Huppenthal would seek to restrict ethnic studies at UofA

Sen. John Huppenthal intends to take his fight against ethnic studies programs to the University of Arizona if he is elected state superintendent of public instruction.

Huppenthal, a Chandler Republican, has been vocal in his opposition of the ethnic studies program in the Tucson Unified School District and vocal in his support of HB2281, a law that puts restrictions on such programs.

He has said the program teaches students to identify themselves as oppressed, to rise against their oppressors and to have hateful attitudes toward America.

“That’s really the problem, this stuff is coming out of our universities and the ethnic studies there,” Huppenthal said. “Just dealing with it in Tucson Unified, I think you also have to deal with it over there at the University of Arizona.”

He said if he is elected he will use the superintendent of public instruction’s ex-officio seat on the Board of Regents to carry his fight to the next level.  Huppenthal would be one of 11 voting members on the board.

“The Board of Regents is not the place to micromanage curriculum,” said Penny Kotterman, Huppenthal’s Democratic opponent.

Regent Ernest Calderon said the board typically makes policy and is hands off on curriculum, but Huppenthal would be free to bring up the subject, and if he does, Calderon hopes it doesn’t become “an inquisition of sorts” on the stances of individuals on the board.

“I’m a devout believer in academic freedom,” Calderon said. “The universities offer a variety of courses and a variety of subjects I do not personally agree with, but the thing I do agree with is those people who believe universities should present a diverse spectrum of ideas and subjects because that’s what universities are for.”

Calderon said a university is a place for people to test their values.

HB2281 was pushed by outgoing Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. The bill, which takes effect Dec. 31, bans courses in public schools that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, advocate resentment against other races and teach ethnic solidarity.

It allows ethnic studies in public schools as long as the classes are open to all students and don’t promote racial divisiveness or anti-U.S. sentiment.

The bill was aimed primarily at the La Raza Studies program, now known as Mexican-American Studies, which came under fire in 2006 after civil rights activist Dolores Huerta told a student assembly that “Republicans hate Latinos.”

A group of 11 Tucson teachers in the Mexican-American Studies program filed suit Oct. 18 in U.S. District Court to keep the law from taking effect.

Huppenthal said he isn’t going to limit his fight to the University of Arizona’s ethnic studies programs, but also the UofA College of Education, which he says has a direct impact on the quality of education in the Tucson district.

“If you had to name one college of education that has done more damage than any other university in the nation it would be the College of Education at UofA, and you see the results in part by the school district that surrounds them where they’ve had the most influence, and that’s Tucson Unified School District,” Huppenthal said.

Huppenthal often cites the National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington D.C.-based research and advocacy group, as being severely critical of the UofA College of Education.

The organization conducted a study of education colleges nationwide and reported in 2008 that the University of Arizona and 34 other schools failed on all measures in preparing elementary school teachers to teach math.

Kate Walsh, president of the organization, said it has done no other studies that included the university.

Kotterman said she is convinced the state’s colleges of education are well regarded and not in the bottom echelon of schools in the country as Huppenthal contends.