{"id":2,"date":"2020-02-27T20:31:46","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T20:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-1015-spring-2020\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2020-05-15T19:09:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-15T23:09:00","slug":"the-problem","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-1015-spring-2020-efernand\/","title":{"rendered":"The Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NAVIGATE MN\/ Unidos MN Education Fund<\/p><\/div>\n

The idea that education is the great equalizer of society predates the founding of <\/span><\/span>America\u2019s modern education system<\/span><\/span>, with the first public<\/span><\/span>\u00a0school<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>requirement for a s<\/span><\/span>tate coming into effect in 1852<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>(<\/span><\/span>Watson, 2008<\/span><\/span>)<\/span><\/span>. According to American\u00a0<\/span><\/span>philosopher<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Horace Mann,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>public education<\/span><\/span>\u00a0would raise future generations without the <\/span><\/span>prejudices<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and short<\/span><\/span>c<\/span><\/span>omings of the current generations<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>(<\/span><\/span>Duncan, 2018<\/span><\/span>)<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>However, what Mann did not take into consideration is that schools are directly affected by the happenings of the current society. The very definition of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>p<\/span><\/span>ublic\u00a0<\/span><\/span>school<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0shifts depending on the majority political presence at the time. T<\/span><\/span>hus, American\u00a0<\/span><\/span>history<\/span><\/span>\u00a0is a history of a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>continuously<\/span><\/span>\u00a0shifting public education\u00a0<\/span><\/span>system<\/span><\/span>, with groups\u00a0<\/span><\/span>fighting<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to<\/span><\/span>\u00a0gain<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>more representa<\/span><\/span>tion within its\u00a0<\/span><\/span>curriculum<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and others\u00a0<\/span><\/span>working<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to keep them out, all\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to establish<\/span><\/span>\u00a0schools\u00a0<\/span><\/span>that<\/span><\/span>\u00a0pave the way for<\/span><\/span> their version\u00a0<\/span><\/span>of an <\/span><\/span>improved<\/span><\/span>\u00a0American society.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At its base, ethnic studies<\/strong> help students learn about and discuss topics of divide in U.S society such as race, power, and social status, the systems set in place to create the current situation of these topics, and how to work within or outside these systems to create a more inclusive and equitable society. If schools are to ever be the \u201cgreat equalizers\u201d of society, they must\u00a0<\/span>incorporate<\/span>\u00a0the diversity of the American\u00a0<\/span>population<\/span>\u00a0and enact\u00a0<\/span>curriculum<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0that allow for the kind of collective learning\u00a0<\/span>that ethnic studies\u00a0<\/span>provide<\/span>. This is now more important than ever, as the American political system grows into a sharp divide that\u00a0<\/span>prohibits meaningful discussion and a global pandemic exposes the vast\u00a0<\/span>inequalities<\/span>\u00a0our society\u00a0<\/span>must<\/span>\u00a0still<\/span>\u00a0overcome.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The History\/ National Response<\/h2>\n

Grassroots organizing has been the key to advance the ethnic studies movement nationwide. Though the fight for representation in American <\/span>curriculums<\/span>\u00a0has been ongoing since public schools were first\u00a0<\/span>established<\/span>\u00a0in the nation, the\u00a0<\/span>history<\/span>\u00a0of the current movement begi<\/span>ns\u00a0<\/span>with the\u00a0<\/span>Cold War.\u00a0<\/span>With the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>landing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of\u00a0<\/span>the Soviet Union\u2019\u00a0<\/span>Sputnik<\/span>\u00a0on the moon\u00a0<\/span>in 1957\u00a0<\/span>came an American panic that\u00a0<\/span>our<\/span>\u00a0education system was fa<\/span>lling<\/span>\u00a0behind<\/span>. This panic<\/span>\u00a0pushed education reform efforts into high gear<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>The next year,\u00a0<\/span>the National Education Defense Act increased funding for education at all levels\u00a0<\/span>to advance<\/span>\u00a0science and technology\u00a0<\/span>curriculum<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>Powell, 2007<\/span>)<\/span>. The\u00a0<\/span>1950s\u00a0<\/span>also happened to be a time of civil unrest<\/span>, with African Americans fighting against decades of\u00a0<\/span>oppression<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>second-class<\/span>\u00a0citizenship.\u00a0<\/span>As\u00a0<\/span>both<\/span>\u00a0movements\u00a0<\/span>progressed<\/span>, they became intertwine<\/span>d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>P<\/span>ublic education began to be viewed as a tool for the advancement of\u00a0<\/span>African Americans through representation in\u00a0<\/span>curriculum<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0culturally relevant\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>pedagogy<\/strong>, which is teaching grounded in the students\u2019\/location\u2019s cultural context<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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AP Images<\/p><\/div>\n

To incorporate culturally\u00a0<\/span>relevant<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>pedagogy<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>schools<\/span>, students believed ethnic studies courses were needed.<\/span>\u00a0These courses would serve as\u00a0<\/span>interdisciplinary courses designed to explore the themes of social justice, social responsibility, and social issues through the exploration of\u00a0<\/span>power structures\u00a0<\/span>throughout history<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>the history of marginalized groups in the U.S.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>After the passage of the\u00a0<\/span>Elementary<\/span>\u00a0and Secondary Education Act\u00a0<\/span>(ESEA)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of 1965, which\u00a0<\/span>established\u00a0<\/span>accountability<\/span>\u00a0standards for schools and served as a commitment\u00a0<\/span>from<\/span>\u00a0the American government to offer every child equal\u00a0<\/span>access<\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>great<\/span>\u00a0education, it seemed like a perfect time to fight for ethnic\u00a0<\/span>studies courses<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>Paul, 2016<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>At first, the movement was focused on higher education. In 1968, the Black Student Union and a collation of other student groups known as the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) held a five-month strike at San Francisco State University. They demanded e<\/span>qual\u00a0<\/span>access<\/span>\u00a0to public high<\/span>er<\/span>\u00a0e<\/span>ducation<\/span>, more senior fa<\/span>culty<\/span>\u00a0of color, and a<\/span>\u00a0new\u00a0<\/span>curriculum that would embrace the history and culture of all<\/span> people<\/span>. Other student protests demanding ethnic studies continued at the University after the strike. As a result, the college of ethnic studies was\u00a0<\/span>launched<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in 1968 and UC Berkley opened an et<\/span>hnic <\/span>studies department the next\u00a0<\/span>year (<\/span>Diaz, 2020<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The movement continued to gain traction throughout the state and<\/span>\u00a0spill<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0into schools.\u00a0<\/span>In 1994, Berkley high\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>chool became one of the first public high schools in the nation to offer ethnic studies<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>courses (<\/span>Anderson, 2016<\/span>)<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>With the success of ethnic studies in California<\/span>, the movement surpassed state lines. In 1998, the Tuscon Unified School District (TUSD) created a Mexican American Studies (MAS) program for elementary, middle, and high school\u00a0<\/span>students (<\/span>Diaz, 2020<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Unfortunately<\/span>, the movement began to feel more intense pushback shortly after.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I<\/span>n 2001<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the movement hit a major roadblock when No Child Left\u00a0<\/span>Behind (<\/span>NCLB)<\/span>, an\u00a0<\/span>updated<\/span>\u00a0version of ESEA<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0was passed due to the lack of academic achievement gains\u00a0<\/span>expected<\/span>\u00a0under the\u00a0<\/span>original<\/span>\u00a0ESEA.\u00a0<\/span>NCLB set the standard of\u00a0<\/span>assessing<\/span>\u00a0a school\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>suc<\/span>cess<\/span>\u00a0through student\u00a0<\/span>performance<\/span>\u00a0o<\/span>n<\/span>\u00a0standardized<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>tests<\/span>\u00a0in core subjects<\/span>. Schools that failed to meet certain\u00a0<\/span>performance<\/span>\u00a0standard<\/span>s\u00a0<\/span>faced reduced funding and even closures<\/span>. With the focus now on high stakes testing, the spread of culturally\u00a0<\/span>relevant<\/span>\u00a0teaching was put on hold as it was believed to take away from the focus o<\/span>f preparing for these tests.\u00a0<\/span>NCLB quickly proved to be ineffective, forcing states to lower standards to meet academic achievement requirements and pushing children to learn with strict testing\u00a0<\/span>dates, which quickly increased the gap\u00a0<\/span>between<\/span>\u00a0student\u00a0<\/span>achievemen<\/span>t<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>Paul, 2016<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Realizing the\u00a0<\/span>standardized<\/span>\u00a0testing approach was\u00a0<\/span>ineffective<\/span>, districts turned back to more\u00a0<\/span>holistic<\/span>\u00a0approaches to teaching such as culturally relevant\u00a0<\/span>teaching<\/span>. The MAS courses\u00a0<\/span>continued,<\/span>\u00a0and similar programs spread throughout the nation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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California Faculty Association<\/p><\/div>\n

Though there has been pushback, the movement appears to be on a steady and quickly progressing march forward. In 2011, a bill was passed by Governor Jan Brewer that banned TUSD\u2019s MAS program on the claim that it was radicalizing students. After\u00a0<\/span>intense\u00a0<\/span>pushback from students, parents, and teachers, MAS was replaced with MASS (Mexican American Student Services), a series of programs<\/span>\u00a0to help\u00a0<\/span>struggling<\/span>\u00a0Latinx students<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Back in California, the movement continued with full force<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>Mata, 2012<\/span>)<\/span>. In 2014, El Rancho Unified School District became the first district in California to require stu<\/span>dents<\/span>\u00a0to pass an ethnic studies course to graduate<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>Diaz, 2020<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Similar\u00a0<\/a><\/span>initiatives<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>have<\/span>\u00a0spread to other states such as Oregan, Vermont, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Texas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In 2016, a law was passed in California to create a guide to teaching ethnic studies as well as a model curriculum to be applied statewide<\/span>\u00a0in the upcoming years\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>Kai-Hwa Wang, 2016<\/span>)<\/span>. That same year,<\/span>\u00a0the Standford Graduate School of Education released a study\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span>\u00a0documented the benefits for students taking these courses. The study looked at ethnic studies classes in pilot programs in San Francisco high schools. The research found that students who took the courses made gains in attendance, grades, and the number of credits they earned to graduate<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>O<\/span>ne of the researchers, pressor Thomas S. De<\/span>e<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0attributes this growth due to the fact that<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cCulturally relevant pedagogy embeds several features of interventions designed to reduce stereotype threat, such as explaining stereotypes and identifying external forces that contribute to academic challenges\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>Donald. 2016<\/span>).<\/span> In other words, these courses empower students and give them the knowledge necessary to not fall victim to stereotypes. For those that believe ethnic studies courses take away from test preparation time, o<\/span>ther studies have\u00a0<\/span>found<\/span> that s<\/span>tudents with\u00a0<\/span>access<\/span> to these courses tend to score higher than their peers and go on to higher education<\/span>\u00a0(<\/span>Hill, 2020<\/span>)<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The idea that education is the great equalizer of society predates the founding of America\u2019s modern education system, with the first public\u00a0school\u00a0requirement for a state coming into effect in 1852\u00a0(Watson, 2008). According to American\u00a0philosopher\u00a0Horace Mann,\u00a0public education\u00a0would raise future generations without the prejudices\u00a0and shortcomings of the current generations\u00a0(Duncan, 2018).\u00a0However, what Mann did not take into consideration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-1015-spring-2020-efernand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-1015-spring-2020-efernand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-1015-spring-2020-efernand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-1015-spring-2020-efernand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-1015-spring-2020-efernand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-1015-spring-2020-efernand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-1015-spring-2020-efernand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}