SBOE CONSIDERING MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES

  

The Texas Board of Education is considering adding a Mexican-American studies course as a statewide high school elective.  Proponents say this move  would give students a deeper understanding of their state, where Hispanics make up a majority of public school students.

Critics however, dismiss this effort as an attempt to inject ‘progressive politics’ into the classroom.

The Board’s 10 Republicans and five Democrats will hold a public meeting Thursday, then vote on possible new courses later in the week. This is the first time Texas has considered such a course.  The issue however, is not new in other border states, including California, where a recently introduced bill would mandate reating a model for a standardized, statewide ethnic studies course, there.

Even if Texas Mexican-American studies course is approved, it would still take time to develop a statewide curriculum and appropriate textbooks.  This means the course would not actually be ready for classrooms for another two to three years.  The debate should reignite past ideological battles about what goes into the history curriculum taught in the nation’s second most populous state.

The discussions are likely to be a preview of he coming clashes over the content of new social studies textbooks the board is set to approve for use in classrooms across Texas this fall.  In 2010, then Democratic Board Member Mary Helen Berlanga even stormed out of a meeting on social studies curriculum after failing in her efforts to include more lessons on Hispanic leaders. 

Several Texas school boards, including the state’s largest in Houston, have passed resolutions supporting a statewide Mexican-American studies course.

What’s your Reaction?
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0

5 Comments

  1. Thanks for giving the information on the public meeting. I love how the writer of the article can persuade people to automatically be so negative. It’s ok to have Mexican’s work for you for the cheapest pay ever, but it’s not ok for your children to learn about there history and culture in their PUBLIC school right?

  2. Is anyone paying attention to the youth of today, most can not even identify a picture of the vice-president of our country. We need to quit catering to the wants of everyone who comes to this country, and get back to being, and becoming an American. You won’t go to Mexico, and find them teaching American culture. It’s time we put back on the big boy pants, and once again become the leader of the free world. Thank you

  3. We should consider more focus on American and Texas History. These histories are what make this state and country great. Let’s quit tearing apart our history in order to make it fit what the misguided liberals us to become.

  4. A divided society will never survive. America became great as a melting pot. That was our strength….many cultures coming together as one. America is now become a multicultural society. One culture fracturing into many “hyphenated” sub cultures. Countries with competing cultures never survive. Embrace being an American if you choose to live within these borders.

Back to top button