An administrator for Tucson Unified School District defends the Raza studies program in the school district by quoting students who say the program helped save their lives. Augustine F. Romero, the senior director of the district’s Mexican American/Raza Studies Department, says in his remarks to the press that the program has helped many students to “transcend the nihilistic state of hopelessness.” He mentions that students are taught lessons from history, such as about the role of Emiliano Zapata in the Mexican Revolution, and comparative politics. Excerpts of an interview with Mr. Romero are published today in The Arizona Republic.
Liam Julian, who believes the program is unnecessary, writes over at Flypaper that he finds Mr. Romero’s defense unconvincing.
Let me note that if the students in Tucson are learning something about Emiliano Zapata, they are learning something in school that I didn’t. I just had to look the guy up on Wikipedia. So what does that say about my education in public schools?