In March, Signal Cleveland spent time at Lakewood High School hearing from students about a new Advanced Placement course on African American history. 

We got so many great responses that we wanted to share more of what they had to say on the course and the controversy surrounding it. Check out some more student reflections below.

Read our story on the course and listen to these Lakewood students share their takes.

Lakewood High School is one of about 60 schools in the country piloting the AP African American Studies course this school year. It becomes available to all U.S. high schools in fall 2024.

The course has been the focus of a lot of public attention nationally, particularly after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration sent a letter to the College Board saying the course will be banned from the state’s approved directory. The letter claimed the class had “no educational value” and that it pushed a political agenda.

Click on each card below to hear more from students taking the AP African American Studies class this year:

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K-12 Education Reporter (he/him)
Paul, a former City Year Cleveland AmeriCorps member based in a charter school, covered K-12 education for Signal Cleveland until August, 2023. Paul joined us from Cleveland Documenters, where he focused on creating infographics and civic tech to make public information more accessible. Paul is also a musician, photographer and graphic designer.