In the United States, African Americans make up 15% of the total student population, and yet their representation in AP and dual enrollment classes still remains low. Nationwide, 6% of all high school students were enrolled in AP classes in the 2017-2018 school year, with only 3.7% of all Black students enrolled compared with 12.9% of Asian American students and 6.6% of white students.
College Board, the nonprofit organization that administers the SAT and provides college-level courses to millions of students, is officially expanding their AP offerings. Starting next school year, high schools across the country will pilot a new AP African American studies course that will cover topics such as the African Diaspora, slavery, the Abolitionist Movement, and the intersections between race, gender, and class as they relate to Black communities. While under-representation of minorities is a pervasive problem across the U.S., one aim of the course is to encourage diverse participation and prepare a greater number of disadvantaged students for college-level coursework.
The course was first piloted for several years to collect data and check for feasibility. In addition, the organization has worked closely with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to ensure that potential students would gain a thorough understanding of the depth and nuance of Black history. Clayton High School was chosen as one of the schools to participate in the next pilot round.
According to La Shauna Aningo, Clayton High School U.S. and World History teacher, “College Board identified schools throughout the U.S. that were already providing courses on African American studies, and Dr. Gutchewsky was contacted with a request for Clayton to participate in the pilot, and then that information was forwarded to other administrators.”
In addition to providing students a more in-depth understanding of the myriad artistic, scientific, and political achievements of African Americans, many of which have historically been ignored or devalued, Aningo believes the course represents a step in the right direction for promoting general education and awareness.
“As far as I am aware, students are not taught about African history before the transatlantic slave trade. This could be addressed so that students learn about the existence of African civilizations before they learn about imperialism, which would create a different narrative.” Instead of learning about African Americans just in terms of the oppression and violence they have endured for centuries, students will also have the opportunity to learn about the life and culture of African peoples before European interference.
The long-overdue inclusion of a college-level African American studies course in high schools across the country has been received with applause, especially in the light of the 2020 George Floyd protests and the heated controversy surrounding critical race theory.