Q. What students does the Mexican American Studies Department serve?
A. While the Mexican American Studies Department was formed specifically to enhance the academic success of Latino students, the educational model and curriculum developed by the Mexican American Studies Department help all students. Through developing a critical consciousness, fostering authentic caring between teachers and students, and promoting an educational ecology of equity, all students benefit. Furthermore, the curriculum created by the department reduces prejudice, which helps students to develop more positive inter-group attitudes (Banks, 1995).
Q. How does your approach foster student success?
A. Our model of Critically Compassionate Intellectualism integrates three approaches that research has shown to increase academic achievement for students:
- Teaching from a culturally relevant and academically rigorous curriculum.
- Developing students' critical thinking and socially critical consciousness through a dialogic pedagogy.
- Interacting with students out of respect, understanding, and appreciation to develop their academic identity.
Q. How can teachers benefit from your services?
A. The Mexican American Studies Department offers professional development activities throughout the school year for TUSD teachers. Our three-day Summer Institute provides teachers with an opportunity to engage in workshops, seminars, and discussions. Our curriculum is available online to teachers throughout the world.
Q. As a parent, how can I become involved with the Mexican American Studies Department?
A. Through the Academic Reflections/Refleciones del Proceso Academico, parents and their
children have the opportunity to meet quarterly with members of the Raza Studies and Social Education Project teams to discuss education and learning.
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