"Greco-Roman Knowledge Only" in Arizona Schools: Indigenous Wisdom Outlawed Once Again

Autor/in	Rodriguez, Roberto Cintli
Titel	"Greco-Roman Knowledge Only" in Arizona Schools: Indigenous Wisdom Outlawed Once Again
Quelle	In: Rethinking Schools, 24 (2010) 4, S.49-51 (3 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0895-6855
Schlagwörter	Ethnic Studies; Mexican American Education; American Studies; Indigenous Knowledge; Indigenous Populations; Western Civilization; Elementary Secondary Education; Mexican Americans; Maya (People); Partnerships in Education; Academic Achievement; Immigrants; Immigration; Public Schools; Foreign Countries; Arizona; Colorado; Mexico + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sinti und Roma; Hispanoamerikaner; Hochschulpartnerschaft; Schulleistung; Immigrant; Immigrantin; Immigranten; Public school; Öffentliche Schule; Ausland; Mexiko
Abstract	Students at Tucson High School in Arizona, part of Tucson Unified School District's highly successful Mexican American Studies (MAS) K-12 program, the largest in the nation, are taught Indigenous concepts, including Panche Be (seek the root of the truth), and the Aztec and Maya calendars. The author speaks to the students about the relationship among In Lak Ech, Panche Be, and Hunab Ku. Hunab Ku is a beautiful Maya philosophy and human rights ethos based on maize. It affirms, contrary to what is taught in most schools, that the ancient peoples of this continent were not savage, that they clearly understood how the universe functions and what it means to be a human being. Not coincidentally, MAS students, many of whom were doing poorly in school prior to entering this program, consistently outperform their peers academically. The program claims a high rate of college-bound graduates. However, Arizona's State Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne has declared, via the passage of HB 2281, that Indigenous peoples and Indigenous knowledge are (still) not part of Western civilization. Horne engineered the passage of a state law that seeks to ban the teaching of ethnic studies by withdrawing its funding. This is the same state that just passed and signed into law SB 1070, racial profiling legislation that primarily targets those who appear to be Mexicans or Central Americans and are thus suspected of being "illegal aliens." Despite the success of the MAS program, Horne has long expressed the view that the only facts and ideas that should be taught in Arizona schools are those that originated in "Western or Greco-Roman" civilization. Although his bill affects the whole state, his actual target has long been Tucson's program. By targeting Mexican American studies, Horne also sets himself up as the chief arbiter of what is and is not Indigenous knowledge. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Rethinking Schools, Ltd. 1001 East Keefe Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53212. Tel: 414-964-9646; Fax: 414-964-7220; e-mail: office@rethinkingschools.org; Web site: http://www.rethinkingschools.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10