No-longer-superintendent John Huppenthal’s parting shot across TUSD’s bow has been much in the news lately, including a few posts here at the Range. Hupp, not content with successfully dismantling the TUSD’s Mexican American Studies program, has been itching to do the same to the district’s current Culturally Relevant Curriculum, a similar (but not identical) program which was created to fulfill the dictates of the federal desegregation orders for the district. He’s demanded that the district send him piles of documents about the program and has arranged scheduled and unscheduled visits to the classrooms. I’m guessing if he had beat Diane Douglas in the primary, he would have brought this up during his reelection campaign like he did four years ago — nothing like running against La Raza to rile up the base — but since he lost the primary, he kept quiet until he had one foot out the door.
But MAS, though dismantled, isn’t dead. A lawsuit is scheduled to be heard by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on January 12 contesting HB 2281, the law that was created to outlaw Mexican American Studies.
The lawsuit argues that HB 2281 should be thrown out because it’s too vague. What does it mean that a course “promote[s] the overthrow of the United States government,” or “promote[s] resentment toward a race or class of people”? Those charges can be hurled at any number of texts used in history, political science and literature classes, or discussions led by teachers who want students to think critically about this country’s past and present, not just curriculum used in the Mexican American and African American studies courses. And what, exactly, does it mean to say a class “advocate[s] ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals”? That’s definitely in the eye, and the bias, of the beholder.
Back to Hupp’s move against TUSD’s Culturally Relevant Curriculum. Tim Steller does a good job of dissecting the silliness contained in Huppenthal’s indictment. Steller ends his column by saying Huppenthal is “a man who could really use a few semesters taking ethnic studies classes.” Well put. Hupp’s online alter egos, Thucydides and Falcon 9 (which he used to comment on The Range as well as other blogs across the state), should come along as well. Those guys have some serious race-related issues.
Will new Ed Supe Diane Douglas follow through on Hupp’s action, meaning Tucson will be going through reruns of the MAS controversy between now and March? No telling what she’s planning to do. She may not want to jump into this fight with both feet the minute she sets foot in her new office. Stay tuned.
This article appears in Jan 1-7, 2015.
The Ninth Circus Court exists for societal misfits like this. Don’t be surprised by their opinions.
They are the laughingstock of US Justice.
The Federal Deseg has outlived its usefulness by a decade or so.
That needs to go away so politics can finally have a chance to get out of TUSD and the district can get back to its primary mission of educating kids….all of the kids…equally.
SouthwestLover makes an interesting statement at the end of their comment.
“…educating…all of the kids…equally”
That seems fine, at first glance, but what does that mean? Shall we just toss a certain amount of education at all kids and hope that it sticks? Surely children in Special Ed classes receive much more individual attention than kids in mainstream classes. Advanced students get the opportunity to take classes far beyond the level of mainstream kids. Blind and Deaf children receive special instruction.
The idea that all children are equal is absurd. Teachers need to have latitude to address each child’s needs on an individual basis. Making school seem relevant to kids from other than white backgrounds just seems like common damn sense, but that’s in short supply, these days.
Gonzo,
Race does not effect a child’s ability to learn in the same way that a learning disability does! Race is not a physical disability that needs a special approach like blind and deaf children do! To suggest that a child’s race or ethnicity or nationality will effect his ABILITY to learn in the same way that physical or mental disabilities do is both inappropriate and most likely racist of you! Absurd analogies, wow.
If we are not teaching our children critical thinking and analysis skills, it does not matter which historical perspective we teach them. Good teachers know this and teach kids to think for themselves, not what to think.
I pray they don’t allow radical revolt against the white man revolution history in TUSD. Seriously who does that serve???? Who did the previous farce of Mexican American Studies Serve.? Political idiots who write for the Weekly should really look at what they think they mean when someone says educate “ALL” of the students in TUSD. Far too long has this exclusive approach of special treatment and programs focused and dominated by and for hispanics been part of every aspect of the governing, educating, administering, the education process and curriculum in TUSD. Such political rhetorical garbage supported by the Tucson Weekly only will continue to perpetuate and ensure a crappy education system indefinitely in TUSD.
What does it mean that a course “promote[s] the overthrow of the United States government,” or “promote[s] resentment toward a race or class of people”?
Those aren’t big words. I’m pretty sure if you use a dictionary you could figure out what they mean. Has anyone commenting (or even the author) read any of the source material from the course?
I have read many of the books that were being used in the program. I found some of them to be amazing pieces of American literature (Cisneros, Alexei, Anaya and more), I found some to be interesting philosophical works (Pedagogy of the Oppressed) but I also found other books to be seriously lacking in facts and even worse fabrication of historical events (Rethinking Colombus: The Next 500 Years and Occupied America). However, reading these books will not give you very much insight into the actual classroom or applied experience withing MAS.
The problem with MAS was never really the source material, it was what the teachers were cherry picking from these books. The MAS program never made their curriculum public, so there is no real way of knowing what was actually being taught in the classroom. The only insight we have was a Cambium Audit but even they clearly states:
“Moreover, these same units incorporate texts questionable for student/age appropriateness. The
intended audience for many of these texts is educators and adult college students due to the
complexity of the content and readability.” (Curriculum Audit of the Mexican American Studies Department Tucson Unified School District, pg. 36, http://www.tucsonweekly.com/images/blogimages/2011/06/16/1308282079-az_masd_audit_final_1_.pdf)
and
“Curriculum units listed above do not have a substantial systematic and explicit scope and sequence and when tied to course syllabi, one cannot determine the fit into what would be considered a curriculum or pacing guide for instruction.” (pg. 34)
and
“The auditors did not find a well-defined, solitary document that provided the integrated, comprehensive guidance needed to direct, monitor, and assess effective curriculum implementation. The degree to how well the curriculum is organized and established remains to be determined, as there are many unsystematic procedures in place. There was no observable evidence provided to the auditors to indicate a well-defined curriculum detailing clear long and short-term goals within each course along with pacing guides, and use of formative and summative assessment.” (pg. 43)
If they had just made their curriculum public it would have answered everyone’s questions, but the fact that they never did this, or worse never even had it, suggests to me that they might be hiding something. Prove me wrong.
If the schools got out of all these special studies and went back to teaching HISTORY the students might learn the truth about our society and get an education at the same time. There’s nothing illegal about teaching history.
When TUSD dismantled the old MAS classes, the board made a commitment to redesign the history and literature classes to reflect all of our history…warts and all. Sadly, the TUSD board never followed through with that commitment. Instead we get the same old “Woe us me. We are such victims of the oppressors nonsense” that characterized the MAS classes. A rigorous set of classes in history and literature are the cure for this disease, but there are too many political points to be scored by promoting ethnocentrism and downright racism.
By the way, David, according to Dr. Romero…the guru of MAS…the only difference between MAS classes and the CRC being used by TUSD is the name. How do you square his well-documented statement with your assertion that there are key differences between the two? After all, Shakespeare may be a dead old white guy, but his statement about a rose by any other name could well be applied to MAS…though the predicate in the statement would have to be altered.
You might also have mentioned that federal judge Tashima found the law to be constitutional. It is his decision that has been appealed.