Overview:
The revised African- American studies course will come online during the 2024-2025 school year.
The Advanced Placement African American course that ignited controversy among conservative lawmakers, released its revised framework today by the College Board. Set to officially launch in the 2024-25 school year, this course has been developed to introduce students to the diverse and rich history of the African-American community.
The development of this course framework involved extensive collaboration with professors from over 200 colleges nationwide, including numerous historically Black colleges and universities, as well as dedicated high school teachers across the country. The aim is to focus on essential events, experiences, and individuals crucial to a comprehensive study of African-American history and culture and the African diaspora.
Dr. Brandi Waters, senior director and program manager of African American Studies in the Advanced Placement Program, and the lead author of the framework, expressed her excitement about the course. “This course is a vibrant introduction to a dynamic field that offers a broader perspective. It invites students to develop analytical skills while examining African Americans’ wide-ranging experiences, contributions, and creativity, and the impact of the broader African diaspora on the world we live in.”
In January, the Florida Department of Education rejected the course saying the class indoctrinates students to a “political agenda”. In 2022, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis signed the “Stop WOKE” Act which sets limits on how race may be taught in classrooms. In August the Arkansas Department of Education also removed the AP African American Studies pilot program citing concerns about whether the course would be eligible for college credit and the impact of restrictions on teaching about race.
Dr. Jarvis R. Givens, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, commended the course for its contribution to the high school curriculum. “AP African American Studies makes a novel contribution to the high school curriculum by providing access to an extraordinary volume of sources on Black life and culture while introducing students to new language and powerful conceptual tools for analyzing such rich learning resources.”
According to reporting by the Miami Herald, topics such as the Black queer experience are gone and the Black Lives Matter movement and reparations debate are optional.
Currently, nearly 700 schools are participating in the pilot of the course during the 2023-24 academic year, with representation from more than 40 states and the District of Columbia. A total of 60 schools participated in the first year of the pilot in the 2022–2023 academic year.
College Board CEO David Coleman expressed his enthusiasm for the course, stating, “AP African American Studies has demonstrated its power to draw so many students into their first college-level coursework—by focusing on what fascinates young people we can bring so many new students into the path to college success.”
