Studies continue as board debates

State-approved textbook doesn’t exist for course

AUSTIN — Texas still lacks a state-approved Mexican-American studies textbook, but that hasn’t stopped some schools from offering the course.

The State Board of Education in November rejected a proposed textbook for the second time in a year, with board members arguing that the book wasn’t expansive enough and was laden with errors. The board’s decision came a year after rejecting another book some experts called racist.

Many schools are already offering MexicanAmerican studies, using several books and other instructional materials to teach the complex subject of Mexican-American history, identity and culture. Experts say they don’t need a state-approved textbook and wouldn’t even want to teach the course with only one textbook.

“We wanted to provide as much flexibility as possible to ensure students and teachers are engaging diverse sources. We intentionally did not rely on a single textbook ” said Douglas Torres-Edwards,

who helped develop the curriculum for Houston ISD’s Mexican-American Studies course.

The high school course lists at least eight possible text resources for teachers to use, ranging in subjects from history of Latin America to the Chicano civil rights movement. Torres-Edwards said many of the books are used in college-level Mexican American studies courses. Teachers are also encouraged to use films and resource databases. The state doesn’t require schools to use board-approved textbooks, but state-approved textbooks can easily be ordered by all school districts through the state’s online ordering system.

“(Mexican-American studies) is inherently interdisciplinary,” Torres-Edwards said. “As practitioners of history, you never rely upon a single text.”

HISD has been offering this course and other Mexican-American studies courses even without a state-approved textbook. During the past two years, at least five high schools have enrolled several hundred students in the course, according to Torres-Edwards.

‘Innovative course’

Some educators say approving a Mexican-American studies textbook shouldn’t be the board’s focus. Instead they should develop a course and curriculum that all school districts can offer.

Three years ago, the Republican-controlled board refused to create a Mexican-American studies course, arguing that districts already had the authority to offer it as an “innovative course.” Instead, the board added Mexican-American studies and other ethnic studies courses to the list of instructional materials for publishers to produce textbooks.

But in 2016, only one publisher submitted a textbook, titled “Mexican American Heritage.” Education activists, including college professors, packed the board meeting, demanding that board members reject the book because it was “racist” and prepared by people who weren’t experts in the field.

The book described Chicanos as people who “adopted a revolutionary narrative that opposed Western civilization and wanted to destroy this society.”

The board unanimously rejected the book, and agreed to review more books again this year.

But, again, only one publisher submitted a book this year. Tony Diaz, director of intercultural initiatives at Lone Star College-North Harris, produced “The Mexican-American Studies Toolkit,” a nearly 300-page book intended to “dispel the illusion that Mexican-American history and culture is foreign,” Diaz writes in the introduction.

Diaz was a staunch critic of the 2016 book.

As required by law, the book was vetted by a review panel that includes educators, academic experts, parents or board members.

Concerned with the book’s “grave lack of historical context,” the panel urged the board to reject the book. They also said the “informal tone and language of the book reads antagonistically, preventing a nuanced understanding of the multidisciplinary development and scope of the field.”

Diaz submitted some changes, but the board didn’t approve it. Only one of the 15 members voted in favor of its adoption.

Diaz said some of the panel’s comments resembled “mean tweets.”

“It’s hard to hear that you are not cute enough to be in your own book,” Diaz said, referencing a comment from the panel suggesting he remove a photo of himself from the book.

He was disappointed in their decision. It didn’t advance access to Mexican-American studies in Texas, he said.

“This is a big movement that can’t be stopped,” Diaz said. “There’s no way the State Board of Education can turn its back on our history and culture.”

Board member Erika Beltran, D-Fort Worth, wrote in a Star-Telegram editorial that the textbook approval process was set up to fail by asking publishers to produce a textbook for a course that doesn’t exist at the state level.

Using HISD as model

In discussing the textbook’s fate, several board members said they would favor approving specific standards for a Mexican-American studies elective course, likely modeled on the innovative class Houston ISD already offers.

Board chair Donna Bahorich, R-Houston, said she plans to put the discussion on January’s agenda.

But even if the board approves a curriculum for Mexican-American studies, the earliest a new course could be offered would be fall 2020, because of other courses the board has to approve. In the meantime, districts can use the entire curriculum and list of teaching materials from HISD, which is posted on the Texas Education Agency’s website.

In the absence of a stateapproved course, Chris Carmona, a professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, has also helped school districts such as San Antonio, Mission and Austin create Mexican-American studies under the state’s “special topics in social studies” course. Carmona is glad Diaz’s textbook has reopened the prospect of getting the board to approve a Mexican-American studies curriculum.

“If we are really going to develop ethnic studies in Texas, we need the course — not a textbook for courses that don’t exist,” Carmona said.