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Proposal

 

Ethnic Studies in K-12 Schools

 

I.  Background

 

According to a quick google search, ethnic studies is “interdisciplinary enterprise that starts from the assumption that race and racism have been, and continue to be, profoundly powerful social and cultural forces in American society and in modernity at large.” However, ethnic studies is more than just race. It also touches upon the subjects of gender, religion, sexual orientation and socio-economic status. Ethnic studies teaches you about self identity and understanding of each other. You should not have to wait until you are in college to be able to relate to the readings within your textbooks. The first ethnic studies program at a college level was established in San Francisco State University, after student activist protest for ethnic studies in 1968. In the same year, high school students from East Los Angeles, along with the Brown Berets, do walkouts in order to protest for ethnic studies to be included in their curriculum. Ethnic studies in K-12 schools helps decolonize our text books. It teaches students about different perspectives of history that often do not get told.

 

II.  Research

 

Why is ethnic studies is not a main course in schools?

 

In order to answer this, I had to do research. I first looked into the history behind ethnic studies and higher learning institutions. In Ron Espiritu’s Ted Talk, he talks about his experience in education and ethnic studies. He talks about the 45 year old history of ethnic studies. He mentions the Third World Liberation Front. The TWLF was a coalition of students that fought for a change in the curriculum. This led to the first ethnic studies program at a college level. Other universities soon implemented their own ethnic studies program in their universities. Then he on to talk about high school students in East L.A. who walkout in support of ethnic studies to be included in their schools. Ron Espiritu then list statistics and personal accounts of student that prove this this type of program benefitted the students. From their he discusses the Arizona House Bill 2281 that banned ethnic studies. This legislature led to him in participating in the Librotraficante Caravan in 2012 which smuggled books into Arizona. He then compares this to when the europeans came and colonized the Americas. The colonizers burned the Natives books as the Arizona government banned ethnic studies books, but that their stories shall live on. Ron espiritu ends his ted talk by stating three characteristics of a successful ethnic studies program. A successful ethnic studies curriculum is decolonial, culturally relevant, community responsive and social justice based.

 

I then look into to the importance of an ethnic studies curricula and their impact on students. According to LA Times, ethnic studies programs are beneficial to students. The LA Times give a brief history on ethnic studies. They then give some statistics on the impact of ethnic studies on students. They also include a law in California that if passed would make ethnic studies a graduation requirement in all districts in California.

 

In “Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies,” it reviews the research done by the National Education Association. It begins by discussing the impact of classes taught through a eurocentric perspective towards minorities. It then goes on about the positive impact of a well-designed and well-taught ethnic studies class towards students. It states that ethnic studies have a positive academic and social outcome for the students. It also includes that students are aware of the bias and are able to speak in detail about the bias. The research also includes the perspectives of those against ethnic studies and then goes on to counter argue those views. It also mentions how students who know little about their ethnic origins tended to do poor in academics as opposed to those who did know their roots. The study states that it tested the impact of ethnic studies curricula on students depending on academic engagement, academic achievement and personal empowerment. The study then goes on about the impact of ethnic studies towards white students. The study says that the courses help understanding of cultures between whites and non-white students. It also help white students achieve better academically.

 

After researching the importance and the impact of ethnic studies curricula on student, I decided to look into a specific district that has had an ethnic studies curriculum for over a decade. This is why I first looked into Tucson’s ethnic studies program. On February 23, 2011, David Scott analyze the data and claims related to the Mexican American Studies program in Tucson, Arizona. This analysis was done a year after House Bill 2281 was passed, a bill that banned ethnic studies in all schools in Arizona. The analysis is on the data of students in the Mexican American Studies program in the Tucson Unified School District. It analyzes students from different income groups. This is then compared to students not in the program in the same district. It starts by first comparing high school graduation rates. It then analyzes the amount of students who attend college after graduating between those in the program and those who are not.

 

I then research the laws that are associated with ethnic studies and education. I first research the Arizona law, HB 2281, that banned ethnic studies and reasons why it passed. In a broadcast that originally aired on February 15, 2013 in the PBS Newshour, a video aired that focused on what happened in Arizona and why House Bill 2281 was passed. The video includes interviews with the superintendent at the time, Tom Horne and also teachers in the ethnic studies program in Tucson. It also includes students perspectives on the issue and how the classes have affected them positively.

 

House Bill 2281 states that school districts in Arizona shall not have courses that include the following:

  • Promote the overthrowing of the United States government.

  • Promote resentment of toward race or class of people.

  • Designed primarily for pupils of a certain ethnic group.

  • Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of students as individuals

I looked at the the law in order to see why the Arizona government banned ethnic studies.

 

I then looked into laws that have to with ethnic studies here in California. I then discovered the law introduced to the California State Legislature by assembly member Luis A. Alejo. The purpose for Assembly Bill 101: Ethnic Studies for California High Schools is to help students academically and socially. The bill itself says that it is important for students to learn about their history and feel like they can change their communities in positive forms. The bill also says “An ethnic studies curriculum will help close the achievement gap by reducing student truancy, increasing student enrollment, reduce dropout rates, and better prepare Californian youth to be college prepared and career ready.” The bill also goes to include facts on the student population in California and statistics presented by the National Education Association.

 

After reviewing AB 101, I research whether any schools districts had a similar programs such as the one in Tucson, AZ. In the website http://www.ethnicstudiesnow.com/, I discovered that so far four school districts in California have a program similar to what is stated in AB 101. In simple terms, these districts decided that they do not need a law in order for them to implement an ethnic studies curricula in their school districts. Those districts are SFUSD, LAUSD, Motebello USD and El Rancho USD. Also this website includes information on a coalition of members of the Sacramento community that are currently fighting for ethnic studies in their school district. This website also includes facts on the impact of ethnic studies and a tool kit so you can fight for ethnic studies within your own community.

 

After doing all this research on ethnic studies, I decided to see what the students thought about the impact that these programs have in them. This is important because the students are the most impacted by this since this is their education. In the video “M.A.S Students Speak out on Their Classes,” students who were in the Mexican American Studies program in Tucson, Arizona speak on their experience being in the program and what they went through after these classes were banned. The first student speaker talks about how after joining the program her teachers would push her to new challenges. Her experience was enlightened her about her culture and she says she this is an experience she will tell her grandchildren about. The next speaker talks about how he missed his chance to fully experience the program after his brother spoke highly of the curriculum. He also says his fellow students and him were heartbroken with tears in their eyes when officials from the Tucson school district came in and made the teachers box the books in front of the students, Many of students say the their ethnic studies class pushed them to think critically and outside of the box. One female says that growing she was told by family, friends and teachers that she would be a high school dropout, drug addict and will never attend college. However, after joining the M.A.S. program in Tucson High, her teachers told her that she will be successful and because of this she became more involved in her academics and her community. These students feel that this banned on their education is a violation of their rights and plead for the community to fight back against this injustice and support ethnic studies.

 

 

III.  Benefits/Audience

 

I hope to get better understanding on my passion. I have a strong desire to learn more knowledge. I wish to be informed, and if I happen to be ignorant about certain subjects, then I wished to be educated on it. I am a strong believer that knowledge is power, which is why I want people to be able to learn about their history. By learning  from the past, we can figure out how to prevent similar mistakes and develop into a better society free of discrimination, ignorance and labels.

The audience will be those who are against ethnic studies and those who are not well informed on this issue, The audience will be those who are open-minded about including ethnic studies in K-12 education. The rest will be those who already had a standing on this issue before hearing the research. I would like my audience to take action and write to their local school districts demanding for ethnic studies in K-12 education.

 

IV.  The Inquiry Project

 

I plan on making an Ignite Talk. I am very passionate about education and social justice, and this topic is my medium between the two. First I will make a slide show. Each slide will only be an image that will enhance what I am speaking on at the time of the slide. After the slideshow is complete, I will then put together what I will speak about in an order tso each slide will build off of each other. Then I will try to time myself so I do not go too fast or too slow in order to be coherent with the slideshow and what I am speaking about. Once this is done, I will work on filming the Ignite Talk and try to make it under 5 minutes.

 

V.  Timeline

 

My plan for completing the project is to work on it everyday and take breaks from it on the weekends. I will first focus on finishing the slide show. From their I will practice, so I can say what I need to under 5 minutes. After that is all done, I will start recording and edit to make it perfect.

 

VI.  Sources

EDGAR
MORENO-GARCIA

Questions? Comments? Feel free to contact me below.

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WELCOME.

This website is all the work I have done in order to develop my project my English class. The project is focused on ethnic studies. Since the first day of class, our professors told us that we will be doing a research project for the semester. I expected for us to write a 10 page essay or something because it was my first english class at a college level. To my surprise our professors said we were not going to write an essay, instead we would create a project but it was up to the student to figure out how we would present our research. I chose to do a video.

Our classes began with the students to write blogs on topics that interested us. This was suppose to help us develop a research topic. I began with looking at topics about social justice. Most of my blogs were about issues that affected me personally as a Chicano. I believe my best writing for the semester is my research portion of my proposal. My research analyzes in detail all the sources I looked into. I had to into depth with each source in order for me to fully understand what I had found.

My final project is a call to action for support of an ethnic studies curricula in K-12 schools. This is an emergency because it is important for students to learn about their history and feel like they can change their communities in positive forms. With a quality ethnic studies program in K-12 schools, students have been known to improve academically and socially. In the video I call for an emergengy action to reform the current eurocentric education and change it into a more diverse and inclusive education. If I had more time, I would have like to look into ethnic studies education in other communities I might have missed like Indiana or Europe.

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