Mexican American Education

There are many similarities within the Mexican and Indian1 experiences of schools and education policy in what is now referred to as America. However, thematically, these similarities represent the larger scope of Anglo attitudes and policies that characterize the educational "missions" applied to most dominated groups in the United States. Most notably is the emphasis of addressing perceived language deficiencies and implementing language education programs. Secondly, is the staunch attempts at deculturalization for both groups.

While these methods are not unique, as they have been and continue to be used on the majority of dominated groups, the circumstances to which these methods were applied in the Mexican and Indian cases are
Rather than race being the deciding factor for this discrepancy, for Mexicans were now considered Indians, it was the recognition of the separate historic and cultural specific circumstances of the Mexicans and Indians that provided the grounds for different approaches to deculturalization by the
While English-Only has been and continues to be a fervent movement in this country, there have been discrepancies in how this philosophy has been applied to certain groups. I would maintain that in the case of the Indians, boarding schools charged with this mission were of dire importance in implementing this ideology due to the sovereignty of tribes. Their English assimilation was of crucial importance because of the many languages spoken by tribes and the barriers to Anglo control that posed, as well, it would serve as a way to control the relations between tribes. Because the Mexicans were seen as exploitable labor, the policy of denying them education in order to keep them dis-empowered and working the land characterized their experience. Success through effective bilingual education was seen in many schools where Mexicans had control, yet English only movements were soon implemented as a tool to deny Mexicans education. This is still done