As the new school year begins, education is facing increased scrutiny from parents and various organizations regarding what is being taught in classrooms. The North American Values Institute (NAVI), a nonpartisan education watchdog, has raised concerns about a new ethnic studies course at Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) aimed at high school seniors. According to NAVI, the course seems less about imparting historical knowledge and more about promoting political activism.
“My view is straightforward: Teach students about revolutions but don’t try to recruit them into one,” said Steve Rosenberg, NAVI’s Pennsylvania Director, in a statement.
Rosenberg expressed his worries about the course’s approach based on PPS documents obtained through right-to-know requests, highlighting a perceived absence of counterarguments within the teaching materials. NAVI has shared these documents for review.
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When Dr. Ann Fillmore, the executive director for K-12 Literacy, Humanities, and Library Services at PPS, was asked about the validity and timeliness of the documents, she said they represented only an overview and not the entire curriculum. Some of the documents in question consisted of individual course syllabi created by teachers.
Fillmore clarified that certain syllabi were associated with a College in High School (CHS) dual-enrollment course affiliated with LaRoche University, and not solely produced by the school district. She also mentioned that the unit overviews for the upcoming 2026–2027 school year have been revised.
According to district materials, the course consists of five units:
- Unit 1: Developing Our Identities: Using Language and History to Create Community
- Unit 2: The Journey of Cultural Legacies: Exploring, Honoring, and Embracing Diverse Histories
- Unit 3: Barriers and Bridges: Navigating Systems of Power
- Unit 4: From the System to the Self: How Society Shapes Identity, Opportunity, and Power
- Unit 5: Making an Impact
Each unit is slated for several weeks of instruction. The initial two units focus on identity creation, cultural heritage, and historical migration, while NAVI’s main objections center on the content of Units 3 and 4.
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In Unit 3, students explore how power structures are formed and how they can “challenge, resist, and restructure” these systems to ensure equity for everyone. Key learning outcomes include understanding how “systems of power privilege certain groups” and strategies that marginalized communities use to shift these dynamics.
Unit 4 follows up with discussions on how power structures limit access to opportunities and resources, as well as how individuals make choices in their lives. Students are expected to develop ways to advocate for change in social systems that result in unequal outcomes for various ethnic groups.
“These units differ significantly from merely learning about historical journeys,” Rosenberg pointed out concerning Units 3 and 4.
In Unit 5, students must apply what they’ve learned to create an action plan that identifies clear problems and proposes solutions related to race and diversity, with collaborative efforts encouraged among peers and community members.
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Fillmore refuted NAVI’s assessment of the course, calling it “inaccurate” and asserting that it aims to teach civic reasoning rather than push political agendas.
“We don’t train students—it’s a disservice to education. Our goal is for them to develop their own ideas and solutions through inquiry-based learning in line with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) C3 Framework,” she noted.
On the subject of Units 3 and 4, she emphasized their alignment with the NCSS framework, intended to encourage active citizenship by helping students identify community issues and develop ways to address them.
NAVI’s concerns extend to how the course addresses Jewish identity and antisemitism. For instance, Unit 1 uses materials about Whiteness and privilege, including criticisms that Rosenberg believes mischaracterize Jewish experiences.
“There’s a lack of counter-reading that highlights how Jewish people have faced oppression historically,” he explained, suggesting that the curriculum needs balance to allow students to evaluate differing perspectives.
Fillmore countered that the course does not label groups as “oppressors” or “oppressed,” arguing that “Ethnic Studies avoids oversimplification because history and identity are nuanced.” She reassured that Jewish contributions and experiences are integrated throughout the curriculum, especially considering Pittsburgh’s history, including the 2018 attack at the Tree of Life synagogue.
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Fillmore also disagreed with NAVI’s claim about the absence of counter-narratives, stating it doesn’t reflect the course’s actual design, which relies on varied sources for teaching.
For Rosenberg and NAVI, the broader issue of how perspectives are handled in the classroom remains a concern, particularly regarding students feeling able to express differing viewpoints without fear of repercussions.
“If a teacher presents a specific narrative as the only truth, it can be intimidate for students to voice alternative opinions,” he noted.
Rosenberg urges parents to carefully examine the course materials and to know how to ask pertinent questions about what is being taught in classrooms.
