Chicano Movement In Education

The people of color weren’t getting the same treatment as the Caucasian people. They weren’t even getting the same textbooks, they got outdated textbooks that were irrelevant compared to the newer ones the white kids would get. They didn’t get school supplies if they did it was very limited, maybe a pencil or even a notebook if they were lucky. Brown saw this very clearly so he decided it was time to take this to court. He went to the Supreme Court, his argument was supported by the fourteenth amendment, “The history of the Fourteenth Amendment is inconclusive as to its intended effect on public education.”, because it was separating children only for there race. Brown won his case which was revolutionary and a year later the government implemented a rule were the federal district courts had to supervise the school to see if they were segregating the children because of race.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the initial drive for bilingual education in the United States. It granted financial assistance to the public. The Act outlawed discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. The Act symbolized a less negative attitude to ethnic groups, and possibilities for increasing tolerance of ethnic languages, at least in the Federal level (Baker, 2011).

Chicanos felt that as a nation, the history has had some significant Chicano influence that also needed to be recognized and taught within our school system. They also felt that the institutions that let this country function like law enforcement, government and education, were set up to systematically work against the Chicano. This was their way to identify themselves with the struggle against such entities.

Discrimination was a very harsh case to all Mexican Americans and also for the African Americans. In the 1950’s it was a very difficult time for the Hispanics, they were considered people who weren’t intelligent and invisible. There was too much racism in everywhere and every place of Texas. There were also many signs out the restaurants, parks, and in public places that said, “No Mexicans,

Growing up has not been easy, but it’s a part of life we all go through, Like in the Disney Movie Meet the Robinsons you need to “Keep Moving Forward”. In Life we have to take challenging Obstacle courses that are not so easy but it helps us in life. One challenging obstacle course that we take is school, to be exact High school. In high school to get to the top you have to fail because from failing you learn, because you learn from your mistakes and “Keep Moving Forward” and you do your best to do a better job the next time. From success not so much because you are not learning anything out of it. Vista del lago students are required to learn special goals known as Expected school- wide learning Results known as (ESLRS).

The Banning of Mexican-American Studies in Arizona: The Loss of Freedom in Education The Latino community has a very high high school drop out rate which has been linked to poverty. Tucson Arizona created a Mexican-American studies program in the 1990’s in order to change this. They wanted to, “help student achievement by making learning more relevant” (Suarez).

Before the famous Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, Mexican American children were educated in schools and classrooms that were separate from classrooms that consisted of white children. By

Throughout many cities, in specifically Los Angeles, five high schools were faced with discrimination. Lincoln, Garfield, Wilson, Belmont, Roosevelt high schools was targeted in many racist ways. These high schools had restricted rules towards students. Majority of the student populations in these schools were Latinxs. They faced problems that were not as necessary problematic. According to Jose Angel Gutierrez, “English was the only language allowed spoken in the classroom and schoolyard. Severe punishment awaited the bold who uttered their native Spanish language within earshot of school officials”(2). Students were forbidden to speak Spanish during school hours. Students were forbidden from using the bathroom, especially during lunchtime. Students were denied to be taught their Mexican-American history. Students were mostly being led into the labor industry instead of going to college and getting a degree. According to E. Esparza (2006), “We had a huge conference that summer of 1967, in which college students — there were a couple of hundred — came together from throughout Southern California. It was basically almost everyone who was in college then, because there was less than 2% of all Chicanos that even enrolled in college”. Students were discriminated by many teachers and administrators. Administrators were not responsible and repeatedly called out, leaving small staff to teach the students. Students did not only receive these discriminatory actions, they also

When people leave their homes and immigrate to a new country, they are most likely expecting to seek better opportunities and hoping for a better quality of life, but many did not find it. Parents immigrating into the U.S. bring their children hoping their children will find a better education. However during the 1930’s it backfired; predominantly Mexicans coming into the U.S. dealt with harsh stereotypes and weren’t welcomed with open arms. During the 1930’s the racial remarks on Mexicans began to grow. Mexican Children in the U.S during the 1940’s who stood to obtain an education were looked down upon. The teachers told the Hispanic students that they were not capable of obtaining a college level education, but to only graduate with a

The movement was aimed at putting an end to the segregation in American schools, and enable white and African American children to socialize (Owens & Valesky, 2011). This movement aimed to alter the attitudes and the discrimination inherent in educational and other public facilities. The civil rights movement in 1950s caused education to be shaped, constrained, and improved by policy battles and transformations in federal commitments. This movement also led to the establishment of the affirmative action course of

Education is the key to success and a better future. Mexican Americans wanted equality and advocated justice for all. They demanded an educational reform where there is no discrimination or prejudice towards them. Chicanos faced racism and were shame for their heritage and culture. In school, they were not allowed to speak Spanish, and were train to just be laborers. The teachers did not help them achieve more and go beyond their potential. They were treated as inferior people who just came to serve the Americans. As a results, the Chicanos decided to do a walk out in Los Angeles, and protest nonviolently, but their voices were not heard. School officials instead threat them to suspend them from school and saw the movement as an unnecessary

The Mexican school was a two room shack building; “a small frame building at the edge of a muddy cow pasture, the Hoover School stood in stark contrast to the sleek 17th Street School, with its handsome green lawns and playing fields” (“A Tale of Two Schools”). The differences were striking, but the obvious was that a better education was to be had at the Westminster school. Not only were the white students receiving better shelter and materials for learning, but students at the Hoover school were being taught industrial and domestic tasks versus things like geometry and biology (“A Tale of Two Schools”). “The boys studied gardening, boot‐making, blacksmithing, and carpentry, to prepare them for the low‐paying trades that the schools assumed would be the only ones such boys could or should enter. The girls studied sewing and homemaking” (Strum, 2014). Another horrifying thought was the way the staff at Hoover elementary treated the children as assumed “dirty” beings. “…Children whom the teachers considered to be dirty were required to take showers and, if necessary, borrow clean clothing from a cupboard kept” (Strum, 2014). Many people supported this idea about Mexican-American children because their parents were typically first or second generation Mexican-American’s who worked on the fields and were hired by white farm

Articles VIII and IX of the treaty were written to promise the protection of the property and civil rights of Mexican Americans. “Mexicans who,… shall be incorporated into the Union of the United States, and be admitted at the proper time to the enjoyment of all the rights of citizens of the United States,…and in the meantime shall be maintained and protected in the free enjoyment of their liberty and property, and secured in the free exercise of their religion without restriction.” (Article IX, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo). This promise and guarantee within the treaty proved to be false and unfulfilled. Mexicans were not provided with the funding for the same schooling facilities that white students were privileged with nor were they provided with the same quality of education. “These separate schools were unequal in many respects to those provided for Anglo children. In relation to Anglo schools, Mexican schools were older, their school equipment was generally less adequate, per pupil expenditures were generally lower, and the staff were less appropriately trained, qualified, and experienced.” (Miguel 365). School segregation and lack luster schooling for Mexicans became the norm and have not changed over time. Mexican American elementary and secondary (MAES) student’s reports on ethnic isolation confirm that inequality persists today. The

Racism is in many sectors has been known for long to be negatively affecting people. In this, people who belong to the minority group are mostly affected since they are sidelined in all courses of development. Like in other nations, East Los Angeles since late before 1967 has a school system that had been affected with racism. In these schools, people who were mostly affected were the Mexican American community. In most cases, the Mexican American community was seen not to have the abilities of doing well in education and therefore they were oppressed. The atmosphere of the school systems according to the Mexican American students was hostile to them and required reforms in order to accommodate the needs of all the students regardless of their characteristics. To the Mexican American students and Sal Castro, education system brought great inequality within the schools since Mexican American students used poor facilities and their abilities were constantly underestimated.

This case led to the next crucial case in 1982, which was the Plyer v. Doe. The Supreme Court ruled that undocumented children cannot be denied access to education solely on the basis of their immigration status (Noel, 2008). The U. S. Supreme Court felt as though children who were not able to receive education and who were denied the right to education would be drastically harmed throughout their lifetime which is why this case was passed. Many of these undocumented citizens came from Mexico, primarily from Texas and California. The two cases set the stage for immigration into the United States. Prior to these two cases, many people were turned away because they knew little to know English and were seen useless in the United States. This goes against multiculturalism because these minority groups were not treated with the same respect and were viewed as inferior to the dominant culture which was English. Now that we have some background history on the immigration and refugee status it is important to talk about the political trends against bilingual education and multiculturalism that exist today.