In 2021, Maine mandated teaching of African American studies. New bill would ensure follow through.

Instruction on African American studies started being required in Maine schools in 2021. The next step is ensuring schools receive support and are held accountable in its implementation, said House Speaker Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland). 

Talbot Ross presented a proposal to the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee on Thursday to create positions and training programs for educators dedicated to ensuring that African American studies is effectively and accurately added to school curricula. 

Talbot Ross — who also sponsored the 2021 legislation requiring African American studies, as well as the history of genocide, be taught in schools — described her proposal as part of a larger movement across the country to ensure students are taught the full history of the U.S. This comes amid efforts from some Republican-led states to ban such instruction.

Growing up in Portland, Talbot Ross learned about African American history from her father Gerald Talbot, the first Black legislator in Maine, who she said learned this history from his own volition, including collecting and preserving materials and conducting his own textual research. 

“He understood then what I understand now,” Talbot Ross said. “These stories have not been made sufficiently visible in telling Maine’s history and that it is essential that we rectify this omission.”

Last year, in a speech during a Junteenth event at the University of Southern Maine, Talbot Ross criticized the Department of Education for its slow progress in implementing the 2021 law, although on Thursday she said she was pleased by the progress the department has since made. She noted that it has convened advisory groups to develop learning modules on African American history, which are being piloted this academic year. 

Legislators push for more accountability, consistency in Wabanaki studies requirements

“I look forward to increasing the pace of this work,” Talbot Ross said. 

The proposal before the education committee would establish a content specialist position within the Department of Education tasked with coordinating the work described in the bill. 

This work includes developing a commission to advise on the development and implementation of curricula, an annual training program for educators who teach it, increasing focus on African American studies within the established DOE review of the content standards, and conducting audits every two years on school progress in incorporating these studies into their curricula.

The specialist would work full-time within the Department of Education and come with knowledge and expertise in African American studies standards and curricula.  

“This specialist role matches the role, responsibilities, scale and scope of the work currently being done by the specialist for Wabanaki Studies in the Department of Education,” Talbot Ross said. That role has been in place for two years. 

Several of those who spoke in support of Talbot Ross’ proposal on Thursday cautioned that without the additional resources and accountability measures, African American studies could see the same fate Wabanaki studies has with implementation. 

ACLU of Maine Policy Director Meagan Sway pointed to the 2022 report the ACLU helped author, which found school districts in Maine have failed to consistently and appropriately include Wabanaki studies in their curricula despite it becoming a required course of study in 2001. 

“This bill gives a leg up to today’s students so that 20 years from now, right before I’m retiring, I’m not standing before you and saying ‘It’s been 20 years, what are we doing?” Sway said. 

Earlier this week, Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orono) presented a proposal to the education committee that would create a commission on Wabanaki studies to ensure it is implemented in curricula as required under law — a similar focus to the council Talbot Ross has proposed for African American studies. 

The African American Studies Advisory Commission would reside within the DOE and be made up of public school teachers, experts on drafting curriculum and teaching African American history, and a representative of a civil rights organization. These commission members would assist schools in identifying resources and convening subject matter experts to directly inform how African American studies is taught to students.  

“In so doing, we will ensure that the design and implementation of curricula are expert-driven,” Talbot Ross said. 

Maine state archivist Kate McBrien, who spoke in support, said the Maine State Archives would make all applicable state records within their collections available for schools. McBrien also said the expertise and historical lens an advisory council could provide is greatly needed. 

“We regularly hear from Maine teachers who are seeking both resources and guidance on how to teach African American history,” McBrien said. 

The training opportunities for Maine teachers the bill outlines would also provide them with the content and confidence to teach the subject to their students, McBrien said. The DOE would be tasked to establish teacher education programs, including an annual institute, in African American studies and allow schools to apply for more funding for professional development resources as needed. 

“It does not make any sense to create a whole process of inclusion into learning results standards for curriculum that teachers do not know how to teach,” Talbot Ross said. 

Another way DOE would have an active role in ensuring that African American studies are and continue to be accurately taught is through regular audits. The bill stipulates that every two years the DOE will provide the advisory commission and the legislature with a report summarizing schools’ progress on incorporating African American studies into their curricula. 

“The only way we’ll know how to make any more changes is if you have that information,” Talbot Ross told her colleagues.