It’s not often that I can give kudos to Bridgeport’s Board of Education, but recently they made a decision worthy of praise.

Last week, members unanimously approved changing the graduation requirements, making it a requirement for all high school students to take a half-year course in either African American Studies, Caribean/Latin American Studies or Perspectives on Race in order to graduate. As of 2023, when the new mandate takes effect, Bridgeport will be the first district in Connecticut to require culturally relevant education courses.

For more, the Connecticut Post has the story:

“The new mandate, approved unanimously by the city school board Monday, makes the district one of the few in the country to require the course of study.

Philadelphia public schools have required students to take an African American history course since 2005. In Los Angeles, students are required to take an ethnic studies class.

“It is going to make a great deal of difference to our children and our families,” Sauda Baraka, vice chairman of the school board, said of the local decision. “It will really help us with the learning process. Cultural competency has been shown to change the direction of young people and make them more interested in learning…”