Mexican American Males:A Snapshot

Presenters: Elvia Estrella, Janet Ilko, Victoria Peterson, & Vivian Price

1519 19731519

1584

1649

1714

1779

1844

1909

Hernan Cortez arrives in Tenochtitlan

1519 Cortez conquers the Aztec Empire - 1521

Mexican Independence Day1810

Treaty of Guadalupe

Hidalgo1848

Repatriation of Mexicans back

to Mexico1931

Sleepy Lagoon Case

1943

Bracero Program

1942-19651946

Serrano vs. Priest

1970

Mexican American War1846

Porfilio Diaz - Dictator of Mexico1847

Roberto Alvarez vs The Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove

School District

1931

Chicano Movement

1960-1970

Delano Table Grape Strike

1968-1970

◼Family values – strong sense of family, extended family, beyond the nuclear family, madirnos/madrinas, compadres, non-biologically related considered family.◼Hierarchical Culture – patriarchal structure,

stratification based on age and gender, values respect, respect for elders, women being supportive of their family and husbands.

MEXICAN AMERICAN MALES

◼Language – Spanish/English – dialects depending on region◼Beliefs - wants child to succeed in educational system,

depending on generation wants child to surpass parent’s successes◼Religion –majority of Mexicans are Catholic, but are

also affiliated with other religions

MEXICAN AMERICAN MALES

55%

22% 18%

3% 1%

RELIGION OF MEXICAN AMERICANS

PewResearch Center. (2014, May 7). The Shifting Religious Identity of Latinos in the United States. Retrieved May 30, 2016, from http://www.pewforum.org/2014/05/07/the-shifting-religious-identity-of-latinos-in-the-united-states/

◼Mestizo◼Hispanic◼Latino◼Mexican◼Mexican American◼Chicano

LABELS OF IDENTIFICATION

Oboler, S. (1995). Ethnic Labels, Latino Lives: Identity and the politics of (Re)Presentation in the United States. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

◼Mexicans make up the largest immigrant group in America

◼2013 Nearly all Mexicans who leave their country migrate to the US

◼Latinos of Mexican origin make up 11% of total US population = 33.7 million

◼64% of the nation’s Mexican American community were born in US

◼Mexican Americans Mostly concentrated in southwest California & Texas

Demographics of Mexican Americans in the USA

CA History of SegregationUnderstanding influential legal cases

● Alvarez v. Lemon Grove School District (1931)● Board claimed need for separate school● The Superior Court of California in San Diego

ruled in favor of the plaintiffs ● Nation’s first successful desegregation court case● Not a precedent setting case

● Mendez v. Westminster (1946)● Filed in Orange county on behalf of 5000 students

● Denied admission on the grounds that they were deficient in English.● Laid groundwork for Brown v. Board of Education● First successful constitutional case to challenge Segregation● Challenged dominant ideology● Represented a commitment to social justice

CA History of Segregation

Mexican American Experience in Schools● Mexican Americans have lower levels

of education than white and African American.

● Persistent gap

● Still present today

● Continues into the 4th generation

San Diego County Demographics• 2nd largest district in CA• 46.5% Latino Population• 26.5% English learners-approximately

32,000 students

https://www.sandiegounified.org/about-san-diego-unified

CA School Demographics• Among CA students Mexican Americans make up the singles

largest ethnic group• 4 out of 5 students are children of immigrants• Mexican-American youth are also much more likely to be in poor

or blue collar working families than whites, Asians, African American

Cited in In Rubén G. R., & Portes

Barriers to Educational Success

• Disproportionate poverty• Group Size• Historical Depth• Racist Stereotypes

Cited in In Rubén G. R., & Portes

What is the School to Prison Pipeline?

Gun free Zone Act of 1994, School Shootings Columbine , Broken Window Theory.

Increased suspension and expulsion rates, Racial Disparity, discretionary suspension

School Resource Officers, From the School System to the Judiciary System, Feeding the Pipeline

Diminished Opportunities, drop in academic performance, dropout rates increase.

Obama administration, Federal and State Education Departments pushing for change.

Zero Tolerance

Outsourced Disciplin

Disparity

Results

Pushing for Change

In 5 Key Points: The Pipeline Explained

http://www.justicepolicy.org/news/8775 The school to prison pipeline, explained, Nelson, Lind 2015Pantoja, A. (2014). Reframing the school-to-prison pipeline: The experiences of latin@ youth and families. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 7(3).

School to Prison Pipeline

Drop out rates nationally, not specific to SDUSD

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/leading-health-indicators/2020-lhi-topics/Social-Determinants/data on-time national graduation data

Best Practices: Changing the Narrative

From Punitive Justice to Restorative Justice

Climate Data Community Communicate Support

Increase the use of positive behavior interventions and supports.

Compile annual reports on the total number of disciplinary actions that push students out of the

classroom based on gender, race and ability

Create appropriate limits on the use of law enforcement in public

schools.

Provide simple explanations of infractions and

prescribed responses in the student code of conduct to ensure

fairness.

Train teachers on the use of positive behavior

supports for at-risk students.

http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/School-to-Prison.pdf Castillo, J. (2013). Tolerance in schools for Latino students: dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy, 26, 43

2014-2015State & County Graduation and Dropout Rates

How Leaders Can Change the Narrative

cc: Definitive HDR Photography - https://www.flickr.com/photos/35888901@N00

cc: Esparta - https://www.flickr.com/photos/66208256@N00

Provide Opportunities for Latino Males to Connect On Campus

Provide Students with Opportunities for On-Campus Employment

cc: Steve Rhodes - https://www.flickr.com/photos/44124466908@N01

Offer Activities that are Reflective of Individuals from the Community

cc: Eric.Parker - https://www.flickr.com/photos/13484951@N00

Provide a College Campus that Welcomes and Nurtures Latino Male Undergraduates

cc: velkr0 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/25396215@N00

Fernando Rojas, Accepted to all 8 Ivy Colleges

In his own words

Climate Data Community Communicate Support

Increase the use of positive behavior interventions and supports.

Compile annual reports on the total number of

disciplinary actions that push students out of the

classroom based on gender, race and ability

Create appropriate limits on the use of law enforcement in public

schools.

Provide simple explanations of infractions and

prescribed responses in the student code of conduct to ensure

fairness.

Train teachers on the use of positive behavior

supports for at-risk students.

http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/School-to-Prison.pdf Castillo, J. (2013). Tolerance in schools for Latino students: dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy, 26, 43

Implications for Leaders

Food for Thought