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Spotlight on TUSD’s Raza / Mexican-American Studies |
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This is a national issue. Simply, the
education practices used with TUSD’s Raza / Mexican-American Studies
(MAS) are not limited to this one program in one school district. Similar pedagogy is used with International Baccalaureate Programs that are in U.S. public schools nationwide. Likewise, similar methods are used to deal with the U.S. Dept. of Labor SCANS "foundation skills" & "five competencies" outcomes for School-to-Work (now "Career Technical Education" and "Skills for the 21st Century). U.S. education is being "reformed" in a manner that will leave us with a system not unlike what transpired in the former USSR and the "popular democracy" / "people's democracy" established in Soviet satellites. (In the article below, see "Section 3" excerpts from Captive Rumania -- go to the "Education" chapter about the Soviet overhaul of Rumania's traditional school system.) Article: Spotlight on TUSD’s Raza / Mexican-American Studies Captive Rumania (very large pdf - convenience link added by Vicky)
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This is a supplement to previously
distributed material (TUSD's "classical showpieces of Marxist oriented indoctrination" ) This collection of information focuses on the Tucson Unified School District department/program that over the years has been referred to by various names including: “Hispanic Studies,” “Raza / Mexican-American Studies”, “Mexican American / La Raza Studies”, “Raza Studies”, “Mexican American Studies”, and “Mexican American/Raza Studies”. See “Section 1”. IMPORTANT: issues that open the floodgates for criticism are not isolated to just this one department/program. Criticisms include: inefficient and wasteful use public education money; inadequate, offensive and inflammatory course materials; and use of schools as a forum to promote special-interest political agendas. Plus there are problems such as: fomenting resentment (take your pick of targets); sowing seeds of divisiveness; transmitting false information; cultivating “victim” mentality; and promoting a collectivist/communitarian worldview. Many of these same issues may be found elsewhere in the district in varying degrees, as well as in other schools/districts around the nation and in other countries that also promote “progressive” education. Charter schools and private schools are not necessarily exempt. At the center is Marxist education theory and praxis – present in the use of critical theory, critical pedagogy, “whole child” development objectives, etc.,,,. -- that address so-called critical-thinking, so-called problem-solving, so-called communication, so-called tolerance and diversity, so-called real world relevance, etc. They may be found in various “programs” marketed to attract particular “groups” especially those based upon race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc.,,,. See “Section 2” for more about the pedagogy. “Section 3” includes what history can tell us about the consequences of using such theory and practice.
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Contents
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SECTION 1
1. Department/program title changes
2. In the beginning: Bilingual
Education
3. Bilingual Ed./Hispanic Studies,
then Raza/Mexican American Studies
4. Political backdrop – national and
local levels
5. MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil
Chicano de Aztlán)
-- Connections
-- Philosophy of MEChA
-- Background documents
(El Plan de Aztlán; El Plan
de Santa Barbara, El Plan de San Diego).
6. Peddling Marxist education
theory
SECTION 2
• MARXIST EDUCATION THEORY
• PAULO FREIRE (b.1921-d.1997)
• CRITICAL THEORY
• THE DIALECTIC
• CRITICAL-THINKING
SECTION 3
• DOUBLE-THINK
• GROUP-THINK
• DEMOCRACY --> SOCIALISM -->
COMMUNISM
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