AZ Supt of Public Instructiom, John Huppenthal held a press conference yesterday to declare that the Mexican American Studies program is illegal and violates ARS15-112, a law made specifically to demonize the MAS program. Huppenthal contends that the program:
§15-112 A (2) – Promotes resentment towards a race or class of people: Materials gathered by, and submitted to, the Arizona Department of Education, as well as the materials the auditors reviewed contained content promoting resentment towards a race or class of people.
§15-112 A (3) – Is designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic race: In addition to the reviewed classroom materials and instructional content, the Mexican American Studies Department website clearly indicates the Program is primarily designed for pupils of a particular ethnic race.
§15-112 A (4) – Advocates ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals: Reviewed Mexican American Studies Program materials repeatedly emphasize the importance of building Latino nationalism and unity versus identifying students as individuals.
He did find that the program was NOT trying to overthrow the government which is another part of the statute.
This came as no surprise. Huppenthal campaigned on ending "La Raza Studies" and vowed to finish what current Attorney general Tom Horne started.
The surprise came today, though when the independent audit commissioned by Huppenthal and conducted by Cambium Learning was released.
Cambium Learning's Audit found this:
"During the curriculum audit period, no observable evidence was present to suggest that any classroom within Tucson Unified School District is in direct violation of the law A.R.S. 15-112,"
http://tucsoncitizen.com/...
Admittedly, the auditors were not able to see all classes, but in the classes they observed they found this:
"In most cases, quite the opposite is true," said the audit. "Consider, if classes promoted resentment or ethnic solidarity, then evidence of an ineffective learning community would exist within each school aligned with the Mexican American Studies department. That was not the case. Every school and every classroom visited by the auditors affirmed that these learning communities support a climate conducive to student achievement."
In addition, the audit, which is overwhelmingly positive, depicts courses that are popular with students and the community, and, more importantly, effective.
"High school juniors taking a MASD course are more likely to pass the reading and writing portion of the AIMS subject tests if they had previously failed those subtests in their sophomore year. Consequently, high school seniors enrolled in a MASD course are more likely to graduate than their peers."
Anywhere from five to 11 percent more likely, the data indicates.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/...
The Tucson unified School District is 60% Hispanic and has a terrible drop out rate. The MAS program was conceived as a way to help kids stay in school and close the achievement gap, after a desegregation order was lifted.
The audit finds the students to be motivated, articulate, and "closing the achievement gap." The teachers are committed, prepared, and "provided students with assignments which required the use of higher-order and critical thinking skills."
You can view the audit from a link at Three Sonorans
Here's the Huffington Post article
And this is a very detailed article at Tucson Sentinal
I can't wait to see how this plays out.
