The Washington, D.C., State Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a new K-12 social studies curriculum designed to "incorporate the histories and perspectives of historically marginalized groups."

The new standards will go into effect beginning in the 2024-25 school year. The standards, which have not been updated since 2006, have been under review since April 2020.

The Social Studies Standards Guiding Principles, released in December 2020, directed the school board to develop curriculum materials that are "actively anti-racist, and that explicitly address discrimination against traditionally marginalized groups." They also state that social studies lessons should "focus on the tenets of critical race theory (CRT) when describing power structures and systems."

Under the new curriculum, fourth-graders are expected to "evaluate the significance of 1619," an indication that the curriculum intends to reframe the narrative of American history around racial oppression. The fourth grade curriculum also refers to the "contradictions" of both the American Founders and the Declaration of Independence.