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Ageism and Erasure in Colorado Curriculum Conflicts

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Jefferson Country, not far down the road from Colorado State University, has been experiencing public controversy following the school board's proposal to have a curriculum oversight committee with the ability to make changes to what schools teach. This specifically involves the history curriculum, following new AP history standards. This proposal resulted in public outcry and debate, in Jefferson County and across the country. Backlash against it included a mass "sick out" by teachers which resulted in two high schools closing for the day and protests by students. These student protests were condemned by board chairman Ken Witt:

"It's a shame we see kids on the streets instead of the classrooms...It is never OK to use kids as pawns, and it's what I think is happening here...the union message coming down through the teacher to get kids to deliberately get out and protest something they don't have any facts about whatsoever."

This criticism is made all the more poignant when a central point of contention in the board's proposed curriculum changes is to avoid texts which might encourage "civil disobedience, social strife or disregard for the law" and instead emphasize patriotism and the "positive aspects" of U.S. history.

The chairman may disapprove of students being civilly disobedient, but it seems he thinks students would only do so at the command of some outside influence. That attitude demeans students' autonomy by suggesting that they could never have the idea or drive to speak out on matters that affect them. Instead, they must be puppets for some group of adults set on corrupting our youths. "Ageism" is a clunky word, but it seems to fit here; these students' protests are being diminished by the chairman (among others) seemingly based on their age. Give them a few years and Witt may be able to more comfortably write them off as misguided adults, responsible for their own ignorance. Until then, he has to resign himself to writing them off as incapable of having an interest in education and social justice in their own right.

Beyond Resistance: Youth Activism and Community Change, by Shawn Ginwright, Pedro Noguera, and Julio Cammarota express views very much at odds with the attitude of Witt and those like him. The case studies within Beyond Resistance emphasizes the important role social activism can have in education, particularly for children of color and other marginalized groups. The first chapter of this book charts changes in education in California and the resultant changes in attitudes towards youth, particularly youths of color. In that chapter, Daniel Hosang describes the "antagonistic stance toward youth raised outside the sanctity of white middle- and upper-class life" that rose out of the 1980's. This led to "profiling the growing number of black and brown Californians as both menacing and undeserving." Various approaches have been taken to address the "problem" with these youths, such as emphasizing after-school programs.

In the sixth chapter of Beyond Resistance, by Ben Krishner, he remarks "youth must also have the opportunity to speak up and transform institutions shaping their lives." This chapter focuses on how adults can foster youth activists through apprenticeship systems in which the adult surrenders enough power to properly empower the youth. In other words, this design (as with YPAR) is to avoid the "puppet master" role of adults in the way Ben Witt fears. Instead, it puts faith in youth in believing they can (and want to) make a difference in their communities and the power structures that govern their lives.

Jefferson County is not California in many ways, not the least of which is its racial demographic. The population of Jefferson County is 79.9% white. Although Colorado's struggles may not be identical to California's, this distrust and disempowerment is made all the more troubling in light of the push against materials that might not put white Americans in sufficiently positive light. There is a version of white privilege that has cropped up its head in our education policy: one that opposes teaching about America's mistakes and darker eras. In a county where people of color are a significant minority, such a Eurocentric message may be all the more successful in solidifying white privilege and framing any resistance to that privilege as oppression.

Jefferson County's politics is not an isolated issue in Colorado. Pam Mazanec, a member of the Colorado Board of Education, also criticized the AP changes. In a series of comments on Facebook, Mazanec expresses her concern that the AP standards were designed primarily to promote an "agenda," rather than accurate information (her only cited source is the conservative National Association of Scholars). As an example, she points to white people not being given enough credit for "voluntarily" ending slavery:

"Yes, we practiced slavery. But we also ended it voluntarily, at great sacrifice, while the practice continues in many countries still today!...This is part of the argument that America is exceptional." She also adds, "the concern is that what students need to learn to do well is a negative view of much of our history."

I will say there are plenty of things to celebrate about the United States, but a thorough and accurate understanding of American history should include all Americans, and it often hasn't been a happy story for everyone. People of color and women are just as significant of a part of our history as a bunch of old white men, and America's history with those marginalized groups has quite a few negative things worthy of serious discussion. No one is saying students shouldn't learn about some of the positive, remarkable, and exceptional things that have happened in American history, but we cannot pretend to have an accurate picture of our past or present without recognizing and learning from our mistakes.

Colorado is more fertile of ground for these white-privilege-laden ideologies than I would like to admit as a native-born Coloradoan. In that context, it is all the more encouraging to see students protesting these changes. This sort of youth civil disobedience and activism is exactly what we need in our education system, which is almost exclusively run by adults. At risk of being "ageist" myself, I think there is a problematic disconnect between the ideologies of some members of older generations and the subtlety oppressive reality many youths face. If we mean to erase or downplay the complicated and, yes, often negative history that helped construct these oppressive structures, these marginalized groups will have that much less of a reason to feel they really can be heard or have valid opinions on the issues that affect them.

Above all, we should fight the claim that civil disobedience is somehow separated from patriotism or a functional society. If I had to select the early trait of America I consider to be most exceptional it would be the foresight to include in Article V of the Constitution the ability to add amendments. Any truly just society must be one that understands mistakes will be made and change is necessary. To grow as a society, we will benefit from meaningful discussions of our failings and even from civil disobedience, when necessary. Age should be no reason to discourage civic involvement, and we should not degrade youth activism by assuming they could only be interested in their society against their will. And if they're not interested on their own, we should seriously consider what we may have done to make them think they should not or cannot have an invested interest.

Works Consulted

"2012 Demographic Update." Jefferco.us. Jefferson County, 2012. Web. 15 Oct 2014.

Ginwright, Shawn, Pedro Noguera, and Julio Cammarota. Beyond Resistance: Youth Activism and Community Change. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.

Gorksi, Eric. "Jeffco school board curriculum committee idea latest divisive issue." Denver Post.com. The Denver Post, 25 Sept 2014. Web. 14 Oct 2014.

Gorski, Eric and Kiernan Nicholson. "Two Jeffco high schools close Friday after teachers absent." Denver Post.com. The Denver Post, 19 Sept 2014. Web. 14 Oct 2014.

Mazanec, Pam. "Facebook comment." Facebook. 27 Sept 2014. Web. 15 Oct 2014.