ETHNIC STUDIES NOW!

a selection of recent news items:

June 2, 2104 LA Times article (click here) "What ethnic studies is really about is creating opportunity for young people to learn about themselves and the world around them and make the world a better place. - Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, ethnic studies professor at San Francisco State

June 17, 2014 (Click here to download PDF of ERUSD Resolution that passed)

June 21, 2014 LatinoUSA report by Valerie Hamilton "High schools all over the United States are leaving out a large chunk of American history. American teenagers learn about a history that is Euro-centric and often don’t learn about the rich histories of other racial and ethnic groups. In California, 70 per cent of high schoolers are students of color. Yet only one in 15 schools offers ethnic studies curricula. In fact, most high school students in the US will not see an ethnic studies class, despite evidence that kids, especially kids of color, benefit greatly from learning diverse histories.

Ethnic studies is a controversial topic in high schools. The Texas board of Education recently voted to develop ethnic studies textbooks, but didn’t require schools to use them. And Arizona passed a law banning Mexican-American studies, but that case is being appealed in Federal Court.

Reporter Valerie Hamilton went to Animo South Los Angeles High School where ethnic studies is a required course, just like math and English."

July 2, 2014 LA Times OPED piece by Noah Remnick (Click here) "In a state where minorities are the majority, a dynamic understanding of ethnicity isn't a luxury or a diversion but a necessity. Such courses would help high school students to grapple with the complex history of oppression and achievement in a truthful — and even liberating — fashion."

July 7, 2014 LA Times article (click here) "The El Rancho Board of Education recently agreed that all students, beginning with the class of 2016, must take and pass an ethnic-studies course before graduating." "When students learn about themselves, their history, it gives them self-worth and self-esteem and they do better in school." -- Vice President of El Rancho USD, Jose Lara

August 28, 2014

October 16, 2014

http://egpnews.com/2014/10/ethnic-studies-now/

October 17, 2014

"Ethnic studies at South San Francisco High School is an elective. There is one school in Southern California, El Ranch High School in Pico Rivera, that will soon require ethnic studies for graduation."  http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Class-Action-South-San-Francisco-High-Expands-Ethnic-Studies-279513262.html