New York City is rolling out a new Black Studies curriculum for all its public schools, from pre-kindergarten to grade 12, as students head back this week.

“This is not a curriculum about a particular racial group, necessarily, but about the history of inequality and stratification hierarchy in the United States,” Sonya Douglass, a professor of Education Leadership at Columbia University's Teachers College who helped craft the syllabus, told
.

"When young people, as well as teachers, who may have not even had access to this material in their own training and education are grounded in that history and grounded in perspectives that may be different than their own, I think it helps us to better understand the challenges that we're currently facing as a society."

New York City Public Schools is the largest school system in the United States, with more than a million students. Douglass sees this as an opportunity for New York City schools to be a model for the rest of the country when it comes to education.

The curriculum provides a more inclusive set of perspectives across American history to further include the contributions of people of African descent in the U.S. and around the world, Douglass said. The curriculum, which is publicly available , acts as an addition to NYC's existing syllabus -- adding recommended reading lists, activities, full day lesson plans and additional units alongside what students are already learning.

The move by NYC schools comes as some other states like Florida, Texas and Oklahoma limit what can be taught in classrooms or what books are available in schools. Legislators who support such restrictions argue that certain lessons or material on race, gender or sex may cause some students to feel guilt or shame , while others compare some lessons to "indoctrination."

The American Library Association reported 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship, as well as 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials, and resources in 2023 -- a record-breaking total in the organization's more than 20 years of tracking book banning attempts.

"We're in the midst of a battle over the minds of our children and how we choose to shape their values and understanding of American society," Douglass said. "So I see all of this as very much connected in terms of some states who want to restrict the teaching of the truth, and others that want to create a more accurate and comprehensive account of our history and contributions."

The curriculum was developed in a three-year-long endeavor by the Educational Equity Action Plan (EEAP) Initiative, which was funded by the New York City Council. The curriculum was first implemented during the 2023-2024 school year in 120 schools across all five boroughs of New York, according to Columbia University's Teachers College.

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams believes it's crucial for students to see themselves reflected in the contents of their education, her office told
in a statement. Black students make up approximately 24% of NYC's public school student population.

"Speaker Adams is enthusiastic about the launch of the new Black Studies Curriculum in New York City's public schools, which will offer students the chance to learn about the achievements and legacies of early African civilizations, African-American history, and the contemporary African diaspora," the statement said.