Elias Serna

  • signed up on Join 2020-08-11 21:58:58 -0700

  • commented on Victory in Oxnard Union High School District 2019-03-04 21:15:23 -0800
    Right on Oxnard! We need to hire Chican@/Ethnic Studies teachers!
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  • signed Petition AB 2772 Ethnic Studies 2018-09-05 11:10:59 -0700
    High School Ethnic Studies classes and programs have been PROVEN to increase attendance, performance, self-esteem, civic engagement, grades, test scores, and they help ALL students develop an academic identity. Ethnic Studies SAVES LIVES & MAKES THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. PASS AB 2772!

    Petition AB 2772 Ethnic Studies

    Please CLICK HERE to send an email today to the Senate Education Committee asking them to support AB 2772 Ethnic Studies for California high schools. 

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A SAMPLE LETTER OF SUPPORT. PLEASE SEND A SIGNED COPY TO [email protected] and we will deliver it for you. 


     

    1,464 signatures

    I support AB 2772 which will add a course of ethnic studies to be a high school graduation requirement beginning the school year of 2023-2024.

    California has one of the largest and most diverse student populations in the nation. Ethnic minorities account for over 71 percent of the student population, with more than 90 languages spoken in District schools.

    Given California’s annual increase in diversity, it is important that students build knowledge of the various racial and ethnic groups in our state. Incorporating ethnic studies courses into standard high school curriculum is a means to accomplish this. Ethnic studies, promotes respect and understanding among races, supports student success and teaches critical thinking skills. Additionally the course provides students with the opportunity to learn about their respective culture in the context of California’s history.

    Requiring ethnic studies to be taught in high schools is an integral part of cultivating a classroom environment that is accepting of diversity. It is vital for young people to learn about their history, it is also important for them to feel like they can contribute to their communities in positive ways. AB 2772 will help close the achievement gap by reducing student truancy and student enrollment, reduce drop-out rates, and better prepare Californian youth to be college prepared and career ready.

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  • signed Compton USD 2017-12-19 18:24:48 -0800
    I teach Chicana/o Literature and Ethnic Studies at high schools and Cal State Universities, most recently at the Long Beach Ethnic Studies Initiative in conjunction with CSULB and LBUSD. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified also recently committed to building an Ethnic Studies program hiring teachers and program builders. A plethora of education studies indicate that well organized, culturally-relevant Ethnic Studies programs with community-teacher involvement are successful in improving g.p.a.’s, attendance, engagement with learning, community/civic engagement and college-going rates. The Compton ESN group includes impressive & qualified teachers, community and scholars that can make this happen in Compton. Best wishes on a historical calling.

    Compton ESN

    291 signatures

    Ethnic Studies NOW Petition - Compton 

    We, the undersigned, support the creation of an A-G approved Ethnic Studies course as a high school graduation requirement in each of the high schools in Compton, CA.

    Using demographic data provided by the California Department of Education for the 2014-15 K-12 academic school year, our students are 79 % Hispanic/Latino, 19 % African American, .1% American Indian/Alaskan Native, .05 % Asian, .68 % Pacific Islander, .06 % Filipino, and .33 % White. The time is NOW for our ethnically diverse youth to see their hi/stories as worthy of study and inquiry. We believe in the power of a curriculum that can present a genealogy of common struggles and successes. The best education includes narratives often missing from a Euro-centric curriculum that marginalizes diverse histories, cultures, and perspectives. Ethnic Studies recognizes that our students are valuable and worthy of an education that teaches them a complex, well-rounded, and critical history of the United States.

    Currently recorded in the US Census Bureau for the years 2010-2014, the high school graduation rate for the city of Compton is a mere 60.1%. Furthermore, only 6.4% of our population, between the same time period, obtained a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Research demonstrates that Ethnic Studies curriculums can help close the achievement gap, reduce student truancy, increase student enrollment, reduce “drop-out” rates, and increase graduation rates. Ethnic Studies requires and prompts students to be critical thinkers in not only identifying complex social problems, but also to collaborate in real world problem solving and solution posing. Ethnic Studies allows our students the opportunity to become active agents of social change in their community by promoting civic engagement and leadership.

    Currently, there are no formally established Ethnic Studies programs, in which all students have access, in any of our Compton high school’s. Further, we advocate for the establishment of Ethnic Studies curriculums at all levels of education: elementary, middle, and high schools. It is time that all Compton students have access to Ethnic Studies courses that, not only, make their K-12 education culturally relevant and embraces their lived experiences of being a part of a diversely rich community, but, also, motivates young people to connect in meaningful ways that lead to self-actualization.

    Several neighboring school districts and throughout the state are actively implementing Ethnic Studies programs into their high school curriculum, including the largest district in the state of California, Los Angeles Unified School District. Compton has the opportunity to be at the forefront of this state-wide educational movement and join districts such as El Rancho Unified, Montebello Unified, San Francisco Unified, Sacramento Unified, San Diego Unified, Coachella Valley Unified, among many more.

    Upon the passage of this resolution, we support the effort to establish a mandatory Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee that would aid in the development and implementation of this curriculum.

    We demand that this committee to be a representative body that is inclusive of all stakeholders: parents, students, residents, teachers, workers- regardless of legal status, language, sexuality and/or any other identities that could or may be seen as a barrier for participation.

    At the end of it all, this initiative is about self-love and dismantling the legacy of white supremacy that continues to perpetuate violence against ourselves, each other, and our community. We believe that when students begin to think critically about their own race, gender, ethnicity and location- students will be empowered to become agents of social justice.

    By transforming our education, we are transforming our lives, and in effect transforming our city.

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  • signed ESN / STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION PETITION 2016-07-12 00:24:03 -0700

    ESN / STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION PETITION

    Friends,

    We ask that you please sign your name, below, in support of ESN’s recommendations to the CA State Board of Education (SBE) for the new CA History-Social Science Framework’s (HSSFW) Ethnic Studies elective course. The SBE’s next meeting is scheduled to be the last time to make any changes to this framework for at least another 8 years!

    How can a general ES course description not have any mention of students learning about their ancestral roots, or about colonialism, or about self-determination for that matter? Community cultural wealth? Please see our recommended line edits to the SBE that will ensure that these main concepts are not left out.

    Today, please sign and spread the word! This will only take a moment and with your support, we can affect the HSSFW’s official description of Ethnic Studies, and help make it more genuine, critical, and transformational for thousands of students across California – it is what they deserve. Please Sign and spread the word! 

    881 signatures

    ~~ETHNIC STUDIES NOW COALITION: IMPERATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS TO CA SBE FOR CA HSSFW~~

    1. Our first recommendation is for Chapter 14, p.425, line 648, to explicitly include four core concepts and academic language of Ethnic Studies, after "...a more complex understanding of the human experience". ADDITION: "This understanding relates to student knowledge of the concepts of indigeneity, colonialism, cultural hegemony, and self-determination, as they have occurred throughout history and today”.

    2. Our second recommendation is that these concepts be explicitly culturally relevant and responsive to students in Chapter 14, p.426, line 675, after "co-investigators in the inquiry process". ADDITION: "This reflection of instructors and students' own personal histories should be considerate of how the concepts of indigeneity, colonialism, cultural hegemony, and community cultural wealth, relate to their own ancestral legacies as historically situated human beings".

    3. Our third recommendation, is to respect the Ethnic Studies tradition of explicitly acknowledging the Indigenous peoples of the land where any course is taking place. We recommend adding a sentence in Chapter 14, p.427, line 692, before the following sentence: “Students can investigate the history of the experience of various ethnic groups within the United States...”. ADDITION: “In studying various ethnic groups, the Indigenous peoples of any area under academic investigation and of any land where a course is taking place (e.g. Miwok in Sacramento, Chumash in Santa Barbara, Kumeyaay in San Diego), are respectfully acknowledged as the original peoples of the community”.

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  • signed PETITION SFSU College Of Ethnic Studies 2016-02-24 21:32:56 -0800
    President Wong and Provost Rosser, this is one of the boldest racist moves you are making in the name of neoliberal “budget cuts.” As public servants, you are acting with utmost NEGLIGENCE and disgrace by destroying a pioneering department in Ethnic Studies, a living and active monument to the Civil Rights movement, the College of Ethnic Studies at SFSU. I hope your malicious acts and racist judgements can be reversed, or they will likely be met with the most energized rebellion your administration has felt. And I will be in that league.

    PETITION SFSU College Of Ethnic Studies

    5,071 signatures

    to: President Leslie E. Wong and Provost Vice President of Academic Affairs Sue Rosser

    WE THE UNDERSIGNED WOULD LIKE TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM, WITH RECOMMENDATION(S):

    The proposed cuts to 40 percent of the COES budget will wipe out COES support for faculty hiring, research, and modest student resources that have survived a decade of systematic gutting.

    These cuts will also impact students enrollment in COES classes and student’s ability to graduate in a timely manner. With a full and expanded budget allocation, not only will this enrich the community of San Francisco State University, but we hope to set an example for public schools, colleges, and universities in all of the United States.


    IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE COLLEGE OF ETHNIC STUDIES.

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  • signed PETITION AB 2016 Ethnic Studies 2016-07-06 15:12:37 -0700
    As the recent Stanford study, the Sleeter study, and the Tucson Mexican American Studies program all demonstrated, Ethnic Studies improves engagement, self knowledge and self esteem, academic performance, a college-going identity, and civic responsibility among all students (Whites too). This is important in a state where the majority of students are now Chicano/Latino. Please do the right thing, as responsible adults, and pass this law. We are NOT Arizona, we do not fear our students nor do we resent non-white groups.

    PETITION AB 2016 Ethnic Studies

    *** UPDATE *** AB 2016 was signed into law on September 13, 2016 by Governor Brown! Click here to download the full text of the law ---> DOWNLOAD

    **********************

    1,063 signatures

    I support AB 2016, which instructs the Superintendent to establish a model curriculum for Ethnic Studies beginning the school year of 2017-18. Beginning with the school year after the development of the model curriculum, each school district with grade 9-12 will be required to offer the class to their students as an elective for social science.

    California has one of the largest and most diverse student populations in the nation. Ethnic minorities account for over 71 percent of the student population, with more than 90 languages spoken in the state’s school districts

    Given California’s annual increase in population diversity, it is especially important that students build knowledge of the various racial and ethnic groups in our state. Incorporating ethnic studies courses into standard high school curriculum is a means to accomplish this. In doing so, students gain an encompassed outlook on other cultures while learning respect and tolerance. Additionally, it provides students with the opportunity to learn about their respective culture in the context of California’s history.

    Developing ethnic studies programs in all public high schools is an integral part of cultivating a classroom environment that is accepting of diverse cultures. It is vital for young people to learn about their history, but also important for them to feel like they can change their communities in positive ways. This bill will help close the achievement gap by reducing student truancy, increasing student enrollment, reduce drop-out rates, and better prepare Californian youth to be college-prepared and career-ready.

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  • signed Coachella Valley USD 2015-11-10 19:03:50 -0800
    Many in my extended family are from Coachella, including a few teachers and several students, and I am aware of the pressing need of curriculum that reflects the great majority of Mexican and Chicano students of the Coachella Valley. Please be responsible education leaders and implement Raza and Ethnic Studies, a more culturally relevant and responsive curriculum for our students.

    Coachella Valley USD

    587 signatures

    UPDATE:   VICTORY!!! ON NOVEMBER 10, 2015 COACHELLA VALLEY USD VOTED 7:0 TO MAKE ETHNIC STUDIES A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT!

    Dear School Board Representative, We urge you to support the implementation of Ethnic Studies as a graduation requirement at the Coachella Valley Unified School District. As elected officials, you can help maintain our district’s vision by ensuring that our students are prepared to graduate, and attend college, as critical thinkers, with an understanding of various cultural and social issues. The implementation of Ethnic Studies as a graduation requirement benefits our students and our school district.

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  • signed Ventura County via 2015-12-16 20:18:21 -0800
    Oxnard-Ventura Counties need the curriculum to reflect the student population. If the books and the lessons don’t teach about EVERYBODY’S HISTORY and CULTURE then they need to evolve. Raza and Ethnic Studies Now! It’s been proven to improve student engagement, test scores, civic engagement, self esteem and a college-going identity. Do it for the youth!

    Ventura County

    631 signatures

    ETHNIC STUDIES NOW VENTURA COUNTY!

    We, the undersigned, support the creation of an A-G approved Ethnic Studies course as a high school graduation requirement in each of the school districts in Ventura County.

    Ethnic Studies benefits all students by providing a complex, rich, and critical history of the United States. Given the multitude of issues facing our county, it is important to prepare our students to be global citizens with the knowledge of and the appreciation for the contributions of multiple cultures and histories.

    Using demographic data provided for the Oxnard Union High School District 2012 – 2013 School Accountability Report Card, on average, Chicana/o-Latina/o students comprise over 75% of the all the high schools in the Oxnard Union High School District. These numbers are an example of the diversity that is present county-wide.

    Currently, there are no formally established Ethnic Studies programs, in which all students have access, in any high school district in Ventura County. Research demonstrates that Ethnic Studies curriculum can help close the achievement gap, reduce student truancy, increase student enrollment, reduce drop-out rates, and increase graduation rates.

    Further, we advocate for the establishment of Ethnic Studies curriculum at all levels, high school, secondary, and elementary. It is time that all Ventura County students have access to Ethnic Studies courses -- courses that inspire and motivate young people to connect in meaningful ways to the larger community. Several high school districts throughout the state are implementing Ethnic Studies programs, including the largest district in CA, Los Angeles Unified High School District. Ventura County has the opportunity to be at the forefront of this state-wide educational movement.

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  • signed San Diego USD via 2015-05-20 02:11:41 -0700
    Raza Studies Now-Los Angeles says San Diego students should KNOW THEIR HISTORY AND CULTURE, the beautiful stories of Chicano Park, Centro Cultural de la Raza, artists Carmen Lopez Garza, David Avalos, Mujeres Muralistas, Lalo Alcaraz, Toltecas en Aztlan, Guillermo Gomez Peña … all major artists from San Diego! Studies show Ethnic Studies improves student engagement, scores, outcomes and promotes a college-going identity. Ethnic and Raza Studies Now!

    San Diego USD - Ethnic Studies Petition

    704 signatures

    Petition to Support Ethnic Studies in SDUSD 

    We, the undersigned, support the effort to establish a mandatory Ethnic Studies course as a  graduation requirement in all high-schools in the San Diego Unified School District, as well as  an Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee (ESAC) that will aide in the development and  implementation of this curriculum. 

    San Diego is a world-class city that boasts over one hundred spoken languages and a great  variety of ethnicities and cultures. Despite this diversity, at the moment there is just 1 Ethnic  Studies course offered to the 100,000+ students throughout SDUSD. As over 75% of the  students are people of color, it is imperative that the district offer courses that examine and  honor the rich histories and lived experiences of our many youth. 

    In solidarity with California’s push to create a more equal school system, we support AB 101  that will resolve to make ethnic studies courses available to every student. Research has  shown that students who have had access to Ethnic Studies courses do better in school and are  more likely to go to college. It is important to have courses that speak to students who may  feel invisible and marginalized, to inspire and motivate them in their education, so that they  learn their own history, engage actively in their own learning, and connect in meaningful ways  to the larger community. By providing Ethnic Studies courses in SDUSD, we are creating and  expanding a world-class school system rooted in the unique perspectives of students in the  San Diego community. 

    The Ethnic Studies Now Coalition

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  • signed sign the Petition 2014-09-07 23:17:18 -0700

    sign the Petition

    *update* we reached 250 signatures on Sept 17; 500 on Sept 29; 750 on Sept 30; 1000 on Oct 2; 1500 on Oct 18. Our current goal is 2500 signatures.

    2,422 signatures

    ETHNIC STUDIES NOW!

    We, the undersigned, support the effort to make the successful completion of an A-G approved Ethnic Studies course a high school graduation requirement in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

    According to the data from the California Department of Education, LAUSD only offers Ethnic Studies courses at 19 out of 94 of its senior high schools. Because of this limited access, only 691 out of a total of 152,507 high school students in LAUSD are taking Ethnic Studies courses, despite the fact that over 90% of LAUSD is comprised of students of color whose shared experiences are marginalized and forgotten in the mainstream curriculum. 

    It is time that all LAUSD students have access to Ethnic Studies courses -- courses that speak to students who have felt invisible and marginalized, to inspire and motivate them in their education, so that they learn their own history, engage actively in their own learning, and connect in meaningful ways to the larger community. Research has shown that a well-developed and well-thought-out Ethnic Studies curriculum has positive academic outcomes for students.

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