Intro to Language and Education

Overview

This page will cover a brief history of the Latinx fight for equal education in the United States. More specifically, it will explore court cases involving the fight for education and educational equity; difficulties and successes with bilingual education; historic events like the Chicano Walkouts of 1969, and socioeconomic advantages and disadvantages Latinx students faced in public education. Furthermore, it will challenge the deficit model and deficit-model thinking that inadvertently harms Latinx students. The goal is to establish a foundation of understanding of the United States' flawed education system, which in turn, leads both students and teachers to question various institutions that inhibit Latinx students from getting quality education and equal rights. Through history and media, students, regardless of their socioeconomic background or social identities will help mold a better and brighter future for all, no matter their language, race, ethnicity, etc..

Lesson's

Lesson 1: The Latinx Community and the U.S. Education System

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Lesson 2: Latinx students in Connecticut

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Lesson 3: The 1969 Chicano Walkouts

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Companion Literature

The House on Mango Street 

    • A story about a young Chicana, English, and Spanish girl and what it is like growing up a Latina immigrant in Chicago (she touches upon language English vs Spanish) | Link to identity page the (book is also relevant for them)

Esperanza Rising [Book]

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents 

    • This is a coming-of-age story about four sisters from the Dominican Republic. 

    Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle 

     

    Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook by Iva-Marie Palmer 

    • Dear fans of Dork Diaries and Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life—a story about a confident Latina pitcher and her journey of self-improvement

    The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo 

    • Fifteen-year-old Xiomara, who goes by X, works through the tension and conflict in her family by writing poetry. The book was well-received and won multiple awards at the 2019 Youth Media Awards. 

    Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for … by Duncan Tonatiuh 

    • A 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book and a 2015 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. 

    Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan 

    • Esperanza Rising is a young adult historical fiction novel  

    Extra Resources