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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Education Week: Arizona, Tucson At Odds Over Ethnic Studies

Education Week: Arizona, Tucson At Odds Over Ethnic Studies

Arizona, Tucson At Odds Over Ethnic Studies

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Arizona education department officials and administrators for the Tucson Unified School District are set to do battle over whether the school district should continue to offer its ethnic studies, particularly Mexican-American studies, in light of a new state law tightly restricting such classes.
Tom Horne, Arizona’s superintendent of public instruction, turned up the heat on the controversy by sending a letter Aug. 3 to the superintendent of Tucson Unified threatening to withhold 10 percent of basic state aid to the district when the new law goes into effect Dec. 31. That law bars public schools from providing classes that are designed for a particular ethnic group, that advocate ethnic solidarity, or that promote resentment toward a race or group of people. ("Studies Take Aim at Policies on English-Language Learners in Arizona," May 19, 2010.)
Mr. Horne contends that Tucson Unified’s ethnic studies courses match the kind barred
The state chief says ethnic studies classes violate a new law and threatens to cut aid to the district.(August 10, 2010)
Programs that give principals expertise in pre-K-3 best practices are rare, one group says. (August 9, 2010) | Comments (3)
(August 10, 2010)
(August 9, 2010)
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Apollo Middle School Principal Ray Chavez works with students during a health seminar on Aug. 6 in Tucson, Ariz.  "I'm glad the kids are getting better," he says of the successful turnaround efforts he has undertaken at the school. "But I'm not satisfied about it until I see that it is not just our school but the pattern changes for underachievement for the whole area."
—James Gregg/Arizona Daily Star/AP
The formerly failing school was labeled a "performing" school by the Arizona Department of Education in 2008, "performing plus" in 2009, and it remains "performing plus" this year. (August 10, 2010)
(August 9, 2010)