TUSD ethnic studies fight waste of time and money
by Hugh Holub on Aug. 20, 2011, under politicsI still remember the relief I felt the day my last kid graduated from a TUSD school.
The end of 14 years of hassles with a school district that was so wrapped around shifting children from one school to another to comply with the desegregation order, hopelessly controlled by its teachers union, that actually producing well educated kids was not the first thing on anyone’s agenda down at 1010 East 10th.
There is one and only one goal that school district (and others) must focus on: Providing the best education possible so the children who graduate will be able to get well-paying jobs and be able to support their families (and pay school district property taxes).
I saw a segment on a national newscast recently where thousands of jobs in one community were going unfilled because there simply weren’t enough workers with the math and science skills to qualify for those jobs.
Companies are supporting relaxing immigration laws to attract people from India and other countries who do have the education and skills to fill American jobs.
There’s something really wrong with that picture.
Is it the function of our school system to produce kids who are given politically correct educations about creation and racial conflict, or to prepare our children to function in America when they grow up?
The future of this country demands that our educational system produce kids ready for 21st century jobs.
But what is the big fight in TUSD today? Ethnic studies.
I cannot see how spending time and money creating curriculum about Hispanic issues and history prepares Hispanic kids to become scientists and engineers.
TUSD has long been hijacked by a vocal group of interests who succeeded in leveling down the school district to create “equality” instead of forcing standards up all across the district to give minority kids the same opportunity to succeed in America as the north and east areas of the district (mostly Anglo) enjoyed.
School after school was wrecked by TUSD.
I do not believe for one second the majority of Hispanic residents within TUSD support the efforts to Mexicanize the school system.
That school district is a major anchor for economic development in Tucson. If it cannot produce highly educated graduates, it becomes a major drag on community efforts to attract high paying jobs to the city.
Producing kids who know a lot about Pancho Villa and nothing about computer programming is not doing the kids any favors.
Either the state takes over this district, or frustrated parents run a slate of candidates for the school board and wrest control of the district away from the La Raza crowd and the teacher’s union.
Failing that, TUSD will continue to drag all of Tucson down and insure everyone in the city loses.
August 20th, 2011 on 10:04 am
I agree with your analysis. As a TUSD taxpayer, I sometimes wonder if a taxpayer class-action suit against TUSD for nonfeasance would have some positive result.
August 20th, 2011 on 11:05 am
Just saw on the news that a brand new school was opening up on the SW side. Good. But it seems like TUSD is closing schools in midtown and east side. Guess the Anglo parents are not making enough babies.
If only we could have more Indian computer programers! They speak English, are educated and don’t create crime. Maybe balance out what we have been getting in here.
The more TUSD fails the more reasons are created for companies who will not come here. Not only to tap into an educated work force but a good place for their employees to move here. Its called quality of life issues. Why would they come here? Dont forget our wonderful City Govt. $230,000,000 wasted on Rio Nuevo. (Remind me what we got for that?) 911 disfunctional, even the poor giraffes are being killed off. etc etc
August 20th, 2011 on 11:27 am
MAS students also score higher in math, by the way.
Any course that keeps students off the streets and gets them to school should be lauded. The waste of time is on the attack on MAS. Notice that no one is attacking European History, just American History / Mexican American perspectives. What is so bad about that class?
And also, the entire MAS budget is less than 1% of the deseg budget. MAS is “free” for TUSD.
August 20th, 2011 on 11:41 am
Any course that keeps students off the streets and gets them to school should be lauded.
Any course? Really? That’s exactly the sort of abdication of standards that lies at the heart of this debate. It’s interesting you earlier drew a parallel between teachings from the Bible and teachings from ethnic studies course materials, as if to suggest that to it is hypocritical to find one of those appropriate in a public school context but not the other.
August 20th, 2011 on 11:48 am
“keeps students off the streets…” Just think about that statement in Japan. If you and your friends need a feel good class to do well in school and not create crime then you have a problem.
August 20th, 2011 on 1:03 pm
Hugh, aside from pontificating , you know nothing about the TUSD Mexican american studies program. All you have done so far is to selectively repeat biased statements from other net sites.
August 20th, 2011 on 5:20 pm
“I cannot see how spending time and money creating curriculum about Hispanic issues and history prepares Hispanic kids to become scientists and engineers.”
And the fact that some folks can’t see this (or perhaps don’t wish to see this) is a big part of the problem. For other folks, it is exactly the fear that these students might just go on to positions of power and authority that drives their opposition.
This aside, I reject the notion that a student’s education should be limited to a level which prepares them to be a functional cog in the big “machine”, while stoping short of self-awareness, self-fulfillment, and the preparation of a good citizen. Education should never be limited to “job training”.
“Mexicanize the school system”? What the heck does this mean, Hugh?
August 20th, 2011 on 7:28 pm
Its called………look at the test scores and drop out rates and crime. Thats why the Anglo kids are bugging out. Who would want to stay.
August 21st, 2011 on 11:11 am
Speaking of test scores, look at the oft-bemoaned “achievement gap” in test-scores between minorities and anglos at UHS last year. You’ll have to look hard, because there basically isn’t any.
This is what happens when a school works very hard on a concerted effort to offer focused, individualized support and improve retention of struggling students while simultaneously refusing to lower standards across the board, which I’m afraid has too often been the response in the district in the past.