Save Ethnic Studies (@saveethnicstudiesaz)1
Ethnic Studies Now Coalition (@ethnicstudiesla)2
Ethnic Studies Now Coalition is a community organization that felt that ethnic studies courses should be be offered in all of the 94 high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, not just 19 high schools. The coalition’s proposal included a mandatory semester-long full-credit course from one of several LAUSD-approved subjects including Mexican American Studies, African American History, Literature of Minorities in America, and Asian Studies. The porposal was approved November 18, 2014 by the LAUSD Board.
“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.” – Ethnic Studies Now
Curtis Acosta (@curtisacostallp)3
Curtis Acosta was a high school teacher in Tucson, Arizona for almost 20 years where he developed an taught Chicano/Latino Literature classes for the Mexican American Studies program. Acosta is also the founder of the Acosta Latino Learning Partership, educators and education professionals create dynamic learning environments, pedagogy and curriculum that will inspire every student to thrive.
Curtis Acosta has appeared on the Daily Show and has apperared on the film Precious Knowledge.
XITO (@xicanoinstitute)4
Xicano Institute for Teaching and Organizing supports the Xicano/Latino community through teacher preparation, social justice pedagogy, and community organizing. XITO addresses the implications legislations, like HB 2281, by offering workshops in community organizing and critical teaching to affect policy on the local, state, regional or national level.
edwin mayorga (@eimayorga)5
“Edwin Mayorga is a parent, educator, scholar and activist. He is an instructor in the Department of Educational Studies at Swarthmore College (PA). He is completing his doctoral studies in Urban Education at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY-GC). His dissertation, Education in our Barrios @BarrioEdProj, is a digital, community-based, critical policy study that examines the NYC Latino core community of East Harlem, education reform, and urban restructuring since the 1980s.”