Mexican American Studies in Texas UPDATE: Please Sign Petition in Support of MAS

Okay, friends.  It's time to get Mexican American Studies into the curriculum for the state of Texas. To this end, click HERE to sign this petition.  This message is from the K-12 Committee of the NACCS-Tejas Foco, the group that has been spearheading this movement since 2014.  You can view syllabi from different grade levels that are currently getting taught in Texas HERE.

Click HERE to sign this petition.

This April 11-13, 2018, the Texas State Board of Education (TXSBOE) will be voting on whether to approve the development of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards for a Mexican American Studies (MAS) History course for high school students in Texas. The National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) Tejas Foco Committee on MAS Pre-K-12 and various other statewide organizations and individuals are organizing a major campaign and rally to get the TXSBOE to vote FOR approving TEKS for this one Mexican American History course for the following reasons:
1)  Research has shown that there are positive educational outcomes for students who take Mexican American Studies courses, including higher high school graduation rates, higher grade point averages, higher rates of retention, and higher overall academic achievement across subject areas. Research also shows that MAS courses help students to develop critical thinking skills and a more humanistic understanding of their own history and culture, while deepening their understanding of other ethnic groups in Texas and the U.S.
2)  Mexican American Studies courses are already being taught in Texas schools without TEKS and curricular coherence.
3)  The lack of TEKS and curricular coherence for these MAS courses makes it more difficult for schools and teachers to implement MAS courses in their classrooms.
4)  There is currently no state approved textbook for MAS courses because of the lack of TEKS standards. Developing TEKS for this MAS course will guide publishers in creating good textbooks and instructional materials for this course, which in turn will help Texas administrators and teachers to implement MAS in their schools.
5)  Mexican American Studies courses have been proven to help all of our children and students to succeed in school, regardless of ethnicity. If our students succeed academically, Texas will succeed economically.

Please join us in asking the Texas State Board of Education to vote FOR the APPROVAL of TEKS standards for this MAS course by:

1. *  Signing and Sharing this Petition.
2. *  Getting your organizations, school districts and schools to pass a Resolution in Support of MAS:  http://bit.ly/2FkbtXR
3. *  Calling or e-mailing your Texas State Board of Education elected representative and telling them you support the Approval of this MAS course:  https://tea.texas.gov/index4.aspx?id=2147506719
4. *  Attending the Rally to Approve MAS on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 in Austin, Texas:  http://bit.ly/2I76vw4
5. *  Signing up to testify in support of MAS before the Texas State Board of Education in Austin, Texas on Wednesday, April 11, 2018:  http://bit.ly/2FeZbAM
6. More info at:  www.facebook.com/approveMAS and #ApproveMAS

Tlazokamati/Gracias/Thank You for your support.

Follow our hashtag: #ApproveMAS