By Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D. • Knowledge is Power • February 12, 2024 •
Advocates anticipated the Texas State Board of Education would consider the learning standards for American Indian/Native Studies (or AINS) to add to Texas ethnic studies high school electives options. However, the board’s new chairman punted the first reading consideration to an undetermined future meeting.
Educators, parents and Native Intertribal community members testified to the importance of rescheduling course consideration at the earliest opportunity: the April meeting. Native community members developed the course four years ago, and it has been piloted as an innovative course in Grand Prairie ISD for two school years.
The Ethnic Studies Network of Texas supported community members to testify to the state board and submitted a letter from 20 organizations, including IDRA and TLEEC, requesting that the AINS course appear on the April meeting agenda.
[© 2024, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the February 12, 2024, edition of Knowledge is Power by IDRA. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]
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