Support Mexican-American studies in Texas schools

Barbara Cargill

Support Mexican-American studies!

The contributions of Mexican-Americans to the history of Texas and our nation too often get poor coverage in public school classrooms. 

The State Board of Education can change that if Barbara Cargill, the board chair, allows her colleagues to vote on adding an elective course in Mexican-American studies to the state curriculum. 

Add your name to a petition calling on Ms. Cargill to put a Mexican-American studies course as an action item on the board's April meeting agenda.

To: Barbara Cargill
From: [Your Name]

Dear Ms. Cargill,
From El Paso to Corpus Christi and the Rio Grande to Amarillo, Mexican-American history has helped shape Texas. In fact, Hispanic students today make up a rapidly growing majority of our state’s public school enrollment.

Now the State Board of Education has an opportunity to embrace our diversity and show that teaching Mexican-American studies is teaching about Texas.

The state curriculum already includes hundreds of elective courses, including classes on topics like floral design and Web games. Surely there is room for an elective course on the contributions Hispanics have made to the history and cultural mosaic of Texas and the rest of the United States. Moreover, research shows such courses have a positive impact on students’ academic performance.

So I’m calling on you to put on the State Board of Education’s April agenda a discussion and formal vote on adding a Mexican-American studies course to the state curriculum.