PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ Rhode Island lawmakers are debating whether a comprehensive black history curriculum should be developed for all public schools in the state.
Legislators are considering a bill calling for a 15-member commission to spend a year developing guidelines for an African-American history curriculum for all students through Grade 12.
The Providence Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1iVcNM2 ) that the bill’s sponsors, Providence Democratic Reps. Joseph Almeida Jr. and Anastasia Williams, say schools should devote more than one month a year to black history. A companion bill has been introduced in the state Senate.
Williams said recently that a more extensive curriculum would allow all Rhode Island students to learn about African-Americans’ significant contributions to the state.
Supporters of the bill say current teaching of African-American history is uneven and scattershot across the state.
