Teachers Are Winning in Seattle - And That is Good...

Choosing Democracy: Teachers Are Winning in Seattle - And That is Good...: Sara Bernard On one block of the Central District last Thursday: dozens of teachers wearing bright-red Seattle Education Associ...

Choosing Democracy: Charter Schools May be Unconstitutional

Choosing Democracy: Charter Schools May be Unconstitutional: Washington State Supreme Court: Charter Schools Are Unconstitutional - A Landmark Ruling September 9, 2015 . ...

Choosing Democracy: The Teacher Shortage is No Accident

Choosing Democracy: The Teacher Shortage is No Accident: In These Times · http://www.inthesetimes.com BY Kevin Prosen Like much else in the national education debate, panics about teach...

Union Teachers Challenge Sanders to Change His ...

Choosing Democracy: Group of Teachers Challenge Sanders to Change His ...: Many of us, public school teachers and parents, have enthusiastically supported Senator Sanders for President. We were encouraged by his o...

Saying Goodbye to Julian Bond

antiracismdsa: Saying Goodbye to Julian Bond: http://billfletcherjr.com/2015/saying-good-bye-and-thank-you-to-julian-bond/ I did not expect to awaken this morning ...

Initiative to Restrict Teacher Retirement is Filed...

Choosing Democracy: Initiative to Restrict Teacher Retirement is Filed...: Seth Sandronsky  On Tuesday California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris released the  full title and summary text  for the Public Emplo...

Choosing Democracy: Republican Candidate Christie Attacks Teachers

Choosing Democracy: Republican Candidate Christie Attacks Teachers: What was the most surprising thing about New Jersey Governor and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie’s recent remark that t...

Choosing Democracy: We Won't Get Great Teachers By Treating Them Badly...

 We Won't Get Great Teachers By Treating Them Badly...: By Jeff Bryant. Educational Opportunity Network An article by Alia Wong for  The Atlantic  this week caused quite a stir by pointing to ...

Choosing Democracy: Another Corporate "Reformer" Runs for President- K...

Choosing Democracy: Another Corporate "Reformer" Runs for President- K...: With two-term Ohio Gov. John Kasich joining the crowd of candidates for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, it’s a good time to l...

SF Teachers’ Union Elects New Leadership

SF Teachers’ Union Elects New Leadership

Our Kids : The American Dream in Crisis

Choosing Democracy: Our Kids : The American Dream in Crisis: Our Kids: The American Dream In Crisis (2015) Robert Putnam A   Preliminary Review by Duane Campbell This new book is an insight...

These Students Want an Education

Choosing Democracy: These Students Want an Education:  Children and young adults need to see themselves in the curriculum.  Students, particularly students of color, have low levels of atta...

Writer Off Track in Assault on Teachers' Unions

Choosing Democracy: Writer Off Track in Assault on Teachers' Unions: by Duane Campbell Bill Whalen of the Hoover Institute recounts the difficult issues of riots in our cities and then blames Democrats ...

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Standardized Testing (HBO)

Steps toward an inclusive history of California

antiracismdsa: Steps toward an inclusive history of California: The Chicano/Mexican American Digital History project has completed stage one of the effort to amend the History/Social Science Framework...

Choosing Democracy: Worse than Texas : Chicano History Ignored in Cali...

Choosing Democracy: Worse than Texas : Chicano History Ignored in Cali...: But, you can do something about that this week ! Mañana is now ! See prior post.  "You cannot oppress a people who are not afraid...

antiracismdsa: Letters needed on Chicano/Mexican American History...

antiracismdsa: Letters needed on Chicano/Mexican American History...: Mañana is now ! We need your letters insisting on the expansion of Mexican American history.   The closing date is May 1, 2015.   Mañana ...

Choosing Democracy: Teachers- We need your letters on inclusion of Mex...

Choosing Democracy: Teachers- We need your letters on inclusion of Mex...: Cesar and friends at Sac State. 1972.   "Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed.  You can not un-educate the person who...

Write Chicano History Into the California State Textbooks

A Call for Public Participation !

By Duane Campbell

Mexican American/Chicano history is substantially absent from public school textbooks and curriculum in California- and it has been since  1986.  This year we have an opportunity to change that. 

California has the largest student  population of any state, with more than 6,236,000 students  in school in 2013.  Students who are Mexican American of Latino heritage make up over 53% of the total school population. 

Latino student political non participation  and disconnectedness is significantly caused by Latino absence from the K-12 textbooks and curriculum. 

Children and young adults need to see themselves in the curriculum.  Students, have low levels of attachment to California and U.S.  civics engagement in significant part because the government institution they encounter the most- the schools-  ignore the students’ own history, cultures and experiences.

California state textbooks currently largely ignore the roles of Mexican Americans and Latinos in building this state.  Students need to learn civic engagement – it is not automatic.  Students need to learn that they belong , that they are a part of the community and its history.

California schools and history teachers should lead the way in preparing  young people for civic life in our  pluralist society.   They  are not. Incomplete and inaccurate history, along with incomplete and inaccurate economics harms not only Latinos and Asians, but the Anglo students as well.  When Anglo students  are taught an inaccurate view of Latino /Mexicano history in the state, they fail to accurately understand the major demographic shift presently occurring  and this lack of knowledge   contributes  to fear, misunderstanding  and conflict such as that promoted in the current anti immigrant campaigns. 

We can change this.   The content of the k-12 textbooks and the curriculum is directed by a state document- the History/Social Science Framework for California’s public schools.  The current 1987 framework is outdated. State law requires that the frameworks be updated each 7 years.  There was no significant change from 1987 until 2009.  ( In 2001 the publishers added a photo of Cesar Chavez.)

Choosing Democracy: Screw State Universities

Choosing Democracy: Screw State Universities: How Republicans Chose Tax Cuts over Education   by Ed Kilgore- TPM.  12130  Views Scott Walker- Wisconsin  The last time we h...