Cultural Relevance at Scale: The Effects of an Ethnic Studies Expansion on Academic Outcomes
Abstract
Ethnic studies is a culturally relevant curriculum designed to address the instructional needs of an increasingly diverse student population. However, evidence regarding the effectiveness of this curriculum at scale remains limited. This study evaluated the impact of districtwide implementation using a student-level difference-in-differences design with two-way fixed effects. We found that enrollment increased overall grade-point average by 0.17 points (0.24 SD), with the largest gains observed in math and science, and reduced course failure by 5.6 percentage points (0.14 SD). These benefits extended to all student groups, with stronger effects among academically vulnerable, male, Black and Latinx students and those with individualized education plans. Our findings suggest that well-implemented ethnic studies can be scaled effectively and can potentially reduce disparities in student outcomes.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
Critical Race Theory in Education
Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy
Publication details
- Journal / source
- American Educational Research Journal
- Publisher
- American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- Volume
- 63
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 471–513
- Publication date
- 8 April 2026
- Language
- EN