Mexican American Studies

Rethinking Columbus Banned in Tucson

By Bill Bigelow Imagine our surprise. Rethinking Schools learned today that for the first time in its more-than-20-year history, our book Rethinking Columbus was banned by a school district: Tucson, Arizona. According to journalist Jeff Biggers, officials with the Tucson Unified School District ordered that teachers pull the book from their classrooms, evidently as an outcome of the school board’s 4-1 vote this week to abolish the Mexican American Studies program.
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Precious Knowledge

Film. Directed by Ari Luis Palos and produced by Eren Isabel McGinnis. 2011. 70 minutes.
High school seniors become community leaders in Tucson's embattled Ethnic Studies classes while state lawmakers attempt to eliminate the program.
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The Daily Show on Tucson’s Mexican-American Studies Ban

On April 2, the The Daily Show aired a segment on the ban on the Mexican American Studies (MAS) program in Tucson. The Daily Show correspondent Al Madrigal interviewed Tucson School Board member Michael Hicks and Mexican American Studies teacher Curtis Acosta. Jon Stewart introduced the show by saying: "Your children’s education… Nothing is more important! You want them to learn enough to do well in the world, but not so much that they can win arguments with you. "But, what are they really learning in school? Al Madrigal followed this eye-opening story."
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