FNED 546 Week #5 Blog Post
The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies, A Research Review
By: Christine E. Sleeter & Precious Knowledge Documentary
Connections
Christine Sleeter’s article, The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies: A Research Review, and the documentary Precious Knowledge share a common theme. The theme of importance behind ethnic studies, and making school and education opportunities relatable to all students, not just white students. Sleeter shares a research-based critique of conventional curriculum and a case for ethnic studies. Here she shares the story of Carlos and how Chicano studies changed his experience and attitude toward learning positively. Then, the film proves Sleeter’s findings to be true, through sharing the lived experiences of students and educators in Tucson.
Sleeter argues that the current curriculum used in schools/history classes can be classified as “Euro-American Studies,” centering White historical figures and narratives while marginalizing communities of color. Her analysis of the History-Social Science Framework for California Public Schools shows that 77% of the 96 named Americans were White, with Latinos and Native Americans almost entirely absent at the secondary level. Sleeter goes on to explain that textbooks often frame racism as a problem of the past, caused by a few bad people, rather than as an ongoing system of oppression. It is merely dismissed. As a result, students of color frequently experience disengagement in school because their histories and cultures are not adequately represented. Their own cultural traditions are either minimized or presented as an after thought. We know that representation is incredibly important for students to gain a deeper understanding and stay interested.
Moreover, Precious Knowledge shows us first-hand this disengagement. Students like Gilbert describe feeling that school was “against” them, and national data cited in the film notes that Mexican-American students face alarmingly high dropout rates. A White teacher in the film even characterizes students’ relationship to learning as “dysfunctional,” reinforcing Sleeter’s point that many educators misunderstand the root cause of disengagement. Especially those who are white. Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade emphasizes what Sleeter’s research supports: many students are not dysfunctional in learning, they are disengaged from a school system that does not reflect them.
To reflect on the literature this week, I will say that the documentary specifically made me very angry. Everything Sleeter discussed already made sense to me, I thought of little girls who for a long time did not have a Barbie that looked like them. How unfair that is and how discouraging little representations like that can be. But then watching Precious Knowledge, kind of just ignited more anger and frustration, especially because of the current political climate. It is extremely annoying to listen to white men in power act like children and make ignorant arguments about things they know nothing about. I found it very ironic that Tom Horne and John Huppenthal accused the Ethnic/Raza studies classes as being indoctrinating and racist. They seem to be very stubborn people who think that the USA is perfect, and many of their comments disturbed me.
Embracing Diversity From An Early Age
Hello Georgie! I liked your blog post and I felt the exact same way every time I saw clips of John Horne and John Huppenthal in the video. The arrogance of Horne's unwillingness to visit the classroom, and Huppenthal's misunderstanding of his own classroom visit were both enormously frustrating. I felt a little better when I learned Huppenthal was later disgraced by distasteful and racist "burner posts" he made online that basically ended his political career. Sadly, Horne is back in the same position he's shown here - as the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state of Arizona.
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