Why Ethnic Studies: the data
How did we get here?
2014 - The Texas State Board of Education places Mexican American Studies on its agenda. The request by the minority Board members was a high school course, however, the majority of the Board voted to issue a call to publishers for a textbook.
2014 - Ysleta ISD is the first district in Texas to pass a resolution to implement a Texas State Board of Education-adopted Mexican American Studies course.
2016 - The "Mexican American Heritage" textbook was unanimously rejected by all 15 Members.
2017 - "Ending the Deficiency Mindset: Creating Data Driven Opportunities for Latina & Latino Students" was presented to the Texas State Board of Education's Committee on Instruction, gaining unanimous support for Ethnic Studies curriculum. The conversation shifted to the economic imperative of better preparation of Texas' largest and fastest growing demographic.
2018 - Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies is formally and unanimously adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, the first passed by any state board of education making Texas the only state in the nation to offer Mexican American Studies to ALL high school students.
Along with Mexican American Studies, an Ethnic Studies fast-track pipeline policy was also created. The Texas State Board of Education committed to Latino Studies, African American Studies (adopted 17 April 2020), Asian-Pacific Islander Studies, and Native American Studies.
2014 - Ysleta ISD is the first district in Texas to pass a resolution to implement a Texas State Board of Education-adopted Mexican American Studies course.
2016 - The "Mexican American Heritage" textbook was unanimously rejected by all 15 Members.
2017 - "Ending the Deficiency Mindset: Creating Data Driven Opportunities for Latina & Latino Students" was presented to the Texas State Board of Education's Committee on Instruction, gaining unanimous support for Ethnic Studies curriculum. The conversation shifted to the economic imperative of better preparation of Texas' largest and fastest growing demographic.
2018 - Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies is formally and unanimously adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, the first passed by any state board of education making Texas the only state in the nation to offer Mexican American Studies to ALL high school students.
Along with Mexican American Studies, an Ethnic Studies fast-track pipeline policy was also created. The Texas State Board of Education committed to Latino Studies, African American Studies (adopted 17 April 2020), Asian-Pacific Islander Studies, and Native American Studies.
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11 April 2018 | MOTION AND VOTE: It was moved by Ms. Pérez, seconded by Mr. Bradley, and carried to recommend that the State Board of Education instruct staff to present ethnic studies courses that have been approved through the commissioner’s innovative course process for discussion and consideration for inclusion in the TEKS. Staff shall bring forward only comprehensive ethnic studies courses in Native American studies, Latino studies, African American studies, and/or Asian Pacific Islander studies—inclusive of history, government, economics, civic engagement, culture, and science and technology. The chair of the Committee on Instruction, in accordance with State Board of Education Operating Rule 2.5(b), shall collaborate with the board chair to place the item on the next available Committee on Instruction agenda following commissioner approval of the innovative course. Click to View TXSBOE Minutes; click to view online source
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Ending the Deficiency Mindset: Creating Data Driven Opportunities for Latina & Latino Students
Authored by: Georgina C. Perez
Presented to TXSBOE Committee on Instruction, April 2017
"It’s simply not good enough to know the data if it's not being discussed and used in impactful ways to effect change and create solutions. Students deserve the investment of understanding research and relevance to develop access to life's possibilities. It is the responsibility of educators to change the perception of achievement gaps and create opportunities: educational, economic, mindful, and meaningful."
View / Download the Presentation
Authored by: Georgina C. Perez
Presented to TXSBOE Committee on Instruction, April 2017
"It’s simply not good enough to know the data if it's not being discussed and used in impactful ways to effect change and create solutions. Students deserve the investment of understanding research and relevance to develop access to life's possibilities. It is the responsibility of educators to change the perception of achievement gaps and create opportunities: educational, economic, mindful, and meaningful."
View / Download the Presentation
TXSBOE Ethnic Studies Course Catalog
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The Casual Effects of Cultural Relevance: Evidence from an Ethnic Studies Curriculum
Authored by: Thomas Dee & Emily Penner
January 2016
“An extensive theoretical and qualitative literature stresses the promise of instructional practices and content aligned with the cultural experiences of minority students. Ethnic studies courses provide a growing but controversial example of such “culturally relevant pedagogy.” However, the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of these courses is limited. In this study, we estimate the causal effects of an ethnic studies curriculum piloted in several San Francisco high schools. We rely on a “fuzzy” regression discontinuity design based on the fact that several schools assigned students with eighth-grade GPAs below a threshold to take the course in ninth grade. Our results indicate that assignment to this course increased ninth-grade student attendance by 21 percentage points, GPA by 1.4 grade points, and credits earned by 23. These surprisingly large effects are consistent with the hypothesis that the course reduced dropout rates and suggest that culturally relevant teaching, when implemented in a supportive, high-fidelity context, can provide effective support to at-risk students.”
Read the Study
Authored by: Thomas Dee & Emily Penner
January 2016
“An extensive theoretical and qualitative literature stresses the promise of instructional practices and content aligned with the cultural experiences of minority students. Ethnic studies courses provide a growing but controversial example of such “culturally relevant pedagogy.” However, the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of these courses is limited. In this study, we estimate the causal effects of an ethnic studies curriculum piloted in several San Francisco high schools. We rely on a “fuzzy” regression discontinuity design based on the fact that several schools assigned students with eighth-grade GPAs below a threshold to take the course in ninth grade. Our results indicate that assignment to this course increased ninth-grade student attendance by 21 percentage points, GPA by 1.4 grade points, and credits earned by 23. These surprisingly large effects are consistent with the hypothesis that the course reduced dropout rates and suggest that culturally relevant teaching, when implemented in a supportive, high-fidelity context, can provide effective support to at-risk students.”
Read the Study
Missing the (Student Achievement) Forest for All the (Political) Trees: Empiricism and the Mexican American Studies Controversy in Tucson
Authored by: Nolan L. Cabrera, Jeffrey F. Milem, Ozan Jaquette and Ronald W. Marx
October 2014
"Our findings establish that taking MAS courses corresponded to a significant, increased likelihood that students would pass the AIMS tests and graduate from high school. Based on the findings of our earlier study, the approved USP included the following provision: ‘‘By the beginning of the 2013–2014 school year, the District shall develop and implement culturally relevant courses of instruction designed to reflect the history, experiences, and culture of African American and Mexican American communities.’’ In so doing, an agenda for the next round of publicly engaged scholarship has been set.”
Read the Study
Authored by: Nolan L. Cabrera, Jeffrey F. Milem, Ozan Jaquette and Ronald W. Marx
October 2014
"Our findings establish that taking MAS courses corresponded to a significant, increased likelihood that students would pass the AIMS tests and graduate from high school. Based on the findings of our earlier study, the approved USP included the following provision: ‘‘By the beginning of the 2013–2014 school year, the District shall develop and implement culturally relevant courses of instruction designed to reflect the history, experiences, and culture of African American and Mexican American communities.’’ In so doing, an agenda for the next round of publicly engaged scholarship has been set.”
Read the Study
An Empirical Analysis of the Effects of Mexican American Studies Participation on Student Achievement within Tucson Unified School District
Authored by: Nolan L. Cabrera, Jeffrey F. Milem, and Ronald W. Marx
June 2012
"At the request of the Special Master, Dr. Willis D. Hawley, these analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between participating in the Tucson Unified School District’s (TUSD) Mexican American Studies (MAS) program and student achievement (positively, negatively, or no relationship). While the MAS program has been known by other names (e.g., Raza Studies), for the sake of continuity, the program will be referred to as MAS throughout the duration of this report. There are two central questions guiding these analyses:
Authored by: Nolan L. Cabrera, Jeffrey F. Milem, and Ronald W. Marx
June 2012
"At the request of the Special Master, Dr. Willis D. Hawley, these analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between participating in the Tucson Unified School District’s (TUSD) Mexican American Studies (MAS) program and student achievement (positively, negatively, or no relationship). While the MAS program has been known by other names (e.g., Raza Studies), for the sake of continuity, the program will be referred to as MAS throughout the duration of this report. There are two central questions guiding these analyses:
- What are the relationships between taking MAS courses and educational performance?
- Are these relationships consistent for different cohorts of students over the years?"
The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies
A Research Review
Authored by: Christine E. Sleeter
2011
"Ethnic studies includes units of study, courses, or programs that are centered on the knowledge and perspectives of an ethnic or racial group, reflecting narratives and points of view rooted in that group’s lived experiences and intellectual scholarship. Ethnic studies arose as a counter to the traditional mainstream curriculum. Numerous content analyses of textbooks have found an ongoing marginalization of scholarship by and about African Americans, Latino/as, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. In acknowledgement of the dominance of Euro-American perspectives in mainstream curricula, such curricula can be viewed as ‘Euro-American ethnic studies.’ As students of color proceed through the school system, research finds that the overwhelming dominance of Euro-American perspectives leads many such students to disengage from academic learning. Ethnic studies curricula exist in part because students of color have demanded an education that is relevant, meaningful, and affirming of their identities. This review analyzes published studies and reviews of research that systematically document the impact of ethnic studies curricula, Pre-K through higher education, on students, academically as well as socially."
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A Research Review
Authored by: Christine E. Sleeter
2011
"Ethnic studies includes units of study, courses, or programs that are centered on the knowledge and perspectives of an ethnic or racial group, reflecting narratives and points of view rooted in that group’s lived experiences and intellectual scholarship. Ethnic studies arose as a counter to the traditional mainstream curriculum. Numerous content analyses of textbooks have found an ongoing marginalization of scholarship by and about African Americans, Latino/as, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. In acknowledgement of the dominance of Euro-American perspectives in mainstream curricula, such curricula can be viewed as ‘Euro-American ethnic studies.’ As students of color proceed through the school system, research finds that the overwhelming dominance of Euro-American perspectives leads many such students to disengage from academic learning. Ethnic studies curricula exist in part because students of color have demanded an education that is relevant, meaningful, and affirming of their identities. This review analyzes published studies and reviews of research that systematically document the impact of ethnic studies curricula, Pre-K through higher education, on students, academically as well as socially."
Read more
Curriculum Audit of the Mexican American Studies Department
Tucson Unified School District - Tucson, Arizona
May 2011
"The purpose of the Tucson Unified School District Mexican American Studies Department Curriculum Audit is to determine: (1) how or if the Tucson Unified School District Mexican American Studies Department programs are designed to improve student achievement;
(2) if statistically valid measures indicated student achievement occurred; and
(3) whether the Mexican American Studies Department’s curriculum is in compliance with A.R.S 15-112(A)."
Read the Audit
Tucson Unified School District - Tucson, Arizona
May 2011
"The purpose of the Tucson Unified School District Mexican American Studies Department Curriculum Audit is to determine: (1) how or if the Tucson Unified School District Mexican American Studies Department programs are designed to improve student achievement;
(2) if statistically valid measures indicated student achievement occurred; and
(3) whether the Mexican American Studies Department’s curriculum is in compliance with A.R.S 15-112(A)."
Read the Audit
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Leaks in the Chicana and Chicano Educational Pipeline
Authored by: Tara J. Yosso and Daniel G. Solórzano March 2006 "Academic institutions facilitate the flow of knowledge, skills, and students through the educational pipeline. Yet, no matter how one measures educational outcomes, Chicana/os suffer the lowest educational attainment of any major racial or ethnic group in the United States. This brief calls for the repair of the serious and persistent leaks in the Chicana/o educational pipeline. Most Chicana/os who pursue higher education begin at the community college. In California, for example, 40% of Latina/os who enroll in community colleges aspire to transfer to a four-year college or university. However, less than 10% of these students reach their goal of transferring to a four-year college." Read the Study |
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The Status of Black History in U.S. Schools and Society
by LaGarrett J. King
The year 2015 marked a century since Carter G. Woodson and his colleagues created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (originally ASNLH, now ASALH), the first Black history organization that successfully “promoted, researched, preserved, interpreted, and disseminated information about Black life, history, and culture to the global community.”1 Woodson, with help from ASALH, had a profound impact on efforts to institutionalize Black history in schools. Between 1915 and 1950, Woodson and his colleagues established a foundation for K-12 Black history education. They did so by authoring several K-12 Black history textbooks, designing Black history home study courses for school-aged children, establishing a K-12 Black history teacher journal, and promoting Negro History Week (now Black History Month) in schools.2 Woodson envisioned these programs as temporary, and only the first steps at integrating K-12 Black history within the mainstream social studies curriculum. Read more
by LaGarrett J. King
The year 2015 marked a century since Carter G. Woodson and his colleagues created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (originally ASNLH, now ASALH), the first Black history organization that successfully “promoted, researched, preserved, interpreted, and disseminated information about Black life, history, and culture to the global community.”1 Woodson, with help from ASALH, had a profound impact on efforts to institutionalize Black history in schools. Between 1915 and 1950, Woodson and his colleagues established a foundation for K-12 Black history education. They did so by authoring several K-12 Black history textbooks, designing Black history home study courses for school-aged children, establishing a K-12 Black history teacher journal, and promoting Negro History Week (now Black History Month) in schools.2 Woodson envisioned these programs as temporary, and only the first steps at integrating K-12 Black history within the mainstream social studies curriculum. Read more
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Fighting for Our Lives: Preparing Teachers to Teach African American Students by Gloria Ladson-Billings |
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African American History Social Studies Curriculum Framework Arkansas Department of Education 2014 |
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African and African American History: A Resource Guide for Arkansas Teachers Act 326 of 1997 requires the Commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Education "to overseedissemination of instructional materials and training for the teaching of African-American history in grades K-12 in Arkansas public schools and training in racial and ethnic awareness and sensitivity for teachers and administrators." Read more |
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North Carolina Essential Standards
Social Studies Elective African American Studies 2013 |
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Negroes in America History: A Freedom Primer
Published by The Student Voice, Inc, 360 Nelson Street, S. W. Atlanta, Georgia 30313 Introduction This is a history book about us. It is about a history that has been denied us by lies about what we are and what we have been. It is a book with pictures that can be colored with crayons. But most of all, this is a book to be used. This is a book we helped make and can continue to help make (and not just with crayons). What all of this means is that this is really a history book about us today, as well as about us yesterday. Read more |
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African-American History Copyright © 2011, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall One Lake St. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 |
