Chicano Studies Final Exam

Before coming to this class I could see and feel that the world around me was changing but was unaware of the significance or reasons behind the change. The Spanish language is becoming more and more a part of the American culture which can be seen in job postings all across the country indicating that bilingual is a plus. The eye opener for me is that the inevitable appears to be happening despite the fact that it has taken 162 years from the culmination of the US Mexico war, this nation of people who appear to have been bamboozled are now reclaiming their territory both legally and illegally. Prior to this class I did not fully understand the impact that immigration has on the US, which is not just economic or educational but historical as well. Assimilation into the mainstream US culture is not happening but instead Mexican and other Latino immigrants are forming political and linguistic communities in the west, south, and northeastern parts of the US. As of the year 2000 Hispanic populations have risen at such rapid rates that they have now become the largest minority population in the United States. With that said, the Hispanic population has an opportunity to do what no other immigrant group in history has ever done: challenge the current cultural, political, legal, and educational systems of the U.S.
When you consider that Hispanics have the highest fertility rates and the youngest population of people when compared to whites and other minority groups it becomes apparent that Hispanic immigration is tremendously impacting the U.S. education system. “In major cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Miami, where bicultural students comprise from 70 to 90 percent of the student population, dropout rates of 50 percent and greater are the norm” (Darder, 1). So the question now becomes; what is the cause of this underachievement? Darder points out in her article, The Problem with Traditional American Pedagogy and Practice, that one of the most persistent arguments regarding underachievement among minority students is that of nature vs. nurture. Those who see the problem as a result of nature believe that underachievement is simply a matter of a deficit in genetic traits. Nurture advocates, on the other hand, see the issue of underachievement as a result of the environment in which these students live and are raised, readily pointing to the cycle of poverty, cultural deprivation, and the child’s underprivileged status. The problem with both of these perspectives is that they both place the blame of underachievement on the student and not the system itself. As a result, Hispanic students are feeling isolated, lonely, and alienated within the current U.S. educational system. Even though some Hispanic students have achieved success, most have not. Consequently, we are creating an under-class of people which can eventually lead to social and economic unrest.
I think at this point it is necessary to mention that I grew up in a border city that was predominately Hispanic and therefore was completely oblivious to the notion that Hispanics have ever endured any form of racism or discrimination. It was especially surprising to me to find out that this “utopian” society that I experienced was not always that way. To learn that Mexican American children were asked to not attend school here in El Paso because they could not speak English was nothing that I would have ever entertained as possible. According to Dr. Ortega the atmosphere between Anglos and Mexicans in El Paso was peaceful up until 1870. It was in 1870 that the state of Texas passed a law that mandated all classroom instruction be conducted solely in English. Prior to the passing of this law all schools in El Paso were bilingual in the classroom. There were a number of students whose English was not so good and it was decided that separate schools would need to be created. In 1883, EPISD opened its doors for the first time in an attempt to address this need. EPISD started with three elementary schools and one school for both middle and high school, El Paso Middle/High School. Then something astonishing happened, the superintendent asked parents not to bring their children to school if they could not speak good English and from 1884 – 1887 (three years!) kids who were not proficient in English did not attend school. It was not until 1887 that a businessman by the name of Olivos Aoy decided to address the issue and created a school mostly run by volunteers. In 1895, Aoy dies and EPISD decides to acquire the school and named it The Mexican School (What?) and not Aoy Elementary school. From 1895 – 1921 there were only elementary schools built in the Segundo Barrio no high schools. The feeling was that they, Mexicans, would never go to college bur rather usually entered the workforce after the 6th grade. It was only after schools became overcrowded and parents began making demands that Bowie was turned into a high school in 1926. I tell the history of MY city in depth because it, in its entirety, was for me one of the most mind blowing topics covered this semester. The article "Who’s the Leader of the Civil Rights Band" by Nicolas Vaca was a reconfirmation of the fact that Hispanics had endured segregation and discrimination. As immigration patterns changed from single male ventures to one that included entire families it became apparent to Mexican Americans that education was the path to success in American society. It is important to make mention that segregation of Hispanic students was not based on any statute or legal ruling. Vaca points out in his article that this de facto segregation was accomplished through a process known as gerrymandering and through the use and acceptance of standardized intelligence testing. Gerrymandering is a process of arbitrarily creating school zone boundaries solely with the purpose of ensuring that only Mexicans live within the boundaries. The second method, standardized IQ testing, was used to establish “scientific” proof of the sub-normal intelligence of Mexican children. It is this history of de facto segregation that lead to two significant court cases; Mendez vs. Westminster and Delgado vs. Bastrop ISD. In both of these cases the key defense of the plaintiffs' was a notion that the Mexican school was established to assist in teaching the children English and would prevent the diminishing of the Anglo children’s English. The question surrounding both cases is: Does segregation violate children’s 14th amendment right to quality education? The Mendez case utilized a new defense strategy of using psychologists who testified that segregation hurts Hispanic children’s self-esteem. This tactic would later be used in the Brown vs. The Topeka Board of Education case that ultimately ended segregation on a national scale. The Mendez case was the first segregation case to ever go to the federal courts. As a result of this case, segregation was ended in the state of California with regard to Hispanic children. Another landmark case is Delgado vs. Bastrop. Ultimately, this case ended segregation in the state of Texas for Hispanic children. The judge in the case said that segregation of Hispanic children was arbitrary, illegal, discriminating, and a violation of the 14th amendment. . Although both were just local victories, they set the stage for national desegregation and are examples of the strides that Hispanics have taken throughout history to overturn the unfair and unequal U.S. education system.
It has been about 56 years now that U.S. schools have been desegregated but the issue of underachievement among Hispanic children still remains. Throughout the semester we have explored possible reasons for underachievement of Hispanic children. Cultural environment and lack of academic exposure play a major role in the underachievement of Hispanic children. Lack of family support, role models, self-esteem, and academic readiness have a major impact on educational success of Hispanic children, however, for me all of this things affect children across all cultural lines equally when it comes to minority students. The one issue that is common only among Hispanic children is language which is a key component of culture and results in the most debate.
In my opinion the key issue that results in underachievement of Hispanic children is a lack or disregard for culture within schools. Culture is how people live in a particular place at a particular time. Culture is learned, shared, constantly changing, and is made up of values, traditions, beliefs, and attitudes. Since students come from so many different cultural groups, even within the context of the term Hispanic which is an umbrella term including all groups which speak the Spanish language and have Spanish origins, it is vital that teachers recognize that these differences exist and that they are important to understand in order to be effective teachers. Not only do students and teachers bring their own culture to the school, but the school itself is a cultural institution and the means by which society transmits and perpetuates its notions of the good life and what it is to be a citizen. Darder says in her article, A Critical Theory of Cultural Democracy, that there is a link between power and culture which has resulted in a number of injustices being suffered by children of color in school. In order to move forward from here there must exist a democratic environment where the lived cultures of bicultural students are critically integrated into the pedagogical process which she calls cultural democracy. According to Castaneda and Ramirez, every student has the right to maintain a bicultural identity. Biculturalism is the ability of an individual to function within two distinct sociocultural environments: their primary culture and the culture of the dominant mainstream. Darder makes an important point that biculturalism is a strategy used for survival by people of color in response to the dynamics of living in constant tension between conflicted cultural values and conditions of cultural subordination. Since biculturalism then is a reality of every child of color it is necessary that this notion be integrated into our model of education. The current teaching/learning environments of most formal educational institutions in the United States are culturally undemocratic: that is, they do not take into consideration the way most people of color think, learn and communicate with one another. Ultimately, I believe that order to make any real changes to our current educational system that teachers will have to make changes to their curricula and learning activities taking into consideration the learner’s culture so that school learning can be more relevant and meaningful for all students.
In closing, this class has provided me a broader perspective regarding immigration. It seems obvious to me that our nation is changing and there is no way around. Like Katrina the flood walls are down and the people are just flowing in by the hundreds of thousands per year. By the year 2050 it is predicted that Hispanics will make up 25 percent of the total United States population and will constitute half of the U.S. workforce. The important thing now is awareness and acceptance of our situation. It is now time to begin the process of embracing and not rejecting multiculturalism which is such a crucial element of the U.S. national culture.