NM moves to focus on race, ethnicity in K-12 classrooms

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | March 22, 2022 | Cedar Attanasio, AP

[CedarDave]

SANTA FE – New Mexico’s K-12 students will see a greater focus on race and ethnicity, including Native American history, in curriculum over the next two years under new standards aimed at making social studies teaching more culturally responsive.

The state Public Education Department recently finalized the changes following months of debate that included pushback from parents worried their kids would be labeled racist. The standards don’t mandate specific lessons or textbooks, but will require school districts to increase their focus on social identities and understanding the world through the lens of race, class and privilege.

New Mexico is the latest Democratic-led state to approve new public school standards amid a move toward more open discussion of race. As in Washington and New York, the standards require students to identify and articulate their cultural identity starting in elementary school. Ethnic studies will now be part of the high school curriculum, though not required for graduation, as in California.

School districts will begin training teachers on the new standards next year and implement them in the classroom in the fall of 2023.

The new standards change the way Native American histories are taught. Students will be more likely to study the state’s 23 tribes on their own terms and more in depth.

Opponents of the new approach expressed fears that children would be labeled victims or oppressors based on their race.

“Whether they fit all the definitions of ‘critical race theory’ or not, the new standards appear designed to divide New Mexicans by race, ethnicity and economic status,” said Paul Gessing, president of the libertarian think tank Rio Grande Foundation.

[CedarDave]

Putting lipstick on a pig doesn't change the fact it's still a pig.

[CedarDave]

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[Singermom]

Race and Ethnicity? Great Let’s make the primary white race since there are more of us.

[gw-ington]

NM moves to focus on race, ethnicity in K-12 classrooms

I totally agree with New Mexico's new emphasis on teaching race and ethnicity in all K-12 classrooms throughout New Mexico. Hopefully, this will spur the other 49 states to do the same. It's about time. We need the entire country constantly talking about race 24/7/365. The U.S. will never be truly successful until race becomes a total obsession for every American citizen.

/s

[laplata]

It’s about division and tension among the races. They do not want harmony and unity.

[Trillian]

I would love to see public schools shut down.

[SpaceBar]

Race identity = government money

It’s really that simple.

Whites need not apply.

[redcatcherb412]

NM concentrating studies on 11% of the states population the same way the U.S. concentrates attention and studies of 12% of the country’s population. What’s the earth shattering news in that?

[sergeantdave]

Conservatives take over the schoolboards in spring elections, and all this crappola ends. It’s that simple.

[metmom]

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[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

New Mexico history was just fine sixty two years ago when I lived there. I loved the history of my State.

Where I live now in the Ozarks, I have absolutely NO interest in the history here.

NM history was of vibrant exploration, Spanish, Indian tribes, outlaws.

Here where I am now the history can be summed up in this. Spanish exploration, then Hillbillies and slaves, then Hillbillies and segregation.
Too bad we can’t separate this county from the rest of the state here and let the rest of the state drift off into obscurity.

[kelly4c]

Bkmk

[Aevery_Freeman]

Schools no longer teach our children to read, write, spell or do simple mental math.

They can, however, spout vulgarities, scream, yell, accuse and posture piously.

Now they are reorganizing the human race by melanin content and the utilization of sex organs.

Does any of this posit a path to a better future?

[LegendHasIt]

I wouldn’t mind it so much i they taught the TRUE history, but they won’t do that.

I loved studying NM History many years ago like Ruy, did; Had some great teachers from Junior High through College elective courses in it. And my Grandfather was a key figure at the Santa Fe Indian School for 30+ years and amateur historian , so I learned a lot about NM and Southwest History from him.