Texas mulls adding Mexican-American studies course
Source: AP
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) The Texas Board of Education is considering adding a Mexican-American studies course as a statewide high school elective, a move that proponents say would give students a deeper understanding of their state, where Hispanics make up a majority of public school students and which was once part of Mexico.
Critics, though, dismiss the effort as an attempt to inject progressive politics into the classroom.
The board's 10 Republicans and five Democrats will hold a public hearing Tuesday, then vote on possible new courses later in the week. It's the first time Texas has considered such a course. But the issue isn't new in other border states, including California, where a recently introduced bill would mandate creating a model for a standardized, statewide ethnic studies course there.
Even if Texas' Mexican-American studies course is approved, developing a statewide curriculum and appropriate textbooks means it won't actually be ready for classrooms for two to three years. But the debate should re-ignite past ideological battles about what goes into the history curriculums taught in America's second most-populous state.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/texas-mulls-adding-mexican-american-studies-course
To the "critics" of this board: Keep in mind this is the same state board of ed that wanted to put creationism and a romanticized, religiously biased version of US history in Texas classrooms. I don't know what got in some board members' minds, but I guess it's election year and they're trying to throw a bone to the progressive voters of their districts.
Skittles
(152,964 posts)taught by Tom Morello's mom
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Noted in a thread on the Texas forum that Abbott is courting hispanic voters in So. Texas. And that 38% voted GOP in some of the past elections. This may be GOP appealing to them, but it should be done anyway.
Hispanic Democrats I know there are furious at being treated as 'the other' by the GOP, as their families have lived in the USA longer than many of the Anglos.
They are also connecting to their roots with natives on both sides of the border. The Republic of TX had clauses accepting Spanish language and Mexican culture, but Civil War racists and beyond ignored it and tried to force them to give it up.
It was wrong then, and for states like AZ and others to treat hispanic immigrants as invaders when they invited them to come to work in the USA, is just flat wrong.
JMHO.
LuckyLib
(6,814 posts)people that the state constitution for California was written in both Spanish and English. There are families in the SW who go back many generations, before the areas became states. Latinos in those states have a right to be angry -- and they should vote and vote Democratic!!
TygrBright
(20,733 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)as any King of the Hill fan knows.
One would think that Tejano history would be included in that.
penultimate
(1,110 posts)I don't understand why some people find such things so threatening.