With Gratitude: Educational Equity, Politics & Policy in Texas Reaches 10 Million Pageviews [in English and Spanish]

[English/ Inglés]

With Gratitude: Educational Equity, Politics & Policy in Texas Reaches 10 Million Pageviews

Friends,

The count from this afternoon

I am deeply grateful to share that Educational Equity, Politics & Policy in Texashas now passed 10,000,000 pageviews—the blog’s primary metric of readership and reach.

When I began this blog 22 years ago—after running a listserv for 7 years—I could not have imagined the many ways this space would grow into a public archive, a policy resource, a site of reflection, and a community of readers committed to educational justice, democracy, equity, and the public good. Note: I welcome you to read an earlier post on why I blog. 

These 10 million pageviews represent far more than a number. They reflect years of collective concern, inquiry, struggle, hope, and commitment.

To my readers in Texas, across the United States, and around the world: thank you. For fun, here is a map of top visitor locations from the past 7 days—with most readers, of course, coming from the United States—albeit with a consistent and sizeable international readership.

This map obviously shifts from week-to-week, depending on the topics I am addressing.

Thank you for reading, sharing, teaching, questioning, organizing, and returning to this space over the years. Your engagement has sustained this work and reminded me that public scholarship matters—especially in times when truth, history, education, and democracy itself are under pressure.

I offer this milestone with humility and gratitude. May this blog continue to serve as a resource for educators, students, parents, advocates, scholars, policymakers, and communities everywhere who believe that education should be rooted in dignity, justice, and love.

With abundant thanks and gratitude,

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

                                                                                                    [Spanish/ Español]

Con gratitud: 10 millones de visitas para Equidad educativa, política y políticas públicas en Texas

Amigas y Amigos:

Me siento profundamente agradecida de compartir que Equidad educativa, política y políticas públicas en Texas. ha superado ya los 10,000,000 de visitas, la principal métrica de lectoría y alcance del blog.

Cuando comencé este blog hace 22 años—después de haber administrado un listserv durante 7 años—no podría haber imaginado las muchas maneras en que este espacio llegaría a convertirse en un archivo público, un recurso de política pública, un sitio de reflexión y una comunidad de lectores comprometidos con la justicia educativa, la democracia, la equidad y el bien común. Nota: Les invito a leer un post anterior sobre por qué escribo en este blog. 

Estos 10 millones de visitas representan mucho más que una cifra. Reflejan años de preocupación colectiva, indagación, lucha, esperanza y compromiso.

A mis lectores en Texas, en todo Estados Unidos y alrededor del mundo: gracias. Por diversión, aquí comparto un mapa de las principales ubicaciones de visitantes durante los últimos 7 días—con la mayoría de los lectores, por supuesto, provenientes de Estados Unidos—aunque con un número considerable y constante de lectores internacionales.

Este mapa obviamente cambia de semana a semana, dependiendo de los temas que esté abordando. 

Gracias por leer, compartir, enseñar, cuestionar, organizarse y regresar a este espacio a lo largo de los años. Su participación ha sostenido este trabajo y me ha recordado que la labor académica pública importa, especialmente en tiempos en que la verdad, la historia, la educación y la propia democracia están bajo presión.

Comparto este logro con humildad y gratitud. Que este blog continúe sirviendo como recurso para educadores, estudiantes, madres y padres, defensores de causas sociales, académicos, responsables de políticas públicas y comunidades de todas partes que creen que la educación debe estar arraigada en la dignidad, la justicia y el amor.

Con profundo agradecimiento,

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

The Power of Texas Social Movements to Heal Fear, Inspire Hope, and Build Islands of Sanity in Troubled Times, by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

The Power of Texas Social Movements to Heal Fear, Inspire Hope, and Build Islands of Sanity in Troubled Times

by 

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

Nov. 1, 2025

I know there is a lot of anxiety right now in this moment of institutional unraveling. It’s hard not to be afraid or uncertain about what comes next. But I want to suggest a different way of holding this moment. I hope you take a few deep breaths, listen to my vlog, and get inspired 

In times of fear and uncertainty, social movements remind us that hope is a collective act. Across Texas, communities are rising—teachers, students, parents, organizers, and Indigenous leaders—refusing to surrender to despair. Their courage shows that democracy is not a spectator sport but a living practice of solidarity and imagination.

When we stand together, fear loses its grip and anxiety gives way to purpose. Social movements transform pain into possibility, reminding us that power does not reside in institutions alone but in people who dare to believe that another Texas—and another world—are still possible. From the halls of education and policy to the sacred work of land and water protectors, these intertwined movements embody a deep remembering: that care for people and care for the Earth are inseparable acts of justice.

These are the truths we live and build through the Texas Association for Bilingual Education educators movement, the Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition, the Ethnic Studies Movement, the Mariachi Music in the schools movement, the Texan Genealogical Society movements, the For the Love of Texas Higher Education Coalition, the impressive youth movement of those involved in legislative battles, and the growing Indigenous and Native American movement—and many other spaces where imagination meets action and where love, courage, and community become the most enduring forms of resistance and transcendence. 

Transcendence. 

Isn't that what we all want?

Each and every one of us is entitled to a life triumphant—a life of dignity, joy, and purpose. And no one has the right to deny us of it.

As the writer and systems thinker Margaret Wheatley (2017) reminds us, our charge in these turbulent times is to create “islands of sanity” in the midst of chaos—places where truth, compassion, and shared purpose can still flourish. In nurturing these islands together, we reclaim our power to heal, to organize, and to dream the future into being. Si se puede! Yes we can!

Reference

Wheatley, M. J. (2017). Who do we choose to be? Facing reality, claiming leadership, restoring sanity. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

A First: 100,000 Page Views in Seven Days, by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

A First: 100,000 Page Views in Seven Days

Friends,

This week, Texas Ed Equity crossed a threshold I never expected: more than 100,000 page views in just seven days—and just last week, the 7 million total page views. I’m astonished, grateful, and humbled.

When I began writing here, my only goal was to hold space for honest reflection about education—its promises, its politics, its people. I wanted a place where research could meet story, where advocacy could meet hope. To see so many readers gather around that idea tells me that the hunger for truth, context, and justice in education has never been greater.

These numbers aren’t about me; they are about us. They signal that across Texas and beyond, people are paying attention—parents, teachers, students, and allies—seeking light amid confusion, compassion amid fear, and community amid fragmentation. Each page view represents someone who refuses to give up on public education as a public good.

So I simply want to say thank you—for reading, sharing, questioning, and believing that scholarship and conscience still matter. This moment reminds me that words can build bridges, that truth-telling still draws people together, and that collective wisdom still moves through our classrooms and communities.

With deep appreciation and renewed purpose,

Thank you. Gracias!

-Angela Valenzuela

H-1B Crackdown Threatens America’s Universities—Just as Public Trust Returns, by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

H-1B Crackdown Threatens America’s Universities—Just as Public Trust Returns

by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

September 29, 2025

Link to Emissary, Carnegie Endowment

On September 26, 2025, Emissary (Carnegie Endowment) published a sobering warning by Devesh Kapur and Milan Vaishnav: “Trump’s H-1B Gambit Will Gut American Universities: The financial stakes alone are enormous.” They argue that the administration’s proposed $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas will devastate American higher education, already strained by research funding cuts and political attacks.

The numbers are staggering. In 2024, international students contributed nearly $55 billion to the U.S. economy, supporting 400,000 jobs—roughly a tenth of all positions in higher education (Kapur & Vaishnav, 2025). Their tuition subsidizes domestic students, their research drives innovation, and their presence enriches American classrooms. If that pipeline dries up, universities will face impossible choices: cut programs, lay off faculty, or raise costs for American families.

At the same time, Palmer (2025) with Inside Higher Ed reported that H-1B visas are not only essential for international graduates but also for the professionals who power our universities. In fiscal year 2025 alone, more than 16,700 employees at U.S. colleges and universities received approved H-1B visas, though they were concentrated at about 100 large research institutions (Knott, 2025). This illustrates how dependent our leading universities are on global talent to staff laboratories, research projects, and teaching positions. Without these visas, institutions risk losing the very scholars and specialists who sustain their reputations and research productivity.

Meanwhile, according to the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, new survey data show that public trust in higher education is rebounding.  Specifically, 47 percent of respondents said they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in colleges and universities—a 13-point increase since 2023, and higher than trust levels in the police, the medical system, or large tech companies (Inside Higher Education, 2025). The irony is stark: at the very moment public trust in universities is rising, federal policy threatens to gut them from within.

This is not only an institutional crisis. It is also a human one.

For international professionals, the H-1B system is the bridge between education and livelihood. Families on H-1B visas often depend on dual incomes, with spouses on H4 visas authorized to work. If H4 work rights are rolled back, thousands of families will lose financial stability and face wrenching choices about whether to remain in the U.S. (Law Firm for Immigrants, 2025). Some families have already been split apart by the uncertainty—partners separated across borders, children pulled from schools, households forced to abandon mortgages.

Graduate students are equally vulnerable. Many take on massive debt to study in the United States, betting on the promise of post-graduation opportunities. As Reuters recently reported, students in India and elsewhere are already reconsidering or withdrawing from U.S. programs, fearful that their degrees will trap them in debt with no path to work authorization (Suresh, 2025). One student, after borrowing $80,000, confessed: “The only aim is to finish my degree, find an internship, and try to recover my debt” (Suresh, 2025). These stories are multiplying, and they reveal how quickly the American dream can curdle into a nightmare.

Kapur and Vaishnav (2025) rightly note that other countries—Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and even China—are eagerly opening doors to the same talent the U.S. is pushing away. If we retreat, they advance. We cannot afford to repeat Britain’s 2012 blunder, when restrictions on post-study visas caused enrollment to collapse until the government was forced into a humiliating reversal years later (Kapur & Vaishnav, 2025).

Public confidence is not abstract. It rests on the belief that higher education is a ladder of opportunity. If policy weakens that ladder, the damage will not be limited to international students—it will hurt American families, workers, and communities who depend on strong universities to educate, innovate, and create jobs.

And beyond our borders, there is a larger truth. As the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has long argued, openness to immigrants through pathways like the historic H-1B process is itself a form of global peacebuilding. When we welcome students, scholars, and professionals from around the world, we do more than strengthen our own universities—we cultivate mutual understanding, shared prosperity, and policies that acknowledge the realities of living in an interconnected world.

Protecting our universities protects all Americans. But it also affirms our role in building a more peaceful, collaborative, and globally minded future.

This is an evolving situation and there will be court challenges. To stay current, advocates and H-1B holders should:

• Monitor official US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and State Department news and alert pages, especially the USCIS “H-1B FAQ” and “Alerts” sections (USCIS.gov).

• Subscribe to trusted immigration policy organizations and legal blogs (e.g. American Immigration Council, Boundless, and trusted immigration law firms) that publish rapid analysis and updates.

• Follow reputable media coverage of legal and policy developments—especially from outlets covering immigration, higher education, and science & tech.

• Track court filings and Federal Register announcements for any injunctions, stays, or rulemaking that could suspend or modify the new fee.

• Engage with university, professional association, and immigration advocacy networks that often coordinate rapid alerts, memos, and “calls to action.”

If you are an H-1B visa holder, consider sharing your story—with your colleagues, your community, your representatives, and the wider public—so the human cost of these policies is impossible to overlook. Your experiences bring the data to life and remind us what is truly at stake. If you are a U.S. citizen, I encourage you to stand with those who make our universities thrive.

References

Kapur, D., & Vaishnav, M. (2025, September 26). Trump’s H-1B gambit will gut American universities: The financial stakes alone are enormous. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Emissary. https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2025/09/h1b-visa-trump-impact-us-universities?lang=en

Knott, K. (2025, September 24). Higher ed’s H-1B visas in 4 charts. Inside Higher Education. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2025/09/29/4-charts-breaking-down-h-1b-visas-and-higher-ed

Palmer, K. (2025, September). Despite Trump’s attacks, confidence in higher education grows. Inside Higher Education. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/09/26/poll-public-confidence-higher-ed-growing

Suresh, R. (2025, September 24). Trump’s immigration curbs make Indian students rethink American dream. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com 

Villarroel, L. C. (2025). Trump 2025: Disaster for H-1B visa holders, their spouse, and employer. Law Firm for Immigrants. https://www.lawfirm4immigrants.com

Don’t Burn the Hemp Bridge: A Climate and Health Solution Rooted in Texas Soil by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

Don’t Burn the Hemp Bridge: A Climate and Health Solution Rooted in Texas Soil

by 

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

Texas policy on hemp is at an inflection point. As the debate fixates on hemp-derived THC, it obscures the larger public-health, climate, and rural-economy stakes. 

Since vetoing an all-THC ban in June, Gov. Greg Abbott has advocated a stringent regulatory framework—age limits, potency caps, testing, and enforcement—built to withstand court challenges, while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Senate have continued to advance near-total prohibitions such as SB 6 in the second special session (Guo, 2025; Malenfant, 2025).

On the health side, a key resource is the National Academies’ comprehensive review, The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids, which synthesizes evidence on benefits, risks, and research needs (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine, 2017). 

Separate from that report, I am fascinated by the fact that our bodies also produce their own cannabinoids—“endocannabinoids”—that help regulate mood, stress responses, pain, and inflammation (Lu & Mackie, 2016). And yes, the classic “runner’s high” appears to be driven in part by endocannabinoid signaling (Fuss et al., 2015).

Public-health experts and many Texas stakeholders warn that prohibition doesn’t make communities safer—it makes them vulnerable. Outright bans typically displace sales into unregulated channels, where age checks, lab tests, and labels vanish; advocates instead argue for targeted rules that limit youth access and inform consumers (Simpson & Keemahill, 2025; Neill Harris, 2025)

As one Texas Tribune report noted during this year’s debates, opposition included veterans, caregivers, and older adults who stressed practical access—paired with tighter rules to curb synthetics and youth marketing (Simpson & Keemahill, 2025). 

The lesson isn’t new: a century after alcohol Prohibition, reporting shows bans pushed drinking into unregulated markets—sometimes into poisoned industrial alcohol that killed thousands (Blum estimate, as cited in Dowd, 2019)—while fueling organized crime, overwhelming enforcement, and producing a surge in illegal “speakeasies” (Dowd, 2019). Speakeasies were illicit, often membership- or password-only drinking rooms hidden behind ordinary storefronts or in back rooms and basements. 

Smart regulation works. Age restrictions, potency caps, child-safe packaging, and rigorous lab testing help keep intoxicating products out of kids’ hands and ensure consumers know what they’re getting. Abbott’s veto and subsequent guidance emphasized exactly this approach—enforceable rules that preserve a lawful market while protecting public safety (Guo, 2025).

Meanwhile, the environmental and economic stakes couldn’t be higher. Hemp is a fast-growing, low-input crop that fits Texas’ drought-prone conditions and diversified rotations. Beyond the farm, Central Texas builders are piloting hemp-lime “hempcrete” for lower-carbon construction, while Texas researchers are advancing drought-tolerant fiber and grain varieties—signs of a broader materials and agri-tech ecosystem with real local traction (Curtin, 2024a; Curtin, 2024b). For rural Texans, this isn’t just about climate; it’s about opportunity. Every time we threaten prohibition, we freeze investment, strand farmers, and stall innovation.

Texas doesn’t have to choose between chaos and prohibition. We can regulate intoxicating hemp products responsibly and supercharge the non-intoxicating value chain. That means processing grants, university research and development, and public procurement—pilot hemp-lime in state buildings; prioritize hemp fiber for erosion control and packaging; and support farmers who want to grow for climate, not controversy. If we care about children, climate, and communities, don’t burn the hemp bridge—build it.

References

Curtin, K. (2024a, April 12). The Austin Chronic: Former Ag Commissioner candidate Susan Hays is building a hempcrete house. The Austin Chronicle. https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2024-04-12/the-austin-chronic-former-ag-commissioner-candidate-susan-hays-is-building-a-hempcrete-house

Curtin, K. (2024b, October 4). The Austin Chronic: Texas A&M’s hemp breeding program adds drought-resistant genetics to the national collection. The Austin Chronicle. https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2024-10-04/the-austin-chronic-texas-aams-hemp-breeding-program-adds-drought-resistant-genetics-to-the-national-/

Dowd, K. (2019, January 17). 100 years ago: What Prohibition looked like in America. Houston Chronicle. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/photos-of-prohibition-1919-america-speakeasy-13523929.php

Guo, K. (2025, June 22). Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes THC ban, calls for regulation instead. Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/22/texas-thc-ban-bill-greg-abbott-veto-senate-bill-3/

Fuss, J., Steinle, J., Bindila, L., Auer, M. K., Kirchherr, H., Lutz, B., & Gass, P. (2015). A runner’s high depends on cannabinoid receptors in mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(42), 13105–13108. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1514996112

Lu, H.-C., & Mackie, K. (2016). An introduction to the endogenous cannabinoid system. Biological Psychiatry, 79(7), 516–525. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26698193/

Malenfant, M. (2025, August 20). Have THC laws changed in Texas? Here’s a 2025 guide. Austin American-Statesman. https://www.statesman.com/news/article/thc-ban-texas-special-session-august-2025-20824050.php

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: The current state of evidence and recommendations for research. The National Academies Press. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24625/the-health-effects-of-cannabis-and-cannabinoids-the-current-state

Neill Harris, K. (2025, August 21). A THC ban won’t make Texans safer. Better hemp laws would. Houston Chronicle. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/thc-texas-ban-hemp-laws-20826232.php

Simpson, S., & Keemahill, D. (2025, July 22). THC-related poison control calls tripled in Texas after hemp became legal. Experts say there’s more to the story. Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/22/texas-marijuana-hemp-data-poison-control-overdose/

"Are We Heading Toward War? A Growing Fear We Must Name," by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

Are We Heading Toward War? A Growing Fear We Must Name

by 

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

I write today with a heavy heart and a growing sense of dread. It’s a feeling I have not been able to shake for weeks now. With each news headline, each cryptic statement, and each political maneuver, I fear that our country is inching closer to war.

I am fully aware that the decision to go to war lies, constitutionally, with Congress. This is what our founding documents stipulate. This is what checks and balances are supposed to ensure. But I also fear we are in a moment where these democratic norms are being deliberately eroded—where precedent, law, and even public sentiment are too easily cast aside.

And yes, I fear that Donald Trump will not honor the constitutional process. He has made clear through both word and action that he does not feel beholden to the same limits and deliberations that define a functioning democracy. He has already said he would be a "dictator on day one." And when it comes to war—where the stakes are human lives, international order, and the future of our children—such authoritarian impulses should terrify us all.

A recent segment from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was most definitely cathartic. I encourage you to watch it. He captures, with precision, the absurdity and danger of this political moment. His satire is a sharp political commentary that exposes the contradictions and rhetorical manipulations surrounding the current escalation. I love how he captures my feelings. 

I do not, as yet, see any legitimate provocation or evidence to justify war. And that is precisely what makes this moment so dangerous. History has shown us how easily wars can be waged under false pretenses. 

The 2003 invasion of Iraq, for instance, was premised on the existence of weapons of mass destruction that were never found. Despite repeated claims by President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Iraq posed an imminent threat—claims later proven to be misleading or outright false—Congress voted to authorize military force.

Most memorable was Rice's infamous warning in 2002, with words designed to instill fear and justify an unnecessary war:

“We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud” (Rice, 2002).

Independent investigations, including the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (2004), later concluded that key claims about Iraq’s weapons programs were unsupported by the available intelligence (also see Jackson, 2005). The report states:

“The intelligence failures leading up to the war in Iraq were serious and pervasive. So were the failures prior to the September 11 attacks. While the investigations will continue, reform must begin. There can be no delay when the safety and security of America and Americans are at stake” (U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, 2004, p. 510).

The results were hundreds of thousands dead, a destabilized Middle East, and a deep wound to America’s credibility in the world.

This isn’t just about politics. It’s about our very humanity. War is not an abstract concept. It is not a campaign strategy, a spectacle, or a “theater.” War devastates. It destroys homes, families, futures. And it leaves wounds, seen and unseen, that last for generations.

Some may say I’m being alarmist. But history has shown us what happens when we normalize lawlessness and look the other way. We cannot afford that complacency now. We must speak up, we must organize, and we must hold accountable anyone who threatens to drag our country—and the world—into another reckless and unnecessary war. 

demandpeace.org

The future is not written. But silence, indifference, and disillusionment help write the worst chapters. Let us choose instead to continue raising our voices, to demand peace, and to protect the fragile promise of democracy—while we still can.

One good thing we can all do today is reach out to whoever represents us in Congress and let them know how we feel, while there is still time. We must also demand that our media institutions not function as megaphones for power and instead rigorously press our elected officials for verifiable evidence of an imminent threat. Anything less is complicity in the manufacture of war.

References

Jackson, B. (2005, September 26). Anti-war ad says Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & Rice “lied” about Iraq: We find some subtle word-twisting, and place the claims in context. FactCheck.org. https://www.factcheck.org/2005/09/anti-war-ad-says-bush-cheney-rumsfeld/

New York Times. (2025, June 19). Trump Will Decide on Iran Attack ‘in the Next Two Weeks,’ White House Says, New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/19/world/iran-israel-trump-news

Rice, C. (2002, September 8). Interview on CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer. https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/le/date/2002-09-08/segment/00

The Daily Show. (2024, June 16). Jon Stewart on Israel’s "urgent" Iran strike, Minnesota murders & MAGA’s blame game [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q08a7BI9XI&t=118s

U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. (2004). Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq. https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/publications/108301.pdf

Honored and Humbled: Educational Equity, Politics & Policy in Texas Ranked 6th in the Nation for Education Reform

Friends,

I just received some incredible—and truly humbling—news that my blog is ranked 6th nationally among the Top 30 Educational Reform Blogs and Websites of 2025, just a few spots below the U.S. Department of Education's blog. Honestly, I’m a bit overwhelmed. I started this space with no expectations—just a deep need to speak truth, share knowledge, and stand alongside others fighting for justice in education.

I just added my "Top Education Reform Blog" badge just now. I think my next task is to go through the blog to make sure that all my links work! 😅

Abundant thanks to Anuj Agarwal and Feedspot for this recognition. Thanks, as well, to Blogger for hosting Educational Equity, Politics & Policy in Texas all these years, 2004-2025. And thank you, my dear community, for reading, sharing, and believing in the work. This honor belongs to all of us who dare to dream of a better, more humane educational system. 💗

In deepest gratitude,

-Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

An Archive of Resistance: My Blog is Ranked Fourth Best Education Blog in Texas; 20 in all Texas Blogs

Friends:

I’m pleased to share some good news: my blog is currently ranked the fourth-best education blog in Texas and 20th among all Texas blogs according to Feedspot.com. I’m deeply grateful to my community here in Austin—and to friends, colleagues, and co-conspirators across the country—for your loyal readership and continued support. Thanks, in particular, to Latinopia, Voice of the Mainland, and to librarians nationwide for uplifting my blog over the years. Your engagement and encouragement keep this space alive and purposeful.

With nearly half a million new page views each year, this blog has become a trusted source for those seeking truth, coupled with a sustained, authentic voice, in an age of distortion. It's also a good window through which to view and understand at least some aspects of Texas education policy and politics. 

I have asked former students and other scholars, including my husband, UT History Professor Dr. Emilio Zamora, to join me as a regular blogger (he has SO much to offer), but those I've asked are always either thinking about it or don't have the bandwidth.

Writing for a global audience, I understand, can seem daunting, particularly for scholars who perhaps find a modicum of refuge in conventional publication outlets. Writing for even larger audiences is yet another skill one must cultivate. I know it took me plenty of time to get to where I am today, so perfectly understood. 

"Writing is a muscle," I always say, "that must be regularly flexed."

We should liberate writing, too—where writing is the act of thinking, a space for imagination and relief.  Let's not underestimate the expressive power of writing. If you liberate writing, you liberate creativity and thought.

I shudder to think that in the earliest breaths of this blog, I chose not to host it through UT-Austin, but instead went with Blogspot.com. In hindsight, that decision was critical. Had I tied this blog to the university, it would most certainly have been dismantled, archived, erased, or rendered inaccessible, alongside countless other DEI-related programs and resources targeted under Senate Bill 17. To be honest, it was a healthy distrust of my university back in 2004 that guided me.

Recent photo delivering testimony on SB 37

I knew, even then, that the institutional winds could shift, and that critical voices—especially those advocating for justice, equity, and inclusion—would not always be protected. This decision, in retrospect, was shaped by what Dolores Delgado Bernal (1998) calls cultural intuition—an embodied, experiential form of knowledge rooted in our lived realities as scholars of color navigating historically exclusionary institutions. 

Yes, very much based on my own difficult experiences in predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) throughout life and career, this intuition led me to create a space beyond institutional reach—a space that has become an archive of resistance, a tool for organizing, and a platform for truth-telling that endures even as the official record is being rewritten.

As public institutions are pressured to silence inclusive voices, this platform has become even more vital—a place where, I trust, communities are finding affirmation, knowledge, and collective purpose.

I love this picture I took at the Texas Capitol last Friday and is a fitting way to conclude: "This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone. but it will pass."

-Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

References

Delgado Bernal, D. (1998). Using a Chicana feminist epistemology in educational research. Harvard Educational Review, 68(4), 555–582. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.68.4.5w7m447lmbx482l4

Valenzuela, A. (2021, Nov. 10). [Blog]. A Personal Message on Why I Blog and a Word of Thanks by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D. 

    Note: I took this photo about a week ago when I was ranked third. As of today, according to Feedspot.com, I'm ranked fourth. Regardless of the shift, I’m honored to be in such close company with leading voices like the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, and the Pre-K Pages blog.

To be part of this conversation—alongside institutions and organizations with far greater resources—is both humbling and energizing. It’s a testament to the power of community, critical dialogue, and public scholarship.

It’s all good. 😊

-AV

"The Need for Ethnic Studies Policy in Texas," by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D. and Emilio Zamora, Ph.D. May 21, 2025

The Need for Ethnic Studies Policy in Texas

by

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D. and Emilio Zamora, Ph.D. 

May 21, 2025

In the midst of the so-called culture wars, we must ask: Is Ethnic Studies House Bill 178, authored by Representative Christina Morales, a radical departure from the conventional interpretation of history? Or is it, more accurately, a democratizing call—a "We the People" project aimed at healing and rebuilding a fragmented nation?

We argue it is the latter. If this were truly a radical departure, it might resemble calls for secession—an idea still whispered in some corners of the Texas Anglo community. It might also involve rejecting assimilation or the English language, despite the fact that, throughout our civil rights history, Black and Brown communities—alongside our allies—have never taken such a stance. Instead, we have consistently fought to expand the American narrative, not abandon it.

Despite being filed for three consecutive sessions by Rep. Morales and passing out of the House Committee on Public Education, the Ethnic Studies bill—HB 178—failed to reach the House floor this session. It is, for now, “dead.”

From the moment it was filed, HB 178 faced an uphill battle in today’s hostile political climate. At its core, the resistance to this bill appears rooted in a deeper discomfort: the challenge it poses to a dominant narrative that seeks to silence, erase, or distort the histories and lived realities of marginalized communities.

In an era marked by book bans, curriculum censorship, and the systematic dismantling of DEI efforts, defending Ethnic Studies is more than a policy stance—it’s an act of resistance against forces that falsely equate truth-telling with division.

So many people who advocate for Ethnic Studies are themselves either teachers or students who want to promote critical thinking and affirm the value of diverse cultural perspectives, even when doing so invites backlash.

Morales’ House Bill 178 is reasonable, forward-looking policy. It does not make Ethnic Studies a requirement for high school graduation. Rather, it establishes a pathway to a high school diploma that for a given student, can include the taking of Ethnic Studies courses like Mexican American Studies, Native American Studies, African American Studies, and Asian American Studies.

As Mexican American Studies scholars, we find it striking that high school enrollment in Mexican American Studies courses has grown from just 40 students in Houston in 2015 to an impressive 11,941 students statewide in 2024. This is an extraordinary growth rate, indicative of massive and sustained interest, organizing, and curriculum development in Mexican American Studies across Texas.

University of Texas San Antonio professor and researcher Dr. Lilliana Saldaña attributes this meteoric rise not only to student interest but also to the steady growth in teacher preparation. In 2015, only four educators joined the Mexican American Studies Academy that she and her colleagues established to train teachers in the field. In contrast, over the past two years alone, the academy has welcomed more than 80 teachers annually—a testament to the growing demand for Ethnic Studies and the infrastructure needed to sustain it.

Failing to pass sound Ethnic Studies policy disrupts the natural progression of integrating decades of historical scholarship into our classrooms. House Bill 178 seeks to address the longstanding logjam that has prevented the inclusion of vital historical findings, particularly those produced since the 1970s. Put simply, our current curriculum lags significantly behind the breadth of knowledge that scholars have already brought to light. It’s time to break through that impasse and ensure our educational standards reflect the richness and complexity of our shared history.

Studies consistently demonstrate that well-structured Ethnic Studies programs enhance students’ academic success. A review by Christine Sleeter, conducted for the National Education Association, underscores that Ethnic Studies courses boost student engagement, encourage critical thinking, and elevate graduation rates.

Further research from the NEA confirms that students enrolled in Ethnic Studies cultivate a greater sense of self-efficacy and achieve higher academic performance. These outcomes highlight the transformative power of acquiring windows into both one another's experiences and one's own.

Advocates for Ethnic Studies are not just fighting for curriculum—they’re defending the right of students to see themselves reflected in the classroom and to engage honestly with the complex realities of the as yet unfinished great American story.

***

The authors, Angela Valenzuela and Emilio Zamora, are married and are longtime advocates for Ethnic Studies in Texas and are formally affiliated with the Mexican American Studies program at the University of Texas at Austin.