Advancing Sustainable Development Goals Through Inclusive Educational Policies: A Report on Holiday Recognition in U.S. Schools

Executive Summary: Aligning School Calendars with SDG 4 and SDG 10

A significant trend is emerging within United States school districts, where educational calendars are being revised to include holidays such as Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, and Lunar New Year. This development represents a critical step towards achieving key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). By officially recognizing the cultural and religious diversity of their student populations, educational institutions are actively promoting the principles of inclusion, equity, and global citizenship, which are central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These policy changes, supported by new state legislation, address systemic inequalities and foster learning environments where all students feel valued and respected, directly contributing to SDG Target 4.7, which emphasizes education for sustainable development and the appreciation of cultural diversity.

State-Level Policy Shifts Towards Inclusive Institutions (SDG 16)

Recent legislative actions at the state level provide a foundational framework for more inclusive educational systems, reflecting the aims of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) to build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Recent Legislative Milestones

• California: A new law, effective in 2026, officially recognizes Diwali and authorizes school districts to grant excused absences or close schools for the holiday.
• Pennsylvania: Legislation was enacted in 2024 to formally recognize Diwali.
• New York: A 2023 law established the Lunar New Year as a statewide school holiday.

These laws exemplify SDG Target 16.b, which calls for the promotion and enforcement of non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development. They provide the legal authority for districts to create calendars that are more representative of their communities.

The Role of Advocacy and Community Participation

The successful passage of this legislation highlights the importance of participatory decision-making, a core component of SDG Target 16.7. Advocacy groups, such as the Hindu American Foundation, have been instrumental in championing these changes, ensuring that the voices of minority communities are heard in the policy-making process. This collaborative approach between community organizations and government bodies is essential for creating responsive and representative public institutions.

Impact on Quality Education and Social Inclusion (SDG 4 & SDG 10)

The revision of school calendars is a direct intervention to enhance the quality of education and reduce inequalities among students from diverse backgrounds.

Enhancing Student Belonging and Cultural Competency

Official recognition of major cultural and religious holidays contributes significantly to an inclusive learning environment, which is a prerequisite for quality education (SDG 4). Research indicates that such measures achieve two primary objectives:

1. Fostering a Sense of Belonging: Students who see their cultural traditions acknowledged by their school feel more recognized and accepted, which is linked to stronger academic engagement and improved attendance.
2. Building Global Citizenship: Exposing the entire student body to diverse cultural celebrations helps build the cultural competency and appreciation for diversity mandated by SDG Target 4.7.

Addressing Educational Disparities

Previously, students from minority religious and cultural backgrounds faced a choice between academic obligations and cultural celebrations, creating a distinct educational disadvantage. This practice is inconsistent with SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), which seeks to promote the social and cultural inclusion of all. By providing days off or excused absences, schools eliminate this conflict, ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed academically without compromising their cultural identity. This levels the playing field, moving away from a system built around a single religious tradition.

Operationalizing Inclusivity in Educational Administration

While the goal of creating inclusive calendars aligns with the SDGs, implementation presents logistical challenges that require thoughtful and strategic planning from school administrators.

Implementation Challenges

• Instructional Day Requirements: Districts must balance the addition of new holidays with state mandates, which often require a minimum of 180 instructional days per year.
• Holiday Clustering: The variable nature of lunar calendars can lead to holidays clustering together, creating potential attendance issues on adjacent days.
• Managing Diverse Requests: As awareness grows, districts receive requests from numerous cultural and religious groups, making it impossible to grant a day off for every significant holiday.

Strategic Approaches by School Districts

To navigate these complexities, districts are adopting a range of inclusive strategies:

• Scheduling professional development days for staff to coincide with major cultural holidays, thereby providing a day off for students without reducing instructional time.
• Offering excused absences for students observing holidays that are not designated as school-wide days off.
• Implementing policies that prohibit scheduling major examinations or assignment deadlines on significant cultural and religious holidays.

These adaptive strategies demonstrate how institutions can become more responsive and equitable, fulfilling the principles of SDG 16.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights issues related to education, equality, and institutional practices, which directly connect to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary SDGs addressed are:

• SDG 4: Quality Education: The entire context of the article is the educational system, focusing on how school calendar policies affect student well-being, attendance, and the overall learning environment.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The core theme is the effort to reduce inequality by recognizing the holidays of minority religious and cultural groups, putting them on a more level playing field with the traditionally recognized Christian holidays.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article discusses the role of institutions (state governments, school districts) in creating more inclusive and responsive policies through legislation and community engagement.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s discussion of creating inclusive school environments and equitable policies, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.7: “ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote…appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.” The article supports this target by explaining that recognizing diverse holidays helps “build cultural competency among the rest of the student body,” allowing all students to learn about and appreciate different cultures.
   • Target 4.a: “Build and upgrade education facilities that are…inclusive and effective learning environments for all.” The article emphasizes that recognizing holidays helps “build a sense of belonging among students,” which is a key component of an inclusive and effective learning environment. This sense of belonging is linked to “stronger attendance, improved school climates, and increased engagement in the classroom.”

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: “empower and promote the social…inclusion of all, irrespective of…race, colour, ethnicity, origin, religion or other status.” The movement to add holidays like Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, and Lunar New Year to school calendars is a direct action to promote the social inclusion of students from Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist, and Muslim backgrounds. As Samir Kalra notes, this recognition is “really significant” for families who previously felt overlooked.
   • Target 10.3: “Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory…policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation.” The article points out that the existing system is “already built around a particular religious practice” (Christianity). The new state laws and district policies are described as efforts to put “other faiths on a level playing field,” directly addressing this target by promoting legislation to reduce systemic inequality.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.7: “Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.” The article provides an example of this target in action. The North Penn superintendent “met with Muslim and Hindu leaders to identify the most significant holidays,” demonstrating responsive and participatory decision-making that reflects the community’s growing diversity.
   • Target 16.b: “Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.” The passage of new laws in California, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut that officially recognize Diwali are concrete examples of promoting and enforcing non-discriminatory policies at the state level, as advocated for by this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not cite official SDG indicators, but it mentions or implies several metrics that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

1. Indicators for SDG 4 (Quality Education)

   • Student Attendance Rates: The article implies this is a key indicator. It notes that before New York City recognized the Lunar New Year, some schools saw “attendance rates as low as 30%.” An increase in attendance on these holidays after their official recognition would be a clear measure of progress.
   • Measures of Student Belonging and Engagement: The article links holiday recognition to building a “sense of belonging,” which in turn is tied to “increased engagement in the classroom.” Progress could be measured through school climate surveys assessing students’ feelings of inclusion and acceptance.

2. Indicators for SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

   • Number of States and Districts with Inclusive Holiday Policies: A direct indicator of progress is the number of states passing laws to recognize diverse holidays (the article names California, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut) and the number of school districts adding these holidays to their calendars (e.g., North Penn district).
   • Reduction in Excused Absences for Religious Observance: The article mentions that California’s law will “excuse school absences for students to mark Diwali.” A shift from excused absences to official school holidays for significant minority populations would indicate a reduction in inequality.

3. Indicators for SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

   • Enactment of Non-discriminatory Legislation: The primary indicator is the number of non-discriminatory laws passed. The article explicitly tracks this by mentioning the “similar measures enacted in Pennsylvania in 2024 and Connecticut in June” following the California bill.
   • Evidence of Community Consultation in Policy-Making: The process described in the North Penn district, where the superintendent “met with Muslim and Hindu leaders,” serves as a qualitative indicator of inclusive and participatory decision-making by local institutions.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: edweek.org