For the 2023 Legislative Session, this legislation has been reintroduced as SB0189

Curriculum is the structured documents which are used to inform the objectives, assessments principles, resources and more of an educational institution.  These core tenets work together to  form what we know as the basis of K-12 education. As such, the curriculum provides for localities and teachers in guiding students’ educational journeys and thus directs the formal learning process for students across the country for 13 years of their life. In recent years, sparked by growing social reform movements, there has been a call by legislators, educators, and most importantly students, for educational reform—for curriculum reform. Mirroring topical social movements, students across the nation are advocating for increasingly diversified curricula that educate students on the perspectives and lived experiences of Americans who exist outside the majority demographics. Youth activists all over the country have begun to identify Euro-centrism ingrained in our history and in education itself within the English Language Arts and Social Sciences curricula, especially with minority authors and stories being underrepresented or nonexistent, and minority experiences being erased from historical teachings. As an increasing number of these activists and students find themselves unable to identify with the majority demographics of the United States, their cries for diversity are not only to broaden their non-minority peers’ education but also for representation in their educational material. In the United States and Maryland state education curricula, there has been a historical lack of minority representation across disciplines and a consistent Euro-centrism that permeates educational material. As a student-led and education advocacy organization, we are seeking to diversify Maryland's state English Language Arts curriculum to correct this unacceptable oversight.

The Maryland Student Coalition is responsible for leading the charge to update Maryland's English Language Arts curriculum to be more inclusive and represent the diversity of the students of the public school system.

In 2021, the Senior Associate Group of the Maryland Student Coalition worked together to produce this initiative, and led by Chair Vinay Khosla, secured a sponsor in the Senate.  

For the 2022 Legislative Session, this legislation has been reintroduced as Senate Bill 116. 

This bill is being reintroduced again, sponsored by Senator Ellis as Senate Bill 189

House/Senate Hearing Date: Wednesday, January 17th @ 3:00 pm