St. Paul school trades IB program for Afrocentric focus

An elementary school in the St. Paul district will be transitioning this fall from an International Baccalaureate (IB) program to an Afrocentric program.

Benjamin E. Mays, a preK-5th grade school, was selected as the “ideal school for this program because of its high percentage of African American students (69%) and location in the historic Rondo neighborhood,” according to school officials.

The Afrocentric program is described as offering “a unique, enriching and rigorous educational experience, ‘through the lens of Black history,’ designed to empower all scholars to achieve their full potential.”

The curriculum is introduced through social studies and ethnic studies standards and is described as interdisciplinary, integrating themes across core content areas. It is built around two main frameworks. The first is the “8 Black Historical Consciousness Principles,” which include power and oppression, agency, resistance and perseverance, Africa and the African diaspora, black joy and emotionality, black identities, historical contention, community, local and social histories, and black futurism.

The second framework is the “Seven Principles of Kwanzaa (Nguzo Saba),” described as the “guiding foundation for the teaching and learning experience.” Principles include Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (helping others), Ujamaa (community prosperity), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith).

The district has set aside roughly $467,000 for the program transition, reports the Pioneer Press. The money can be used for staffing, curriculum and professional development, marketing and recruiting, and community partnerships. Unused funds will return to the district’s general fund.

The question parents and taxpayers should be asking is whether any of this will help improve academic performance.

As measured by the spring 2025 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs), none of the 125 students tested were able to do math at grade level. In reading, only 4 students met grade-level proficiency. Proficiency has been steadily declining in both subject areas since at least 2022. Given that these achievement results occurred during the school’s time as an IB school, it appears this model did not work for the students at Benjamin E. Mays.

District leaders are now betting on an Afrocentric model rooted in identity-based instruction to succeed where the IB program fell short. School officials tout the program’s emphasis on “culturally relevant instruction and community engagement” as a path “to increased academic performance.”

Research, though, on Afrocentric curricula is limited, and the studies that do exist don’t offer reliable evidence that such programs consistently improve student achievement.

Families who prefer the IB model will still have access to it elsewhere in the district, with transportation provided. School principal Danielle Hughes told the Pioneer Press that few families have chosen that option so far.

Students need to be able to read and do math. Ideological frameworks should not be a substitute for academic achievement. That is the standard against which this program, like any other, must be held accountable so students don’t pay the price.