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California Education to Latinos: Sorry, We Forgot That You Exist!

By Duane E. Campbell
Professor of Education
California State University Sacramento

After 20 years of using a California History-Social Science Framework which is ahistorical and misses the significant contributions of Mexicans, Latinos, and Asian to U.S. and California history, the State Board of Education will hold hearings on whether the current framework should be revised. I hope that you have an opinion.

California has the largest population of any state, with more than 6,286,000 students in school in 2006 California students make up more than 11 percent of the United States total. California, along with some 16 other states, adopts textbooks for the entire state instead of district by district. This makes the California adoption the largest single textbook sale in the nation. Succeeding in market is an important goal for textbook publishers. Many publishers write and edit their books in a targeted attempt to win control of the large and lucrative California and Texas markets. In an effort to increase their profits, publishers promote and try to sell throughout the nation books developed in California and Texas.

The election of 1982 began 16 years of conservative, Republican control of the California governorship. Governors appoint the members of the State Board of Education. The conservative control changed the history–social science, language, and reading curricula and textbooks for the state, and influenced textbook decisions throughout the United States.

The 1987 draft of the History-Social Science Framework (a guide for teachers and textbook selection still in use today ) excluded an accurate history of Latino and Native American settlement of the Southwest and did not cover the substantial Asian history in the West (see Almaguer, 1994). By electing to concentrate on a melting pot, consensus point of view, the History-Social Science Framework assumed that telling the history of European immigrants adequately explains the experiences of Mexicans, Native Americans, and Asians.

The Framework does not describe the displacement and destruction of Native American, Mexican, and Mexican American communities from 1850 to 1930 throughout the Southwest, including in Los Angeles and San Diego. The authors—among them, educational historian Diane Ravitch—failed to note that the present mosaic of Southwest culture was created by the subjugation and domination of previously existing groups, both Native American and Mexican American.

The California document won the praise of conservative reform advocates around the nation. Honig and Ravitch and numerous funded advocacy organizations such as the Brookings Institute cited it in their writings and speeches as a positive example of the kind of multiculturalism they supported.

In California, committees and the State Board of Education select texbooks for all the students in public schools. The U.S. history books submitted for the 1990 California adoption, and readopted in 1998 and 2005, were required to be based on the Framework. The 1987- 2005 document expanded African American, Native American, and women’s history coverage but were totally inadequate in their coverage of Latinos and Asians—both significant population groups in the development of history of the West. The only significant change between the 1985 and the 2005 adopted Framework was the addition of a new cover, a cover letter, and a photo of Cesar Chavez. Latinos make up 48.1 percent of California’s student population and Asians make up 8.1 %. Coverage of Native Americans in fourth-grade books was embarrassingly Euro-centric. The books do not accurately describe the interactive and interdependent nature of the African, European, Native American, Latino, and Asian communities. (For a detailed analysis of this curriculum conflict, see Cornbleth & Waugh, 1995. For an opposing view, see Gitlin, 1995.) Above Excerpt from Choosing Democracy: a practical guide to multicultural education. (2004)

Focus group: Friday, May, 9, 2008, Sacramento. An agenda for the focus group meetings are posted at the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/.

Duane Campbell is a Professor of Education at Cal State University Sacramento and blogs at Choosing Democracy on major issues facing our democracy with a focus on public schooling.

Posted on May 06, 2008

Comments

The ILLEGALS and Anchor Babies in the Texas School System are so illiterate that “our” schools have to spend time and resources to teach the ILLEGALS and Anchor Babies "proper" Spanish before they can even consider teaching English allowing the ILLEGALS to study your "history–social science"! The ILLEGALS and Anchor Babies have their own program starting in pre-kindergarten through the 5th grade, seven years, and most do not learn English. But the Feds and State of Texas continue to flood the school system with "our" money.

Don't be concerned, the ILLEGALS and Anchor Babies do not have any desire to learn English! No need, they plan to take over the United States and turn our nation into another THIRD WORLD COUNTRY!

Posted by: lccat at May 6, 2008 10:02 AM

The anger and hatred expressed in the comments about "ILLEGALS and Anchor Babies" are probably the same type of feelings the Irish and Italians encountered during the era of their immigration into this country. Dr. Campbell should be commended for bringing and keeping the issue of the content of textbooks before us.

Posted by: Georgia Edwards at May 6, 2008 10:37 AM

Posted by: Georgia Edwards at May 6, 2008 10:38 AM

Please, save the whining for somebody who gives a rat's ass. I'm sick of the ILLEGAL ALIENS who either sneak into the US across our borders or overstay their visa's thinking that once they're here, all is ok. IT IS NOT AND AMERICANS ARE NOT GOING TO STAND FOR IT ANY LONGER! States are all cracking down and soon there will no place to work, live, drive, just BE and they will have to self deport. It can't happen soon enough for me! Adios illegals; we're not footing the bill for you and your anchor babies anymore. Go back to your thirdworld cesspool. REPORT ALL ILLEGALS TO ICE: 1-866-347-2423 You may do so anonymously. You can also report employers who are hiring illegals to the IRS -- go to www.irs.gov and look up form 211 and form 3949A. Life should not be comfortable for ILEGALS in the US!

Posted by: April at May 6, 2008 09:21 PM

BOYCOTT MEXICO! Why should Americans go there as tourists and support a country that tells it's own citizens HOW and WHAT to do once they go to the US ILLEGALLY?!? Enough is enough. Anyone that wants to scream discrimination and racism is an idiot. There is something called THE RULE OF LAW. Intent has nothing to do with anything (they just want a better life, blah, blah, blah). If you're here illegally, you have to go!

Posted by: Sarah Goodson at May 6, 2008 09:24 PM

Posted by: Sarah Goodson at May 6, 2008 09:25 PM

I love how you're criticizing the US for how they teach the "history-social science" to Latinos but you don't mention the brainwashing that Mexicans get in Mexico that the US was "stolen" from them when it was not. In 1848 the Treaty of Hildago was signed, so none of the west, southwest is Mexico's. The "Reconquista" is something you should give up because patriotic Americans will never give it up without a fight. And that means the illegal invasion as well... How many of those California students you refer to are here LEGALLY?!? I'd venture to say that a large percentage are here illegally. There is no validity if that's the point to demanding their "rights" as they have none.

Posted by: Jim at May 6, 2008 09:40 PM

Georgia,
MAJOR Difference, When the Irish and Italians came here they were LEGAL. It is the cutting in line, and cheating others who are following the law people have a problem with. Illegals are the problem I don't care where they are from. CA is spending BILLIONS on Illegals and their "babies".
I hope every legal resident in the country calls
their representative in Washington, D.C. - five times a week for as long as it takes to restore some semblance of intelligence in our policies and enforcement thereof.

Posted by: Jeff at May 7, 2008 01:16 PM

You people are so completely horrible. Yes, lets send them back to their "thirdworld cesspool." Are you kidding me? So blame them for trying to get away from horrible living conditions and thinking of whats best for them and their families. I am quite sure you would do the same. Shame on you. And anchor babies. Again, let us punish them and send them "back"(which is a ludicrous statement considering they never were there in the first place)for living and existing. Let's destroy their futures for their parents mistakes. Lovely.

Posted by: Mary at September 21, 2008 09:38 AM

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