
Exclusion and Erasure
Another area of concern for all participants was a feeling of exclusion. As previously
mentioned, the group felt left out of conversations regarding an ES coordinator. Interviewee 6
explained that the position “wasn’t open that long” and “we got emails about all these other
positions, but not this.” Interviewee 3 also noted that “we played no role in the hiring process, in
fact.”
The community organizers worked during the Trump presidency to establish the district
as a place of sanctuary for the students in their community who are immigrants in danger of
potential deportation. Interviewee 2 explained that they have been “involved beginning in 2016
in trying to create a sanctuary district,” and many of their members remember the “struggles in
the ’90s and earlier struggles in the 1970s.” Interviewee 1 explained that she believes “the
district has been doing a lot of erasure” over the years as they have fought to get classes like ES
back in schools, and then “the struggle for immigrant justice” heightened her feelings toward the
district.
Interviewee 1 noted that “when you shut out community . . . it’s not ethnic studies in any
way.” This feeling of exclusion carried over to all other study participants, who shared
sentiments that “there has not been a table that we’ve been invited to sit at” and that they “have
not been able to contribute in a meaningful way” and have felt “extracted when it suits the
district interests.” All participants ’deep ties to the community and many of their educational
backgrounds made this point of exclusion particularly upsetting. Interviewee 4 explained that

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“there’s a lack of trust” and that “we’re talking about people’s lived realities,” which makes
avoiding these conversations feel like “a sweeping under the rug.” They felt that the
conversations they had during the adoption process could have included meaningful discussions
about actual events that have happened in the community that have caused harm. Interviewee 3
mentioned that one of the meetings was at a local Buddhist temple, which was an opportunity to
talk about how when the temple was built, it “raised property values” and “pushed out families.”
She believed that the lived experience of gentrification should have been discussed, but she said
it is a hard conversation. She conceded, “If we can’t do it as adults, we can’t expect the kids to
do it. And that’s where training is also needed.”
Political Backdrop in Education
All participants described the national political climate and the effects on education and
schools. In particular, the Trump administration was noted as a struggle that made their
“movement over decades” to bring back a meaningful curriculum like ES become more critical
to accomplish. Interviewee 2 explained that “thinking about ethnic studies in a way that is more
critical, that takes into consideration the FAIR Act,” is essential and often not done by district
officials. The political landscape also created a critical push in the group’s work for a “sanctuary
district,” and Interviewee 6 noted that “there should be community members involved in this to
help overcome the terrible things working against it” but that “this notion of authentic
engagement has been lacking in the district for a long time.”
Several participants also felt that there was tension between the district and the
community organizers ’group over the years over political issues. Interviewee 2 introduced the
work that had been done regarding the California Voting Rights Act: “In order to address the
deep inequalities in the district . . . between [the different areas within the district] since 1970,”

58
the California Voting Rights Act was a way to address these inequalities, but “different people in
the district kind of wielded the distinctions that do exist, and the simmering tensions, and
sometimes have pointed at us as the source of those divisions” to interfere with this work.
The group also noted the uncomfortable work that it takes to create a quality process and
resulting curriculum with the many competing factors that make up the political climate.
Interviewee 1 reflected that, with ES, “you have to interrogate structural racism, right? White
supremacy. And definitely, you know, class differences due to our capitalist system and our
economic system.” They also brought up competing interest groups that are involved in the
conversation about the ES curriculum. For example, Interviewee 2 discussed how “a few
conservative Jewish-identified groups have been always worried about the representation of
Israel,” and how even at the state level, “there were a couple of discussions about Palestine and
colonialism, and things of that nature,” which animates groups that are “relatively small, but
politically very important.” Interviewee 5 noted that when the district gets pushback from these
groups, it “really affects engagement,” because when “things like gender and sexuality topics get
any pushback, it stops all conversation.” Interviewee 2 explained that he believed the district is
“oftentimes operating out of fear” and that “we live in a society in which we all kind of operate
out of fear.”
Discussion for Research Question 2
When examining the concerns of the community organizers during the engagement
process, the three themes that emerged were district accountability and engagement, exclusion
and erasure, and the political backdrop in education. All of the participants shared these concerns
in some way. Most participants had experiences with the district dating back to their childhoods,
so their concerns were not just current ones, but also historical. All participants also felt the

59
pressures of the political educational landscape as a result of how national politics has affected
schools and district decision-making. Most participants also expressed that the work they have
been doing as an organized group has not at all been easy and recognized that the work the
district must also do has challenges with competing viewpoints and interests.
The role of public schools must meet a variety of needs and balance the competing
priorities of the success of individuals as well as benefit more vulnerable groups (Hochschild &
Scovronick, 2004). When one of these priorities is not adequately met, it can cause distress and
frustration in a group. In this case study, participants belonged to a collective working to bring
more equitable outcomes to the local school district because of their histories of seeing that the
most vulnerable groups of their community continue to be threatened. The participants all said
they hope that the district will empower marginalized families and have inclusive involvement
practices (Baquedano-López et al., 2013) but expressed that previous inaction added to their
concerns.
Results for Research Question 3
Research Question 3 asked the following: How, if at all, did the engagement process
about intersectional ethnic studies by a school district affect community organizers ’confidence
in district decision-making? This question was asked to understand if the district’s engagement
process was indeed successful in building a relationship of trust. Existing research on
organizational change has shown that there are pitfalls that organizations can avoid to create a
better coalition with their members (Kotter, 2012). The community organizers came to the
engagement process as willing participants with an organizational vision of their own and were
working alongside additional stakeholders. To build confidence in creating change within an
organization, building capacity within the committees with a clear vision is essential (Fullan,

60
2015). Research Question 3 was designed to discover if the district had been able to accomplish
this. Two themes emerged from the interviews with participants: district avoidance, and
respecting ideas and people.
District Avoidance
All participants referenced ways in which they felt the district avoided diving deeply into
the ES curriculum and the engagement process. While most participants were able to reference
specific events and discussions centered around the curriculum, there were areas in that
engagement that diminished their confidence in the district.
Avoiding Deep Curriculum Exploration
The community organizers entered into the engagement process already having engaged
in a multiple-month process of their own to write a resolution that they proposed to the school
district. This resolution was not adopted by the district; instead, a series of meetings was held
through what was referred to as “learning partners.” Interviewee 2 explained that through these
conversations, the district referred to parts of the resolution written by the community organizers.
He recalled that “the district basically told us what was not gonna happen, right, and one was
gender.” According to three participants, there was pushback from a particular Jewish group
nearby that had concerns with gender’s presence in the curriculum, which was a reason why it
was not included in the title of the course. Interviewee 6 also relayed a conversation where they
were “told by district administrators . . . that it was never gonna be K through 12” and that they
would “only do the minimum requirement.” Interviewee 4 said,
Our youth have the capacity to understand structural racism because they live it every
day. . . . It’s just a matter of really digging deep into the ways that we can create a

61
holistic, very comprehensive curriculum that’s going to be applicable to even those in the
TK classrooms.
Most participants expressed disappointment that the district avoided exploring the curriculum for
the elementary level as well.
Avoiding Ownership
Another area in which two participants showed a lack of confidence was the ownership of
the course and process by the district. Interviewee 4 recalled a meeting where a presenting
administrator discussed course requirements at the high school and left out any mention of ES
even after the adoption. When asked about this, the administrator seemed to have forgotten ES
because it would not be a state requirement for several years. She explained that her younger
“kids are going to be required to take ethnic studies” when they get to high school, and by the
administrator not mentioning it, parents may “think it’s something extra, and it’s not. . . . It is
required.” She referenced these as “slights, these little ways of like forgetting” that interfere with
moving forward with ES. Interviewee 3 also noted that it takes more than “presenting from a
PowerPoint on what this is,” and it takes really “getting uncomfortable and engaging and
dialoguing” to be “truly deep learning.”
The use of a group of consultants was another way most participants saw the district
avoid ownership of the process and curriculum. Interviewee 2 felt that the district used the
consultants as “a buffer” to avoid “taking ownership of the real building of ethnic studies.”
Interviewee 6 believed that the consultants “were to manage the group” but did not see that it
was a process to create a curriculum at all.

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Avoiding Engagement
As mentioned in Research Question 2, participants expressed feelings that the
engagement process was not authentic or used for the actual work that would be adopted.
Interviewee 1 noted that “there were no essential administrators involved in [the learning partner
process] other than the two community people. . . . There definitely were teachers. There were a
few classified staff members, and then there were parents and other community members.” She
said “it was not really a partnership” but felt more like a series of activities. Interviewee 2
believed that “the administrators who are there are the gatekeepers to protect the inner circle,”
and that, although they collect information from the stakeholders, “they don’t pass it on.”
Participants explained that to be a participant in the adoption process, there was an
application that was not simple to complete. Interviewee 4 recalled that she found the online
application to be “not accessible.” For example, it was not presented in “any other language than
English. I didn’t see it in any Asian language. It was not in Spanish.” Interviewee 5 explained
that she did not participate in the engagement process ultimately; she began filling out the
application on her phone, and it was challenging. Three participants talked about the application
process and felt that it was “intentionally” challenging to “keep some folks out.”
Respecting Ideas and People
Most participants expressed that they had felt their relationship with the district was
strained. If the district had shown more respect for the ideas and people within the stakeholder
groups, there may have been more confidence formed, according to some participants.
Interviewee 1 recalled several times in the interview that the school district told the community
organizers that “we think you’ll be happy” with certain decisions made. This was expressed
regarding the hiring of an ES coordinator as well as the use of the term “intersectional” in the

63
title of the course. She pointed out that “intersectional was literally co-opted, and they claimed it
as their own” and then cut out the gendered portion of the conversation entirely. Interviewee 1
referred to this as a “false benevolence [rooted] in power.” Interviewee 6 believed this was an
attempt to avoid “letting us be a real part of the solution.” Interviewee 4 gave the example that
“we wanted to have representation on the committee or be able to meet with potential
coordinators.” Not only did this not happen, but they were not even aware when the posting was
made.
Additionally, members of the community organizers have years of experience in
education and with ES curricula. Interviewee 1 said, “We’re educators. We do this work, some
of us, for decades . . . designing the curriculum.” Not only was this expertise ignored, but
Interviewee 1 felt like it was actively being avoided. Interviewee 4 also felt that it is “offensive
that they were thinking that [someone with no background] would be leading ethnic studies.”
She said they started a petition to ensure the coordinator would be “highly qualified . . . and have
expertise in this area.” Many of the community organizers also felt a sense of disrespect in some
of the language used by the district. Interviewee 1 recalled that “we were not only ignored but
also insulted,” and they referred “to us as not professional professors in comparison to the
professional professors who were hired by the district” and served as consultants in the process.
Discussion for Research Question 3
This research question aimed to understand the relationship and trust the community
organizers had as a result of the engagement process. A deep caring and commitment to
democratic participation is needed so that there can be a collective support of the work in schools
(Daniel et al., 2019). The school district set out to create a learning space for various stakeholder
participants. The time and organization needed to accomplish a truly democratic and inclusive

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process is great, and clarifying a change within an organization is significant to its success
(Kotter, 2012). The district’s use of a consultant group created an unfortunate barrier that
impeded important stakeholders ’feelings of confidence in the district’s decision-making.
Summary
Research Questions 1 and 2 focused on the goals and concerns of the community
organizers leading to their participation in the early adoption of an intersectional ES curriculum.
The results from this study showed that the motivating forces for members of a communityorganized group to participate in the ES adoption process came from a sense of responsibility to
ensure that the best interests of the community are represented in the local school district
decisions. Many of the members of this group are also parents of students within the district and
want to ensure that their children ultimately have an inclusive and critically engaging educational
experience. The participants recognized that they did have concerns about the district’s decisionmaking and about the process itself and felt that there could have been improvement in that
process that would have led to a better ES curriculum. In particular, participants showed that
they were concerned about the district’s accountability and true engagement in the process and
ultimately felt excluded in important moments of the conversation. The participants noted that
the political landscape has been the cause of some of the work they have felt they need to do as a
group, but that it is also a challenge for both their group and the school district.
The third question focused on how the engagement process affected the community
organizers ’confidence in the district and its decision-making. According to participants, the
district’s avoidance was a major impediment to their confidence and trust in the district. They
felt a lack of true engagement to create an excellent curriculum. This feeling came from the
absence of upper administration in learning partner meetings as well as the challenging

65
application process to participate in conversations. Additionally, participants felt they were not
respected as community members, and even more so felt their expertise and knowledge in this
particular area of education were not valued or utilized.

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Chapter Five: Discussion
Chapter Five summarizes the findings of this case study, which looked at a school
district’s early adoption of an intersectional ethnic studies curriculum. Key research findings are
discussed to inform current and future educational leaders to understand ways to engage
community members in change processes in the context of political systems. Additionally,
recommendations for future research are made, as are recommendations for school districts
adopting new curricula.
This study focused on examining the experiences of a community-organized group in the
adoption process of an intersectional ethnic studies curriculum in a Southern California school
district. Given AB 101 and the timeline set out in the bill, ethnic studies will be a graduation
requirement for all high school students in California by 2030 (Gomez, 2020). The adoption of
the curriculum may look different in each school district and can allow for variation based on the
needs and representation within a particular community. This Southern California district’s
choice to establish the graduation requirement before the bill’s timeline and include
intersectionality within the course title indicated that there was support in the district for the
curriculum and the needs within the curriculum to include race, gender, and the effects of power
on individuals and society (Zavala et al., 2019). For districts, this action stands out in comparison
with some districts that have yet to finalize plans for how this course will be implemented and
others that plan to adopt the minimum requirements and model curriculum rather than deeply
investing time and considering community input on what the course should provide students
within the context of the communities they live in and the histories that live within them. The
following questions guided this research:
1. What was the motivation of community organizers for participating in the school

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district’s dialogue regarding the adoption of an ethnic studies curriculum?
2. What were the community organizers ’concerns about the district’s adoption of
intersectional ethnic studies during the engagement process?
3. How, if at all, did the engagement process about intersectional ethnic studies by a
school district affect community organizers ’confidence in district decision-making?
This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and document
analysis. This methodology was selected to understand community organizers ’motivations and
concerns before and during a curriculum adoption process as well as their confidence in the
school district’s decision-making as a result of the process. I conducted the document analysis
with articles and email communication between myself and the community organizers. The focus
group was selected for the majority of the interviews, as the group preferred this method and it
allowed for their collective stories to be comfortably relayed. This allowed me to understand
their first-person accounts of their experiences to draw broader conclusions about themes related
to those experiences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Summary of Findings
Study findings suggested that engagement, accountability, and community involvement
are essential in district decision-making. The findings also affirmed existing research on
community engagement (Brown et al., 2022), and the importance of parental connection with
schools in student engagement and success (Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Jeynes, 2013). Seven
themes were found concerning the three research questions. This section presents a summary and
discussion of the study’s findings in connection to existing literature and implications for current
practice.

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Research Question 1
Research Question 1 asked the following: What was the motivation of community
organizers for participating in the school district’s dialogue regarding the adoption of an ethnic
studies curriculum? Qualitative data related to Research Question 1 produced two findings.
Results from interview participants indicated their motivation for participating in the district’s
adoption of a curriculum related to their philosophical belief that community involvement in
decision-making is important and that they have a multigenerational responsibility in doing so.
This result is not surprising given the current research that community engagement directly
connects with student engagement and academic success (Daniel et al., 2019). Their particular
interest in ethnic studies also connects with this, as an inclusive process aligns with the curricular
goals of the course (Curammeng, 2022).
The first theme that emerged was that community involvement was a motivation for
participants for their involvement in the adoption process. Participants believed in authentic
community participation in district decision-making to create positive change that would extend
to the success of their children who attend these schools. Additionally, because of the nature of
ethnic studies, participants believed that the community was necessary in this process to ensure
that the course addressed relevant issues and deeply explored issues important to the local
community.
Another element of the theme of community involvement is a belief that, through this
process, the district could atone for previous actions and inactions. In the focus group, three
participants noted that the community has been pitted against itself at different times
strategically, to distract attention away from the district. This process of engagement could have
provided a sense of deep care and commitment to students (Daniel et al., 2019) by avoiding

69
previous tactics in turning the community outward against one another. Aside from this
atonement, ethnic studies itself requires a deep interrogation into the individuals and actions
within a place that has molded individuals ’identities within a community (Curammeng, 2022).
This made the involvement of members of the community even more essential as a motivation
for participation.
The second theme that emerged as a finding was the multigenerational sense of
responsibility and collective progress of the group as a motivating factor. The progress of the
adoption of ethnic studies in this Southern California community extended far before Assembly
Bill 101. Participants belong to a group that has been actively involved since the 1970s in issues
related to equity and inclusion in the school district. Ethnic studies was a course that did exist in
the school district at one time, and the act of bringing it back has been alive within the
participants ’group for generations. The love and respect for those who came before them as well
as the responsibility felt by the collective was another significant motivator for participants
agreeing to be a part of the adoption process within the district.
The findings suggested that participants had a high degree of collective responsibility for
their community and the schools in it. Research literature has documented the positive effects
that community engagement has on student success in schools (Baquedano-López et al., 2013;
Brown et al., 2022; Jeynes, 2013). Participants ’connection to the school as parents,
grandparents, and alumni aligns with their multigenerational sense of responsibility to their
community as well. All participants identified the collective as an important part of their success
as a community-organized group. Most participants also referred to their deep ties within the
community over the years and through family.

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Participants also implied motivation through their conversations about the work of the
community-organized group. This was simply that they all would like to see a robust ethnic
studies class developed and taught from elementary through high school. Some participants
noted that the course should be unique to their community. Others also noted that there is still
work to be done in terms of training to ensure it is done well.
Research Question 2
Research Question 2 asked the following: What were the community organizers ’
concerns about the district’s adoption of intersectional ethnic studies during the engagement
process? Results from interview data related to Research Question 2 aligned with existing
research on barriers and pitfalls in organization change (Fullan, 2007; Kotter, 2012) and centered
on three themes: district accountability and engagement, exclusion and erasure, and the political
backdrop in education.
The first finding centered on the need for authentic engagement, with a need for members
of a change process to take accountability for past actions and current decisions. Fullan (2007)
noted that it is the relationships between people that help an organization succeed. Participants
noted that their engagement process did not improve their relationships with the district or other
members of the engagement process because the meetings felt superficial and inauthentic.
Additionally, the membership of the group requiring a change needs to include important
members who will implement the needed elements of change. Kotter (2012) referred to a
powerful coalition needed to enact organizational change. Participants in the study mentioned
several instances where site administrators and lower-level district administrators did not have a
strong sense of the work behind ethnic studies. When initiatives are new to a group, it may be
necessary to hold additional training to appropriately prepare mid-level leadership for their roles

71
in enacting a particular change. While most curriculum adoption may not require an in-depth
understanding of the core content for an administrator, in the case of this curriculum, the
historical importance within this community and the imminent nature of the change make a more
thorough understanding important.
The second finding was that the participants ’view of the district and the engagement
process was colored by previous feelings of exclusion and erasure. Dee and Penner (2017) noted
the importance of culturally responsive caring in education and the benefits to students with
inclusive practices. Similarly, in this engagement process, the inclusion of people and ideas is
essential for buy-in and building the strong coalition Kotter (2012) described. Participants noted
that some of the feelings of exclusion came from being left out of important conversations, and
others felt this when difficult conversations were outright avoided. Especially when looking at a
curriculum like ethnic studies, participants believed that the adults in the group needed to explore
challenging topics around their own community but did not feel that they had the opportunity.
A third finding was that the political backdrop pushed the engagement process forward
and made for uncomfortable and challenging conversations. The school district was met with
concerns from different groups with opposing interests, exemplifying Horsford et al.’s (2018)
research on the politicization of schools. While participants wanted to see the curriculum
designed through a lens of intersectionality, including gender issues, another group within the
district was very opposed to this. The district’s understanding of these opposing views likely led
them to a more balanced approach. Attempting to appease both groups likely led to some of my
second findings, as the district likely wanted to avoid flaring tensions on the issues; however,
this led to the participants being left out of some decisions. While I do not have the view of the

72
opposing groups, they may have also felt left out of the same decisions in the district’s attempt to
appease both groups.
Research Question 3
Research Question 3 asked the following: How, if at all, did the engagement process
about intersectional ethnic studies by a school district affect community organizers ’confidence
in district decision-making? It was evident from the participant interviews that distrust and a lack
of confidence in the school district preceded the engagement process and were not helped as a
result of it. The first finding was that the avoidance of deep curriculum exploration, ownership of
the curriculum and process, and engagement led to these feelings.
Participants came into the process with a deep understanding of ethnic studies as a course
because of many of their professions in education as well as some members ’historical
connection to the curriculum. Because of this knowledge and work done to create a resolution for
the school district to read and possibly adopt, participants believed that the approach limiting the
course to the minimum requirement did not go far enough in terms of curriculum development.
Additionally, and in connection to the findings of Research Question 2, participants did not view
the engagement process as meetings intended to build a curriculum but rather felt that decisions
had already been made.
The majority of the participants had attended meetings where they felt district presenters
did not know enough about ethnic studies or were not willing to dialogue with families because it
is uncomfortable. Participants also mentioned the use of an outside consultant group as a way the
district avoided ownership of the process and resulting curriculum. Both Kotter and Fullan
discussed how moral purpose and a guiding vision are necessary to drive meaningful
organizational change. Participants ’belief that consultants were used as a buffer showed that the

73
ownership of the larger vision was not clear to the participants. The challenges some felt in even
applying to be a part of the conversations also created the feeling that there was no real desire on
the district’s part to fully engage with the group. Barriers to participation can be felt as
exclusionary and harm community involvement (Baquedano-López et al., 2013).
The second finding connects to the feelings of avoidance as well as Research Question
2’s finding of exclusion and erasure. Participants felt disrespected in the process because of the
language used and feeling not seen. Collaborative relationships among parents, teachers, and
administrators create a sense of belonging and shared responsibility (Brown et al., 2022). A lack
of relationship creates challenges in accomplishing a task as complex as curriculum adoption.
Some participants were insulted that their knowledge and experiences were not used to benefit
the work of the group, and their positionalities were also ignored. Language such as calling the
consultant group the “real professors” implied that participants were not able to bring the same
wealth of knowledge and experience as this outside group, despite their careers and years of
experience with ethnic studies specifically. This feeling of a lack of caring also has detrimental
effects on community partnerships that can benefit student outcomes if managed well (Daniel et
al., 2019).
Limitations
The limitations of this study’s findings included generalizability due to the focus on only
one case study of a small number of participants. The case study looked at one Southern
California district, and the participant group was also small. Not all members of the communityorganized group agreed to participate in the study, so the findings are limited to a portion of the
members within that group. Additionally, because of the focus on one group within the
engagement process, there is the potential for researcher bias toward the participants within this

74
group. I focused on what was presented within the course of the interviews, and the limitation of
this small sample size gives my findings weight toward their experiences.
Although the sample size was small and had the potential for researcher bias, the results
of this study aimed to help other districts in their own change processes with ethnic studies and
in future cases of curriculum change. Understanding even a small population’s experiences can
help to promote successful practices and avoid errors that can have damaging consequences for
districts ’work.
Implications for Practice
This study examined the experiences of a group of community organizers who
participated in the adoption process of an intersectional ethnic studies course as a graduation
requirement. Study findings established themes that can inform educational leadership at the site
and district level about implementing change processes such as an added graduation requirement.
By understanding participants ’motivations and concerns in this work, educational leaders can
better engage community members in ways that increase their confidence in their decisionmaking. The overarching implication for practice is that, when considering change and
developing a process to enact it, educational leaders must consider inclusive engagement,
ownership of the process and resulting product, and respect for all stakeholders.
The first implication of practice involves methodology for the selection of participants in
a decision-making process. The purpose of this focus is to ensure that there is a collection of
individuals who will provide input for the multitude of voices within the district community. The
selection methods must be inclusive and consider the ease or difficulty in voicing interest. For
example, in this case study, the online application during the COVID-19 pandemic created some
challenges, as participants reported having to write multiple-paragraph answers on their cell

75
phones to complete the process. Additionally, participation in the actual meetings should also be
considered. In this case study, most meetings occurred through the online platform Zoom. This
aided in the involvement of some, but others noted that for such a deep topic, having
conversations online did not give the group an easy platform to have meaningful conversations.
Additionally, this also limited participation to those with easy access to a computer and internet.
The second implication of practice involves training district and site leadership in the
change initiative, in this case, ethnic studies. The purpose of this is to ensure that when the
change is being launched at the district level, all members of leadership who will be in positions
to ensure implementation have the essential capacity to do so. Similarly, having these same
members of leadership be involved in an adoption process committee could also help with this
ownership and could help the outside community feel a sense of investment in the district
through their full participation and collective knowledge on the new initiative.
The third implication of practice involves what Kotter referred to as creating a vision for
change within a powerful coalition. There are times in education when different stakeholder
groups come to the table with different interests than the district or other stakeholders. While this
is not something that can be avoided, communicating a clear vision can help eliminate some
contentious feelings. Placating one group with a small win is beneficial only if that win is
authentic and will come to fruition. In the case study, there were “wins” that the participants did
not consider positive. For example, using the term “intersectional” in the course title but leaving
out the gendered piece of that conversation only caused distrust in the district’s intentions.
Additionally, honoring the stakeholders for what they bring to the table is also important in
ensuring members of a process feel respected.

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Future Research
There has been extensive research about organizational change (Weston et al., 2017;
Kotter, 2012), but more is needed in terms of school change in politically contentious climates.
This case study was done at the beginning of a period when California school districts were
preparing to adopt ethnic studies curricula. This district was unique in the early adoption of a
graduation requirement before AB 101’s timing for implementation as well as the overt inclusion
of intersectionality. Through this district’s work to adopt intersectional ethnic studies, other
districts will be able to preview the challenges and successes as they endeavor on their own
journeys for change.
The first recommendation for future research is further exploration into building powerful
coalitions within a political system of opposing voices. The research on building coalitions is
extensive; however, a limitation is that the research does not explore how to do this when there
are strong opposing voices within and alongside an organization. It would be beneficial for
future research to focus on how to approach this issue when the topic of change has political
divisions already ingrained within it.
The second recommendation for future research is to support educational leaders in
implementing organizational change in a political system with opposition to the agreed-upon
initiative. Especially in the case of mid-level administrators, their capacity for moving the
change forward is essential for the organization’s success in that change (Fullan, 2007).
Additional research in the area of building capacity within leadership to better serve these
purposes is an important addition to our knowledge base in enacting change.

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Conclusions
This study confirmed that strong stakeholder involvement in the adoption of a curriculum
is important for community engagement. Building a strong coalition toward a guiding vision is
essential for the work being done and also helps to develop helpful working relationships
(Kotter, 2012). This study also provided evidence that increased training is needed in times of
organizational change to increase educational leaders ’capacity. This capacity building is
essential for leading other members within the education community who have both participated
and not participated in the adoption of that change. A clear moral purpose and sense of identity
are needed as well (Fullan, 2007). This study may offer insight to educational leaders that
enacting a curricular change in a politically complex setting requires authentic engagement, a
clear guiding vision, and capacity building of leadership.

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Chapter Six: Synthesis of Recommendations
In Chapter Six, we delve into the heart of our research, weaving together the varied
perspectives we have gathered to address the complexities of policy adoption within one
Southern California school district. This analysis is rooted in the insightful frameworks of
Easton’s (1979) political systems framework and Kotter’s (2012) change theory, applied to
understand the constituent engagement process in the adoption of an ethnic studies resolution by
the district during a notably contentious period in both the nation and the local community: the
2020–2021 school year. In utilizing the Easton conceptual framework, “the task of the theorist is
to identify sharply the particular aspect or segment of the political system on which he is
focusing and to construct a body of logically interrelated propositions adequate for explaining
behavior in this area” (Easton, 1979, p. 8). The behaviors of the district at this time lent
themselves to the finalization of a shared vision that translated into the successful adoption of an
intersectional ethnic studies resolution. A deeper question, however, exists under the surface of
this achievement: Was true constituent consensus produced through the process? In this case
study, the answers to this question vary according to the constituent group under examination.
Informed by Kotter’s (2012) change theory, we have analyzed the findings for each
constituent group to glean key themes that echo across the experiences of all groups involved,
from school board and senior district leaders to community organizers, consultants, teachers, site
and junior district administrators, and parents. These themes shine a light on the multifaceted
nature of the district’s community engagement efforts within the consensus-building process,
highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. It is crucial to note that the
interchangeable use of terms such as community engagement, consensus building, and
community education throughout our discussion reflects the district’s lack of clarity in these

79
areas, rather than any ambiguity on the part of the researchers. This distinction underscores the
importance of precise language and strategies in policy adoption and community engagement
efforts. It is also important to consider the context of time and how the political and social
dynamics of the pandemic, post–George Floyd, and the Trump administration contributed to the
complexities of this study. The uniqueness of this time period added a level of intricacy for
leaders that may have influenced the various experiences shared by each educational partner.
By employing Easton’s framework, we identified significant disconnections in the
feedback loop of policy implementation, where the community’s expectations and the district’s
outputs often misalign (Easton, 1979). Similarly, Kotter’s theory offered a strategic lens through
which to enhance genuine stakeholder engagement, focusing on building urgency, forming
strategic alliances, and empowering stakeholders to bridge the perceived gaps between district
intentions and community perceptions (Kotter, 2012). A particularly striking theme is the
community’s skepticism toward the engagement process, often viewed as superficial or
predetermined. This skepticism undermines trust and questions the legitimacy of the engagement
efforts. Drawing on Kotter’s principles, we suggest pathways to mitigate these concerns,
emphasizing the importance of genuine inclusivity, transparency, and active participation in
rebuilding trust and fostering meaningful community involvement (Kotter, 2012).
These pathways to mitigate concerns and maximize trust must also consider the tensions
that clearly existed throughout the adoption process. The tensions we collectively discovered
contain complex contradictions that can be expected in a major change event of a political
system. In the course of this school board and district leadership’s IES adoption work, the
specific areas of tension that could have been accounted for were in the areas of curriculum,
decision-making, collaboration, communication, and relationships. In each area, the district

80
leadership must make decisions that serve the purpose of the adoption process while navigating
contradicting factors. For example, in this case study, the district leadership had to make some
hierarchical decisions to move forward in the adoption of IES, but the community stakeholders
needed an understanding of how their voices would be used in the process as well. A lack of
clarity in this led to distrust and frustration. Clear communication about what involvement in the
adoption process would look like and result in could have smoothed over this tension in
decision-making. Moving into any engagement process, district leaders can prepare for these
tensions and take measures to mitigate potential negative effects. Table 1 lists the tensions and
contradictions to be expected in an adoption process.
From our analysis, we recommend several strategies to refine the policy adoption
process. These include developing truly inclusive engagement strategies that have a tangible
impact on decision-making, enhancing communication to more accurately reflect and include
diverse community perspectives, and addressing concerns related to exclusion and the perception
of engagement as merely performative. These recommendations aim to equip educational leaders
with practical approaches to navigate the complexities of community engagement more
effectively and equitably.
This chapter not only synthesizes our findings but also serves as a blueprint for future
efforts in policy adoption. By bridging theoretical insights with actionable recommendations, it
guides educational leaders toward fostering an educational landscape that is more inclusive,
responsive, and reflective of the community’s diverse needs and aspirations.

81
Table 1
Tensions in a Curriculum Adoption Process
Area of tension Contradictions What to avoid
Curriculum External curriculum: The outward
representation of the curriculum in
name and marketing
Internal curriculum: The actual
components of the curriculum
including all learning targets
A curriculum that is not
transparent to families or
community members has
potential for future conflict
as curriculum is
implemented.
Decisionmaking
Hierarchical direction: District
leader/school board top-down
decisions both pre- and postengagement
Collaborative consensus building:
Engagement process creating a shared
and collective understanding
While there is a need for both
types of decision-making at
different times, a focus on
one approach at the expense
of the other can result in
frustration or confusion.
Collaboration Scripted tokenism: Appeasing
oppositional stakeholders to avoid
conflict
Authentic engagement: Using
stakeholder contributions to guide
decisions
Inauthentic tokenism leads to
fractured relationships and a
breakdown of trust.
Communication Narrative control: District leaders being
the only voice
Narrative inclusion: Stakeholder input
included in communications
Including stakeholder voices
in a transparent narrative to
the community helps
promote trust.
Acknowledging shortcomings: Leader
accountability when things go wrong
Celebrating wins: Promoting positive
outcomes publicly
While it is important to
celebrate short-term wins, it
is equally as important to
share the challenges
encountered.
Relationships Avoiding challenging voices: Leaders
creating obstacles for participation
Promoting involvement of all: Creating
accessible opportunities to engage
Including all voices allows for
an authentic process where
bridges can be built and
partnerships can be formed.

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Consultants as proxy to district
leadership: Using outside groups or
individuals to engage in place of
district leadership
Community partnering: District leaders
being active participants
Consultants can be helpful
facilitators, but it is
essential that district leaders
are also at the table
engaging in conversations.
School Board and Senior District Leaders
When exploring the experiences of only the senior district leaders and the school board, it
would seem that the community engagement process was an incredibly successful endeavor.
Taking a comprehensive view of this study and considering the experiences of the various
stakeholder groups provided insights that offered new findings and recommendations. One area
emerged in the perceptions of the process’s effectiveness. District employees generally viewed
the engagement process as positive and effective, but other community stakeholders, particularly
community organizers and some parents, perceived it as performative and strategically crafted to
be a gatekeeper for true participation from some community members. This points to a gap
between the intentions of the school district and the perceptions of its community members. This
situation can be analyzed through Easton’s political systems framework, where the experiences
and perceptions of educational partners serve as inputs to the educational policy system,
highlighting a disconnection in the feedback loop between policy outputs and community
expectations (Easton, 1979).
A common theme across the stakeholder groups was the concept of tokenism and the
belief that the board had already decided to adopt ethnic studies; many described the engagement
process as a formality rather than a genuine decision-making exercise. Such perceptions raise
concerns about the authenticity and impact of community engagement in policy adoption and

83
further deepen the existing mistrust the community has with the district. In this context, Kotter’s
(1996) change model could guide the district in creating a sense of urgency around addressing
these concerns, forming a coalition of diverse stakeholders to foster genuine engagement and
transparency in the decision-making process.
Based on these findings, several recommendations emerged. If community input is the
goal, the district might consider ensuring future processes are inclusively designed and have a
real impact on decision-making. Addressing perceptions of tokenism is crucial in the effort to
develop trust. Improving communication strategies to include diverse parental and community
perspectives is essential for ensuring transparency and responsiveness, especially in light of past
distrust in this area. Applying Kotter’s (2012) steps, such as communicating the change vision
and empowering broad-based action, would help in operationalizing these recommendations.
Finally, addressing concerns around exclusion and the performative nature of the engagement
process, especially raised by community activists and marginalized groups, could increase trust
and buy-in. These insights highlight the complexities of policy adoption in educational settings
and underscore the importance of considering the varied perspectives of all educational partners
involved in transformative processes.
Community Organizers
After a review of all researchers ’findings, it appears that the district stakeholders ’
experiences and perceptions of the early adoption process differed largely from those of the
community organizers. The school district senior leadership’s impact in the early adoption work
did not match their intended outcomes through the view of the community organizers. Although
partnership and dialogue were a major goal of district stakeholders, community organizers felt
their participation was not sought out authentically and, in some cases, that the district was

84
attempting to avoid community members who may have caused them more work or conflict by
bringing up their concerns rather than truly listening.
Educational leaders can learn from this experience by noting several themes that, if
avoided, could create better partnerships with the communities they serve and leverage those
connections to achieve more for the students in their schools. One is accountability and
engagement. District officials are in a unique position to help bridge divides within a community
with the common goal of providing safe, inclusive, and rigorous learning experiences for all
students. To do this, there must be a clear understanding of the needs of the community in all of
its factions, which requires difficult conversations of sometimes opposing viewpoints.
Additionally, when a district deeply engages with stakeholders for a common purpose,
confidence and respect are built in the community being served (Brown et al., 2022).
Based on the themes uncovered with community organizers, recommendations for
educational leaders include a need for leader preparation in topics they will be responsible for
implementing in their schools as well as seeking connection with all members of the community
with accessible means of engagement. For example, all materials for community consumption
should have some opportunity for easy translation into multiple languages, and opportunities for
participation should be during times and in places that help promote participation. One way these
district leaders helped engagement was by making meetings accessible through Zoom; however,
accessibility needs to be further considered. Technology can limit participation for those who are
not as comfortable with online tools or who do not have internet access. Language barriers can
also hinder participation if materials are offered in English only, as was the case in the school
district’s application for the engagement process.

85
Additionally, educational leaders under the direction of senior leadership must have a
clear understanding of the initiatives and laws governing schools. They should also be able to
speak to the district’s stance and direction. For example, community organizers explained how
site leaders presenting on graduation requirements and course offerings at various parent
meetings did not seem to understand that ethnic studies had become a graduation requirement in
the district. This was both concerning and offensive to the groups of parents who had given their
time to participate in the engagement process for the course. Confidence is built on clarity and
competence and is damaged when members of the organization are not knowledgeable.
Finally, district leaders must transparently set their goals prior to working with multiple
voices and groups. Community organizers and some additional members of the engagement
process entered into dialogue with a different idea of what the purpose for the meetings would
be. It was not clear that the course was already set to be adopted and that the meetings would be
about learning about ethnic studies and not focused on building curriculum and hiring essential
personnel for the course and diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Had all members understood
their purpose in participating in this process, some might have elected not to participate and
others might have participated with reservations about the district’s decisions, but all could have
been clearer about the direction of the district and potentially have seen the district as more
transparent and trustworthy.
Consultants
Getting a full scope of each educational partner’s experience with the Southern California
School District’s early implementation of intersectional ethnic studies revealed future
implications for consultants in any change initiative. Both the consultants and the community
organizers shared a concern about the senior district leaders ’avoidance of implementing ethnic

86
studies in its truest form, specifically with gender studies. Although senior district leaders
communicated a desire to develop ethnic studies, consultants and community organizers
observed the opposite. Senior district leaders did not make an effort to increase their depth of
knowledge around ethnic studies. The senior leadership did not fully participate in the
community engagement process, which caused consultants and community organizers to
question their commitment. According to community organizers and consultants, senior district
leaders did not want to give gender studies adequate attention and focus. Therefore, the term
intersectional was added to ethnic studies to avoid creating a specific gender studies component.
“Intersectional” was used to encompass gender studies and lump it in with other ethnic studies
courses rather than providing a standalone gender studies course.
Initiating change that is authentic and beneficial requires active and intentional
participation from all educational partners. If the senior district leaders are unable to fully engage
in the process, decisions such as leaving out a large and essential component of the change
initiative such as gender studies can occur. One should, before accepting a position as a
consultant, engage in some type of onboarding process that lays out a clear agreement between
both parties. A key role of a consultant is to provide a shared understanding of the initiative. If
consultants can be clear from the beginning with senior district leaders that a crucial component
is deepening their education to fully create a partnership with the community, feelings of angst or
discord can be avoided. It would also be helpful for senior district leaders to be clear with their
goals and intentions for the consultants. Active participation from senior district leaders and their
willingness to engage in deep and meaningful learning could have been the catalyst for
implementing a more authentic and inclusive ethnic studies.

87
Teachers
Based on the findings of the teachers’ perspective on the adoption process for ethnic
studies in the Southern California School District, future implications indicate that teachers need
more opportunities to become engaged in policy decision-making. Specifically in Easton’s
political systems framework, a main component is the feedback loop, where stakeholders feel
that their opinions and ideas are acted upon (Easton, 1979). The teachers ’conceptual idea of
being engaged in the process means that they feel empowered by their district to be actively
involved in decision-making and the outcomes. This also means that most of their opinions and
ideas are embedded within the structures of the adoption process. The teachers shared that
listening circles were the most opportune time to feel as though they were a part of the
engagement process in adopting ethnic studies. They indicated that the district sending out
memos and emails with updates was not an effective way to engage their opinion in the process.
Teachers mentioned that although they recognize that reading through communications is a
professional responsibility, doing so only continues to perpetuate the traditional “one-way”
communication between the district and its teachers.
Using Easton’s political systems framework will allow educational leaders to consider
multiple perspectives, especially those of teachers, and how their engagement and work directly
affect students of their communities (Easton, 1979). More importantly, this research revealed the
importance of building a culture of care and trust among the school sites, district office, and the
community. For administrators at the district and site levels, it is essential that they are concise
with communication, build trust, and empower teachers before the implementation of new
policies and curricula. These are critical elements to ensure an adoption process that is conducive
to the needs of the school district and community’s goals.

88
Overall, the teachers felt that the adoption process was similar to how the district has
historically operated in decision-making. There was not much that was different from the status
quo. It was evident that collaborative inquiry is essential for the school district to engage with all
educational partners in new policy and decision-making, but this was theoretical. This is not
what entirely happened in their perspectives. Educational experiences are meant to be active and
relatable and maintain societal contexts of the community. Having teachers just to “fill a seat” at
the table is not collaborative; it is transactional. They felt that unless one was part of the
committee, everyone else received email updates, and this was just a passive way of not
including voices that are vital to the process. Feedback should also be more than acknowledged.
It needs to be integrated, such as through the feedback loop described by Easton (1979). The
process felt reactionary, rather than coherent with a vision aligned with the district/initiative
values. District leaders must truly work on fostering relational trust with the people they entrust
to coordinate and lead the initiative. This means more time making meaningful connections on
campuses if district leaders want to see collective buy-in and change. Essentially, the teachers
said, the district should not invite someone to have a seat at the table if it is not also going to give
them a voice that is heard and valued.
Site Administrators and Junior District Administrators
The findings of this case study as they pertain to site and junior district administrators
demonstrated a collective confidence in the district’s methodology for building consensus around
difficult issues with multiple constituent groups. A comparison of these findings, however, with
the information gleaned from other affected groups—parents, community organizers, and
consultants—underscores the importance of obtaining impressions from all constituencies about
the quality of a consensus-building process. From an outside or public perspective, the consensus

89
development process undertaken by the district was successful; the intersectional ethnic studies
resolution passed with a unanimous vote by district school board members. From the perspective
of some constituents, however, the consensus generated by the district was not inclusive or
reflective of all affected groups. The findings gleaned in this project from studying other
constituent groups are generally at odds with the findings resulting from a study of site and
junior district administrators; these conflicting conclusions generate fair and urgent questions
about the true success of the consensus-building process: Did the process build true consensus or
only the appearance of consensus? Is the consensus-building process still valid if, as described in
this study as well as the study of district leadership and school board members, district leaders
had decided on a course of action before the consensus-building process?
As discussed in Chapter Five, two questionable practices took place during the process of
selecting listening circle attendees. First, those stakeholders who wished to attend listening
circles had to fill out an application and be accepted; second, the district appears to have
selectively chosen applicants who would be in support of ethnic studies. These practices would
act as barriers to known opponents of ethnic studies, ensuring a less conflicted environment for a
listening circle discussion. Although the findings of the study about site and junior district
administrators paint the picture of a successful consensus-building process, the question raised
by these practices deserves further attention: Are such practices ethical, even if they do result in
a greater sense of community consensus?
A study of these questions through the lens of a layered Easton/Kotter conceptual
framework requires us to locate exactly where in the district’s journey through the framework
these questions arise (Easton, 1979; Kotter, 2012). In Chapters Four and Five, the
administrators ’impressions of the stresses present in the district just prior to and throughout the

90
consensus-building process generally correlated with the impressions of other constituent groups.
The formation of a guiding coalition also appears to have occurred generally without
controversy, although the coalition was composed of only district employees. It is in the process
of building a vision in a politically charged school system that questions are raised about the
possible silencing of constituent voices through practices that screened for those voices to
produce an atmosphere more conducive to agreement.
Parents
This study on the adoption of intersectional ethnic studies in a Southern California school
district provides significant insights into parental engagement and the dynamics of educational
reform processes. One of the key future implications for parental engagement in change
initiatives is the critical need for transparent communication. The findings underscore the
importance of open and ongoing dialogue with parents and community members to foster trust
and a shared understanding of educational reforms ’objectives and processes. Moreover, the
study revealed the necessity of recognizing parental input as valuable throughout the decisionmaking and implementation stages. Ensuring that parental feedback is meaningfully integrated
can enhance the quality and relevance of educational offerings. Additionally, diversity and
inclusivity in engagement strategies emerged as crucial, suggesting that future initiatives should
adopt more inclusive strategies that recognize and accommodate the varied cultural sensitivities
and backgrounds of the school community through tailored engagement strategies.
Recommendations for school districts navigating change processes include developing
and implementing inclusive communication plans that outline engagement with parents and the
community, establishing continuous feedback mechanisms, and fostering collaborative cultures
to build collective capacity. These strategies, aligned with Fullan’s change theory, emphasize the

91
importance of creating a supportive environment for change grounded in shared values and a
common vision (Fullan, 2007). Furthermore, adopting an adaptive and reflective approach to
change is essential, as is prioritizing equity and inclusion in curriculum development. By
integrating Easton’s political systems framework with Fullan’s principles, this study highlighted
the necessity of an educational system that is responsive and adaptive to community needs and
feedback, continually assessing the effectiveness of implemented strategies and adjusting plans
based on feedback and evolving community needs (Easton, 1979; Fullan, 2007).
Summary
Through the media coverage of heated political debates between school boards and
community groups resulting in recall efforts, and amid polarized political powers post–George
Floyd and the Trump administration, tensions were extremely high between the district and its
educational partners. Many of the educational partners ’personal ties to the community and
district have a deep-rooted history that gave insight into their behaviors and activities as they
constructed and reconstructed their social reality through educational policy.
These insights from this Southern California school district’s experience with IES
implementation offer actionable recommendations for fostering a supportive environment that
embraces all stakeholders ’contributions in pursuing educational excellence and equity. By
prioritizing transparent communication, inclusive engagement strategies, and a reflective
approach to change, districts can navigate the complexities of educational reforms effectively.

92
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Appendix A: Interview Protocol for Senior District Leaders and Board Members
The following interview protocol is intended for Senior District Leaders and School
Board members of Urban USD. Members of this stakeholder group were asked interview
questions related to three research questions.
Research Questions
1. What stresses led the district to implement a community engagement process before
making the decision to adopt intersectional ethnic studies?
2. What did the school board and senior district leaders hope to accomplish through the
adoption of a community engagement “campaign”?
3. What impact did the community engagement process have on board members and
senior district leaders regarding the adoption of intersectional ethnic studies?
Introduction
Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today. I appreciate the time that you have set
aside to answer my questions. As I mentioned when we last spoke, the interview should take
about an hour. Does that still work for you?
Before we get started, I want to remind you about this study and answer any questions
you might have about participating in this interview.
Your contribution is critical to this research about the policy adoption of intersectional
ethnic studies. You were chosen because you were a sitting board member during the process of
engagement with the community amid rapid political polarization. The aim of our conversation
today is to get your perspective as you describe the experiences that led to the adoption of
intersectional ethnic studies in your district last year. I’m interested in how you interpreted the
events of the community engagement process and the factors that played a role in your decision

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to support the adoption of ethnic studies in advance of AB 101 mandate to implement by 2029–
2030.
You have a copy of the Study Information Sheet and Signed Consent Form, but, as a
reminder, the notes and recordings from our conversation will remain confidential and your
identity will be protected. The data for this study will be compiled into a report, and while I do
plan on using some of what you say as direct quotes, none of this data will be directly attributed
to you. I will use a pseudonym to protect your confidentiality and will try my best to de-identify
any of the data I gather.
As stated in the Study Information Sheet, I will keep the data in a password-protected
computer, and all data will be destroyed after 3 years. I’d like to record our conversation so I can
be sure to capture all of your thoughts accurately. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to record. If at
any time during the interview you would like to stop, all you have to do is say the word, and I’ll
stop the recording. The recording is solely for my purposes to best capture your perspectives and
will not be shared with anyone outside the research team.
May I have your permission to record our conversation?
Might you have any questions about the study before we get started?
Questions
I’d like to start with the point in time when you were first introduced to AB 101, the CA
state bill mandating that all high school students take one ethnic studies course as a graduation
requirement by the school year 2029–2030.
1. What was your initial impression of the AB 101 ethnic studies mandate?
• Tell me what you recall about your position on ethnic studies at that time.
• What were some of the feelings that stand out in your memory from that time?

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We’ve been talking about your personal experiences and beliefs prior to the demand for
adopting ethnic studies. I now want to turn your attention to the process of community
engagement.
2. Can you describe the political atmosphere preceding the decision to employ the
community engagement process?
• Tell me about how the post-George Floyd racial awakening influenced the
environment at that time, if at all.
• Tell me about how the Black Lives Matter movement influenced the
environment at that time, if at all.
• Tell me about how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the environment at
that time, if at all.
3. Can you reconstruct the events that precipitated the community engagement process?
• How was the consultant group selected?
• What role did the community activist group play?
4. How did the board/district define community engagement?
5. What strategies were used to engage the community in the process? Which
stakeholders were the board/district hoping to involve in the community engagement
process? (various stakeholders, including students, parents, educators, community
leaders, and advocacy groups)
6. What did you hope to accomplish with the meetings?
You’ve recalled many of the events and key moments that occurred prior to the meetings,
but I’m curious about the emotions at play during the community engagement process.
7. How would you describe the response from stakeholders to these activities?

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8. In what ways did the community engagement activities achieve your desired
outcomes?
9. Were there any unexpected outcomes or reactions? If so, please describe.
• Can you give examples of things that went well?
• Tell me about some of the things that didn’t go well.
10. Some people might say that ethnic studies imposes a narrow political ideology and
polarizes students by viewing history through a racial lens. What are your thoughts on
this perspective?
Building on our previous discussion, I’d like to explore the role the community
engagement process played in shaping the board’s decision making regarding policy adoption,
and how this process may have influenced the policy outcomes.
11. How, if at all, did the engagement process influence your decision to approve the
adoption of intersectional ethnic studies?
12. Looking back, what would you say were the key takeaways or lessons learned from
the community engagement process in relation to the adoption of intersectional ethnic
studies?
Closing
I’d like to finish by asking some background questions about you.
13. Can you tell me about your background outside of the board?
• How did you become involved in the board of education?
• How long have you served on the board?
This covers the things I wanted to ask. Is there anything else you’d like to add about the
process of intersectional ethnic studies adoption that I might not have covered?

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Thank you again for the time you offered today. I really appreciate your time and
willingness to share your experiences serving on the board during the process of adopting ethnic
studies in your district. Everything that you have shared is really helpful for my study. If I find
myself with a follow-up question, can I contact you, and, if so, is email okay?
Again, thank you for participating in my study.

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Appendix B: Interview Protocol for Community Organizers and Religious Group Members
The following interview protocol is intended for Community Organizers associated with
Urban USD. Members of this stakeholder group were asked interview questions related to three
research questions.
Research Questions
1. What was the motivation of community organizers for participating in the school
district’s dialogue regarding the adoption of an ethnic studies curriculum?
2. What were the community organizers ’concerns about the district’s adoption of
intersectional ethnic studies during the engagement process?
3. How, if at all, did the engagement process about intersectional ethnic studies by a
school district affect community organizers ’confidence in district decision-making?
Introduction
My name is Michelle England, and I am a researcher at the University of Southern
California’s Rossier School of Education. I am conducting a case study on the adoption of ethnic
studies in your school district to examine the process implemented for decision making. It is
important for education leaders to study the successful adoption of curriculum change, as all
California districts will be going through similar processes and findings can be used to better
implement other significant curricular and instructional changes.
During this interview, I hope to learn more about your experiences as a group member
outside of the school district. I am particularly interested in learning about your involvement in
the engagement process as well as your motivated interest in participation in the process.
The information that you provide will hopefully serve to support the work many
California school districts will do in the adoption of ethnic studies.

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I want to assure you that your comments will be strictly confidential. I will not identify
you, or your organization, by name. I would like to tape-record this interview in order to capture
information that I may have missed. Would this be okay with you?
The research questions for this study include the following:
1. What was the motivation of community organizers and religious organizations
outside of the school district in participating in the school district’s dialogue
regarding the adoption of an ethnic studies curriculum?
2. What were the community organizers ’and religious group members ’goals and
concerns about the district’s adoption of intersectional ethnic studies during the
engagement process?
3. How, if at all, did the engagement process about intersectional ethnic studies by a
school district affect community organizers ’and religious group members ’
confidence in district decision-making?
The interview should take approximately 45 minutes.
Thank you for your time.
I’d like to start by asking you some background questions about you.
1. First, in what way(s) are you connected to Urban School district?
2. In what way(s), if any, are you involved in the broader community?
Main Interview Questions
Now, I’d like to ask you some questions about ethnic studies and the district’s adoption
process.
1. What, if any, is your understanding regarding Assembly Bill 101 regarding ethnic
studies?

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2. What information had you heard, prior to your adoption of the course, about ethnic
studies?
3. What, if any, involvement did you have with the school district prior to discussions
surrounding ethnic studies adoption?
4. If you have been involved in the past, what has your experience been like interacting
with district officials?
5. What were your reasons for becoming involved in the conversation surrounding
ethnic studies adoption?
6. What opinions or feelings did you have about Ethnic Studies prior to your
interactions with the school district?
• What do you attribute your opinions/ feelings to?
• Did those opinions or feelings change after you became involved in the
adoption process of this new course? If they changed, what do you attribute
this change to?
7. How involved did you feel in the ultimate adoption of ethnic studies and
intersectional ethnic studies?What do you attribute these feelings to/why do you feel
this way?
8. How valued do you feel your voice was through surveys administered by the district?
9. How valued do you feel your voice was through listening circles administered by the
district?
10. How satisfied are you with the adoption of ethnic studies following the engagement
process? How satisfied are you with the adoption of intersectional ethnic studies
What do you attribute this level of satisfaction to?

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Demographic Questions
How would you classify your political affiliation?
• How active do you consider yourself in local politics?
• How active do you consider yourself in national politics?
Closing Question
What other insight would you like to share about your experiences working with the
adoption group?
Closing Comments
Thank you so much for sharing your time and experiences with me today. If you are
interested in receiving a copy of the final study, I’d be happy to provide that for you!

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Appendix C: Interview Protocol for Consultants
The following interview protocol is intended for consultants working with Urban USD.
Members of this stakeholder group were asked interview questions related to three research
questions.
Research Questions
1. How do consultants in a Southern California school district describe their
participation and role in the steps leading up to the implementation of intersectional
ethnic studies?
2. What challenges did the consultants encounter in the steps leading up to the early
implementation of intersectional ethnic studies?
3. What impact do the consultants think their work had on the process toward
implementing intersectional ethnic studies?
Introduction
I want to thank you again for participating in my study. I know you are busy and
appreciate your time. This interview should take about an hour. Does that still work? Here is a
copy of the Study Information Sheet. I am currently a student at University of Southern
California and conducting a study on Southern California Unified School District’s decision to
implement intersectional ethnic studies prior to the 2029–2030 school year deadline. I am
particularly interested in the consultant’s role in this whole process. There are a few of us who
will be interviewing various stakeholders, but I will be the only one interviewing consultants.
The questions I ask you are not evaluative. My goal is to understand your role and your
perspective of the whole process. This interview is confidential. I will not be attributing any
responses to you and will protect your confidentiality by creating a pseudonym for you and the

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district. The data will be compiled into a report, and I will do my best to de-identify any of the
data I gather. I will be happy to send you a copy of my final paper if you are interested. Lastly, I
will be recording this session so I can accurately capture what you share. The recording is only
for me and will not be shared with anyone outside of the research team. Do I have your
permission to record our conversation? Thank you!
Questions With Transitions
Consultant Work
I’d like to start out by getting to know you and your role as a consultant.
1. How did you become engaged as a consultant in Southern California Unified?
2. What experiences do you have that led to your role as a consultant?
3. What was your understanding of your role when you were approached for this
position?
4. Where did you get that understanding from?
5. What activities were conducted by the consultants?
6. What was your participation in the activities?
Stakeholder Groups
Now, I would like to discuss the various stakeholders.
7. What stakeholders were involved in the engagement process prior to the early
implementation of intersectional ethnic studies?
8. What was your role in working with each stakeholder?
9. What stresses or demands did the consultants face about the implementation of
intersectional ethnic studies?

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10. Were there any particular stakeholder groups that were supportive in your role or
process?
Early Implementation
I’d like to discuss the decision to implement early.
11. What factors do you believe ultimately influenced the decision for early
implementation of intersectional ethnic studies?
12. Were consultants involved in any of these factors?
13. Were there any unexpected barriers?
Closing Questions
As we near the end of our conversation, I have a few questions:
14. Looking back, do you wish there was a different outcome for any part of the process?
15. How do you see this whole process as a piece of your overall personal/professional
goals?
Closing
Thank you so much for your thoughts and willingness to share! I really appreciate your
time. Everything that you have shared is helpful for my study. If I have any follow-up questions,
may I contact you? If so, is email okay? Thank you again for participating in my study.

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Appendix D: Interview Protocol for Teachers
The following interview protocol is intended for Teachers working in Urban USD.
Members of this stakeholder group were asked interview questions related to three research
questions.
Research Questions
1. How do teachers describe the Southern California School District’s process for
engaging teachers in policy decisions?
2. In what ways do teachers in the Southern California School District describe the
community engagement prior to the adoption of ethnic studies?
3. What are the teachers ’attitudes toward the state ethnic studies curriculum,
instructional practices, and learning goals?
Introduction
I want to thank you again for taking the time to interview with me today. I know your
time is valuable, and so is your input on the topic of adopting ethnic studies in a Southern
California urban school district.
You were chosen to participate because of your role as a secondary teacher. As you may
be aware, the California Department of Education mandated that all school districts adopt ethnic
studies courses as part of a student’s high school graduation requirement by the year of 2029.
The adoption of ethnic studies has become a highly charged, political conversation in many
districts across California. Today, I am interested in understanding your perspective in the
process at your school site. Part of this study’s research will also include interviewing and
surveying other stakeholders as well to ensure that we are capturing a diverse set of perspectives.

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I plan to take some notes during our conversation so I can refer back to them if needed at
some point in our interview. I was also hoping to record this interview so I can accurately
capture your responses within the interview. Only I would have access to the recording, as it is
for my own reference in understanding your perspective in this process. Is that okay with you?
Okay, let’s get started.
Questions (With Transitions)
1. Can you tell me about your professional experience? (CF: school systems as political
systems; Patton: background) Can you describe why you were interested in teaching?
2. For demographic purposes, what is/are your ethnicity background(s)?
3. What, if any, activities are you involved in your school district outside the classroom?
(CF: school systems as political systems; Patton: background) If you had more time,
what activities might you be interested in doing within the school?
4. How do you think your school’s philosophy on ethnic studies aligns with the goals of
teaching students about culturally relevant instruction? (CF: inputs,
demands/supports; Patton: opinion and value) How much do you agree or disagree
with this philosophy, and why?
5. Describe your experience with the district’s community engagement process prior to
the adoption of ethnic studies. (CF: school systems as political systems; Patton:
knowledge)
• Were you a part of the implementation process, and can you describe that
experience?
• If none, would you be interested in being a part of the process?

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6. In general, how do you feel about how the district places emphasis on getting teacher
voice for district-implemented policies? (CF: stresses; Patton: feeling) What do you
think the district can do to elicit more teacher voice in decision making?
7. How do you feel that the district places emphasis on getting teacher voice in the
adoption phase of ethnic studies? (CF: stresses; Strauss et al.: interpretative)
8. Can you provide specific examples of why you feel that way? (CF: stresses; Patton:
opinion and value)
9. What was your reaction to the district’s intersectional ethnic studies adoption
decision? (CF: outputs and policy; Patton: feeling)
10. How prepared do you feel for the implementation of ethnic studies in your
classroom? (CF: outputs and policy; Strauss et al.: hypothetical) What do you need to
feel prepared for implementation? (Strauss et al.: ideal position)
Closing
Well, thank you so much for meeting with me and agreeing to share your perspective
with me today. It has been a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you, again and have a great rest
of your day!

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Appendix E: Interview Protocol for District and Site Administrators
The following interview protocol is intended for District and Site Administrators in
Urban USD. Members of this stakeholder group were asked interview questions related to three
research questions.
Research Questions
1. From an administrator’s perspective, what led the district to implement the
community engagement process that led to the adoption of a K–12 intersectional
ethnic studies resolution?
2. How were site and district administrators involved in the community engagement
process that led to the adoption of a K–12 intersectional ethnic studies resolution?
3. What are administrators ’perceptions of the consensus building process that led to the
adoption of an intersectional ethnic studies resolution?
Setting the Stage Questions
I’d like to start by hearing about your own background in education.
1. How long have you worked in education?
2. What brought you to this district?
3. What is your current position?
4. What are your responsibilities in this position?

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Table E1
District and Site Administrators Interview Question Map
RQ 1 RQ 2 RQ 3 Heart of the interview questions
X
1. The 2021–2022 school year took place during a tumultuous
political period. Can you describe the political climate on
campus during that school year? (Wait to see if
interviewees mention George Floyd, racial uprisings, BLM)
If not, ask:
X
2. How would you describe the student response to the killing
of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement?
X
3. How would you describe the staff response to the killing of
George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement?
X X
4. What would you say are the intended student outcomes the
district was looking for in its adoption of a K–12
intersectional ethnic studies curriculum?
X
5. Please share any ways that the district previewed the
process of consensus building around IES adoption with
site administrators.
X X X
6. Was this engagement process consistent with previous
engagement processes conducted by the district?
X
7. Did anything surprise you during the IES consensus
building process?
X
8. How would you have designed the frontloading process for
site administrators if you were in charge? Why?
X X
9. Please describe the demographics of the population your
district serves.
X X 10. What influenced the district’s decision to adopt IES?
X X
11. Tell me about the communications you had with students
about the consensus building process.
X X
12. Tell me about the communications you had with parents
about the consensus building process.
X X
13. Tell me about the communications you had with
community members about the consensus building process.

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Closing Questions
1. Is there anything I did not ask you that you’d like to share?
2. Thank you for sharing your experience with me today. I want to reassure you that the
information you provided will remain confidential. If additional questions arise, I
would like to contact you again. Would that be okay with you?

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Appendix F: Interview Protocol for Parents
The following interview protocol is intended for parents of students in Urban USD.
Members of this stakeholder group were asked interview questions related to four research
questions.
Research Questions
1. What do the parents who participated in the ethnic studies adoption process think
about the final adoption of the resolution, which puts into place the IES program?
(CF: outputs and policies)
2. How do the parents who participated in the ethnic studies adoption process engage
with the school district to adopt the ethnic studies program? (CF: school systems as
political systems)
3. In what ways, if at all, did parent engagement influence the district decision to adopt
the program? (CF: outputs and policies)
4. How do the parents who participated in the ethnic studies adoption process in one
school district describe the community engagement process for the adoption of an
ethnic studies program? (CF: inputs: demands/supports)
The main concept from the conceptual framework addressed in this interview is Easton’s
political systems framework, which is used to analyze the adoption of the ethnic studies
curriculum in one school district. The framework is used to examine the adoption process
through the lens of parental engagement and community voice.
Other concepts from the conceptual framework that are relevant to this interview include
the role of parents and community in the decision-making process, the impact of external factors
such as national events on the adoption process, and the importance of meeting community

122
demands and fulfilling state mandates. Additionally, the concept of inputs, such as demands and
supports, is also addressed in the interview, as it is used to determine how the community
perceived the state mandate and whether or not community demands were met during the
adoption process. Finally, the concept of the adopted resolution is also relevant, as it is used to
determine whether parents saw the impact of their involvement in the adoption process.
Introduction
Hello, and welcome to my study! Thank you for taking the time to participate.
Before we get started, I want to remind you about this study, the overview for which was
provided to you in the Study Information Sheet, and answer any questions you might have about
participating in this interview. I am a student at USC, and the purpose of this study is to better
understand the role parents played in the adoption process of the Ethnic Studies Resolution in
your district. You have been selected to participate because you have a student who currently
attends one of the comprehensive high schools in your district.
During the study, I will be collecting data through data collection methods, such as
surveys and interviews. We may also be recording the sessions for the purpose of transcribing
and analyzing the data. Rest assured that any identifying information will be kept confidential
and only the research team will have access to the recordings.
Your participation in this study is completely voluntary, and you are free to withdraw at
any time without any negative consequences. We have provided you with a Study Information
Sheet and Signed Consent Form prior to this session, but if you have any questions or concerns,
please do not hesitate to ask.
Do you have any questions before we get started? I will be recording our interview
through the record option on Zoom. This will enable me to transcribe the information you share

123
with me today. The recording is only for the purpose of transcribing your perspective and
experience. I will not share this information with anyone outside of the research team. May I
have your permission to record?
Setting the Stage (Background/Demographic)
Thank you again for your participation and for helping us with our research. I would like
to start with some background questions about you.
1. First, tell me about your background in education. (background/demographic)
• What were your experiences as a K12 student?
• Was it in California?
• Can you describe the demographic of your high school experience?
• Is there anything about your school experience you could change?
(hypothetical)
Heart of the Interview (CF: Inputs: Demands/Supports)
I would like to start by asking you some questions about how you were introduced to the
new state graduation requirement and what your initial thoughts on it were.
1. How were you first introduced to intersectional ethnic studies and what did it mean to
you? (background/experience; CF: Inputs: Demands/Supports)
• When were first introduced to this proposed adoption through your district?
• What was your initial vote on the proposed adoption? Can you share your
thoughts on why intersectional ethnic studies is important for your child’s
school district? (opinion/values)
Now I would like to ask you some questions about your level of involvement and
engagement in the adoption process.

124
2. The district provided listening sessions, townhalls, etc. In what ways were you
engaged?
3. How did you feel the district received your input?
4. Did the district engagement process change or influence your perspective on ethnic
studies?
5. How do you stay informed about any changes or updates to their school curriculum in
your child’s district? (CF: Outputs and policies)
6. How would you rate the district’s ability to engage parents through communication in
the ethnic studies adoption process in comparison to past efforts?
7. What suggestions do you have for improving the parent engagement process at your
child’s district in the future? (opinion, experience) (CF: Outputs and policies)
Closing Question
Is there any additional perspective or information related to the adoption of intersectional
ethnic studies in your child’s school district that you would like to share, which may not have
been addressed during our conversation?
Closing Comments
I am grateful for the valuable insights you have shared with me today! Your willingness
to spare your time and thoughts is highly appreciated, and I find everything you shared to be
incredibly useful for my research. In case I have any further questions, would it be possible for
me to reach out to you via email? Thank you once again for your participation in my study.

125
Appendix G: Screening Protocol for Teachers
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.
The purpose of the study is to examine a Southern California school district’s adoption of
ethnic studies and its teachers ’perception of their engagement within the adoption of ethnic
studies. For the study, the concept of engagement is defined by teacher involvement in culturally
responsive curriculum development and their own identification of social and educational
inequities.
You have been selected to participate because you are a secondary teacher in a
comprehensive middle or high school in the [Southern California] School District. As an
employee of the district, you are invited to participate and share your experiences to help inform
this study. This survey will take approximately 12 minutes to complete and all responses are
confidential.
Background Information
1. Indicate your current role:
• Teacher
• Teacher on Special Assignment
• Administrator
• Other:___________________
2. How many years of classroom teaching experience do you have?
• 0–5 years
• 6–15 years
• 16+ years

126
Adoption Process
3. Did you participate in your district’s ethnic studies early adoption phase?
• Yes
• No
• Not Applicable
4. If yes, in what way did you participate? (Check all that apply)
• Attended a focus group
• Attended listening session
• Attended town hall meeting(s)
• Was part of a development committee
• Sent written feedback
• Other:_____________
5. Also, if yes, would you be willing to participate in a 30-minute interview?
• Yes
• No
• Not sure
6. How familiar are you with the state’s ethnic studies framework?
• Very familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Not very familiar
• Not at all familiar
• Not applicable
7. Did the school district provide you with a copy of the state ethnic studies framework?

127
• Yes
• No
• Not sure
• By what method(s) did the school district provide you a copy of the state ethnic
studies framework? (Check all that apply)
• Email
• Memorandum
• U.S. Mail
• Website
• Other:___________________
Teacher Preparation
8. How familiar are you with how the school district plans to implement ethnic studies?
• Very familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Not very familiar
• Not at all familiar
• Not applicable
9. Your instruction includes elements of the state Ethnic Studies framework:
• Yes
• No
• Not Sure
10. What additional support, if any, do you need from your site leader and/district
leadership to effectively implement Ethnic Studies instructional practices?

128
Appendix H: Screening Protocol for Parents
The following screening protocol is intended for parents of students in Urban USD.
Members of this stakeholder group were asked questions related to four research questions.
Research Questions
1. What do the parents that participated in the ethnic studies adoption process think
about the final adoption of the resolution, which puts into place the IES program?
(CF: outputs and policies)
2. How do the parents that participated in the ethnic studies adoption process engage
with the school district to adopt the ethnic studies program? (CF: school systems as
political systems)
3. In what ways if at all did parent engagement influence the district decision to adopt
the program? (CF: outputs and policies)
4. How do the parents that participated in the ethnic studies adoption process in one
school district describe the community engagement process for the adoption of an
ethnic studies program? (CF: inputs: demands/supports)
Concepts From the Conceptual Framework That Are Addressed in This Survey
While Easton’s political systems framework does not explicitly address parent
engagement, it can be argued that parent engagement plays a role in several components of the
framework.
Firstly, parent engagement can be seen as a form of input into the political system.
Parents, as members of society, can communicate their demands, needs, and expectations to the
political system through various channels, such as parent-teacher associations, community
groups, and political parties.

129
Secondly, the outputs of the political system, such as education policies and programs,
can directly impact parents and their children. Parent engagement can play a role in evaluating
these outputs and providing feedback to the political system, which can lead to changes in the
input and the political system itself.
Thirdly, parent engagement can also be seen as a form of feedback in the political
system. Parents can evaluate the outputs of the political system, such as the quality of education
and the effectiveness of education policies, and provide feedback through various channels, such
as surveys, meetings with policymakers, and social media.
Overall, while parent engagement may not be explicitly mentioned in Easton’s political
systems framework, it can be seen as an important aspect of the interaction between the political
system and society. Effective parent engagement can help ensure that the political system is
responsive to the needs of parents and their children and can lead to more effective and equitable
education policies and programs (Easton, 1979).
Target Population
Parents of students in one particular Southern California School District during the 21–22
academic school year.
Introduction
Dear Participant:
We invite you to take part in a research survey aimed at better understanding the
experience and perceptions of parents in the adoption process of ethnic studies in one southern
California school district. The purpose of this study is to gain insights into how the change
process began and how parents were involved in the adoption of ethnic studies.

130
Your participation in this survey is crucial to help us gather data on how the involvement
of parents impacted the final resolution of the adoption process. By answering the survey
questions, you will help us understand how community engagement and empowerment were
achieved during the adoption process.
The survey will be administered online and will take approximately 10–15 minutes to
complete. Your responses will remain confidential and will be used solely for research purposes.
Participation in this survey is voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time without penalty.
Demographic Survey Items
1. What is your gender?
• Male
• Female
• Prefer not to say
2. What is your ethnicity?
• White
• African American or Black
• Hispanic or Latino
• Asian or Pacific Islander
• Native American or Alaska Native
• Mixed ethnicity
• Other (please specify) _______
3. Did you have children in X Southern California School District the academic school
year 2021-2022?
• Yes

131
• No
Close-Ended Survey Items
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being poor and 10 being excellent, how would you rate
the district’s ability to engage parents through communication in the ethnic studies
adoption process in comparison to past efforts? (CF: inputs: demands/supports).
Response range: 1 (not at all) to 10 (very well)
2. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “The ethnic
studies adoption process was transparent and inclusive.” (CF: Inputs:
Demands/Supports). Five-point Likert: 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree).
3. On a scale of 1 to 5, how well-informed do you feel about the implementation of the
IES program? (CF: Outputs and policies). Response range: 1 (not at all) to 5 (very
well).
4. How satisfied are you with the final adoption of the resolution that puts the IES
program into place? (CF: School systems as political systems). Five-point Likert: 1
(very satisfied) 5 (very dissatisfied).
5. On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you think the IES program will address issues of
inequality and injustice in education? (CF: Outputs and policies). Response range: 1
(not at all) to 10 (very well).
6. To what extent do you believe that the IES program will help promote diversity and
inclusion in schools? (CF: School systems as political systems). Five-point Likert: 1
(not at all) to 5 (very much).
7. How likely are you to recommend the IES program to other parents? (CF: Outputs
and policies). Five-point Likert: 1 (extremely likely) to 5 (extremely unlikely).

132
8. How important do you think it is for parents to be involved in the ongoing
development and implementation of the IES program? (CF: School systems as
political systems). Five-point Likert: 1 (not at all important) to 5 (very important).
Open-Ended Survey Item
Can you share your thoughts on why intersectional ethnic studies is important for your
child’s school district? (CF: School systems as political systems)
Closing
I would like to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your participation in
this research survey. Your contribution is invaluable in helping us gain a better understanding of
the adoption process of ethnic studies in one southern California school district and how
community engagement and empowerment were achieved. Your thoughtful and honest responses
will provide valuable insights into this important topic, and we greatly appreciate the time and
effort you have put into completing this survey.
Once again, thank you for your participation and for sharing your valuable perspectives
with us. Your input is essential in helping us make a positive impact on education and
community empowerment.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This qualitative case study applied Easton’s political framework combined with Kotter’s change theory to understand a Southern California school district’s early adoption of an intersectional ethnic studies curriculum during a politically divisive time in education. The study explored the experiences of six different stakeholder groups within this school district and local community. The purpose of this study was to examine this school district’s process, which led to their adoption of a new curriculum ahead of Assembly Bill 101’s 2029–2030 deadline. Also, this study sought to understand what elements of a system change proved to have positive effects on the political system of the district. Through semi-structured interviews from six participants in the community organizer stakeholder group, motivations, concerns, and trust were explored and transcripts of interviews were created. Transcripts were coded thematically considering the Easton/Kotter conceptual framework. Findings from this study indicated that authentic engagement and communication, training of mid-level administrators, and opening engagement opportunities to all voices is needed to strengthen a change process. This study may provide insight to school district leaders on the importance of clear and meaningful communication among all stakeholder groups and the need for high levels of trust to exist between these groups and the school district in order to make meaningful and lasting change.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Villa, Michelle Elaine (author)

Core Title Navigating political polarization: a group case study of community engagement in the adoption of intersectional ethnic studies in a southern California K-12 school district

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Educational Leadership (On Line)

Degree Conferral Date 2024-05

Publication Date 05/01/2024

Defense Date 03/29/2024

Publisher Los Angeles, California (original), University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag community engagement in education,curriculum adoption,Easton’s political systems framework,educational policy adoption,intersectional ethnic studies,Kotter’s change theory,OAI-PMH Harvest,political polarization in education

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Franklin, Gregory (committee chair), Gothold, Paul (committee member), Kishimoto, Christina (committee member)

Creator Email mdenni@gmail.com,mengland@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113912118

Unique identifier UC113912118

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Legacy Identifier etd-VillaMiche-12880

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