NACCS Tejas FOCO call to action for MAS April 9.
by Tony D on 03/28/14
Saludos,
Colegas. The National Association for Chicana & Chicano Studies
Tejas Foco Committee on Mexican American Studies for Pre-K to 12 has
been working with various organizations and individuals from
throughout the state of Texas to integrate Mexican American Studies
(MAS) into Texas schools. Currently we have an ongoing "E-Mail and
Call-In Campaign" to the elected members of the Texas State Board of
Education (SBOE) until March 31 (see previous e-mail below), and a "Day
of Action" on Monday, April 7, to urge the SBOE to put Mexican American
Studies as an "Action Item" on their April 8-9 meeting in Austin, and to
get them to vote for the creation and development of a course and
curriculum in Mexican American Studies for Texas children and schools.
We are having good results with the e-mail and call-in campaign and if
you have not done this yet, please take the time to do so. The names,
contact and information is in the e-mail below and the second
attachment. We want to get as many calls and e-mails as we can until
March 31, and then bombard them with e-mails/calls on April 7, the "Day
of Action," as we prepare for the meeting.
There
are also four petitions that have been started by NACCS Tejas
Foco/Somos MAS, LULAC, MAS Unidos (a statewide student organization),
and Texas Freedom Network (see links below). If you have not signed
these, please do so and share. It only takes a minute. We'd like to have
thousands of signatures to take to the SBOE meeting, and these
petitions are also being forwarded to the Texas SBOE. These important
initiatives are having an impact, and at the very least are raising
awareness of the importance of MAS for all of the Texas' children, and
for the future economic success of this state.
There
are also some interesting articles that have come out on this issue in
the Huffington Post and Brownsville Herald. See links below.
In
the meantime, the Ysleta and El Paso Independent School Districts were
the first school districts in the state of Texas to vote and pass a
resolution in support of Mexican American Studies for Texas schools (http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_25332747/yisd-urges-state-board-education-use-mexican-american); Houston Community College-Central and Southeast are integrating MAS into the Dual Credit programs for high schools (http://culturachicana.blogspot.com/2014/03/focando-2014-mas-y-mas-y-mas.html);
and San Antonio saw the Ceremonia and Grand Opening Celebration of the
Palo Alto College Center for Mexican American Studies last week (http://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Center-for-Mexican-American-Studies-opens-5335888.php?t=b7f39137b3d94c05bd#/0)
and McCollum High School became the first school to sign up for the
Fall, 2014 Dual Credit course in Mexican American Fine Arts Appreciation
at Palo Alto College, a first for San Antonio. There are many more
victories all around the state (send me your MAS victory stories).
Let's
continue implementing MAS into Texas schools at the local school
district level and with community colleges and universities; and let's
keep the pressure on the Texas State Board of Education by e-mailing
and calling them through March 31 and on the "Day of Action" on April 7,
signing the petitions, and planning to be present at the April 8-9 SBOE
meeting in Austin and testifying (there's info on signing up to testify
in the e-mail below). There's going to be a major demonstration at the
April 8-9 meeting. Our children have a basic human and civil right to an
education that reflects them positively and teaches them about their
own identity, history, language, arts, and culture. MAS will help them
succeed in school, and in life. MAS is good for all Texas children, not
just Mexican Americans. And educating our children makes good economic
sense for Texas.
One
of the most important initiatives that we should begin immediately is
developing a curriculum in MAS for Pre-K and elementary school children
and working with local school districts to implement these as soon as
possible. The younger we reach our children, the better, because these
are the early crucial years in which they get thrust into the U.S. and
Texas educational institutions, and these early years lay the foundation
for all of their future academic endeavors. Do you know of any MAS
curriculum that has been developed for Pre-K and elementary grades? If
so, please share this with me, and send me your MAS Texas news,
articles, links
etc.
Gracias
por su trabajo in support of an exemplary, relevant and meaningful
education for our children and the generations to come. "For we are the
ones we've been waiting for," as the Hopi prophecy says. Pa'lante, and
once again pardon the long update. Juan
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Saludos,
Colleagues and Friends, and for many of you, welcome back from Spring
Break. Are you ready to hit the ground running? After speaking with
various people, including two of our elected representatives on the
Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), Ruben Cortez from the Valley, and
Marisa Perez from San Antonio, we believe that there must be a
multi-pronged campaign to integrate Mexican American Studies (MAS) into
Texas schools from Pre-K to 12th grade.
Two aspects we are focusing on right now is 1) Integrating MAS into
Texas schools through existing programs such as the Dual Credit and
Early College Programs for high school students; and other programs and
existing curricula offerings.
And 2) To pressure the Chair of the Texas State Board of Education,
Barbara Cargill, to move Mexican American Studies from a “Discussion
Item” to an “Action Item” at their next board meeting on April 9, 2014,
and thus try to get the SBOE to vote on creating and developing a MAS
course and curriculum for high school students across Texas.
In
regards to item # 2 above, the National Association for Chicana &
Chicano Studies Tejas Foco Committee for Mexican American Studies Pre-K
to 12 is initiating a two week “E-Mail and Call-In Campaign,” from March 17-31, to pressure Barbara Cargill to move MAS to an “Action Item” on April 9. We are asking that everyone e-mail and call their SBOE representative, and then e-mail all of the 15 SBOE members. I
have attached the list of SBOE members, the districts they represent
across Texas, plus their telephone numbers and e-mails. Most of these
members use the sboesupport@tea.state.tx.us
address. Use this address and type in the body of your e-mail: “To All
Texas State Board of Education Members,” all of
them will receive your e-mail. If you want to target an individual
board member, such as your representative, or Barbara Cargill, then use
this e-mail address and simply type their name, such as: “To Texas SBOE
Member Barbara Cargill,” and only she will receive that e-mail. Below is
a sample of the language you can use for both the calls and e-mails:
“My name is Juan Tejeda and I am an Instructor of Music and Mexican American Studies at Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas, (if
you are calling or e-mailing your individual representative on the SBOE
then you can add) and you are my representative on the Texas State
Board of Education. I am calling/writing you to let you know that I support the integration of Mexican American Studies into Texas schools from Pre-K to 12th grade,
and I am asking you to urge Barbara Cargill to move Mexican American
Studies from a Discussion Item to an Action Item at the April 9 SBOE
meeting so that Texas can begin developing a curriculum for a high
school course in Mexican American Studies. Thank
you.”
Then on Monday, April 7, right before the April 9 SBOE meeting, we will have a “Day of Action” and we’re asking that everyone, once again, call and e-mail their individual representatives on the SBOE, and send
another e-mail to all 15 SBOE members.
If
you want to testify at the April 9 SBOE meeting in Austin, individuals
may register on the website or by FAX between 8 a.m. on Friday through 5
p.m. on Monday prior to the board meeting; or, in person or by
telephone between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the
Friday and Monday prior to the board meeting, with the appropriate
agency office. Register at: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=25769804082
If you want to find out who represents you on the SBOE and the Texas Legislature, click on this link:
http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx
http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx
Besides the SBOE members and their contact information, I am also attaching three of the
resolutions that we have received so far.
I
would also like to congratulate the Ysleta Independent School District
in El Paso, the board members and Georgina Cecilia Perez and her
colleagues there, for being the first school district in Texas to pass a
resolution in support of MAS which “… urged
the State Board of Education to endorse and offer Mexican American
studies in literature and history courses from pre-kindergarten through
high school.” And I want to report to you that McCollum High
School in San Antonio is the first high school to sign up for the Dual
Credit course that Palo Alto College is offering in Mexican American
Fine Arts Appreciation for the Fall, 2014 semester. We are waiting for a
positive response from Harlandale, South San, Southside and Southwest
High Schools.
Please
share this e-mail and let’s begin contacting our representatives on the
Texas SBOE beginning tomorrow and over the course of the next two
weeks. Thanks for your support and your action with this campaign. MAS
is important for the success of our children, and the State of Texas.
Juan Tejeda
Chair/NACCS Tejas Foco Committee on MAS Pre-K-12
Chair/NACCS Tejas Foco Committee on MAS Pre-K-12
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