BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 146
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|Author: |Cristina Garcia |
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|Version: |February 25, 2015 Hearing Date: |
| | July 1, 2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Lynn Lorber |
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Subject: Pupil instruction: social sciences: deportations to
Mexico
SUMMARY
This bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to
consider including instruction on the unconstitutional
deportation to Mexico during the Great Depression to the
history-social science framework.
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
1)Establishes the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC),
formerly known as the Curriculum Commission, as an advisory
body to the SBE. The IQC is responsible for recommending
curriculum frameworks to the SBE, developing criteria for the
evaluation of instructional materials, evaluate and recommend
adoption of instructional materials. (Education Code § 33530
and § 60204)
2)Prohibits the SBE from adopting instructional materials or
undertaking the work of the IQC until the 2015-16 school year.
(EC § 60200.7)
3)Specifically authorizes the SBE to consider the adoption of a
revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for
history-social science. (EC § 60200.8)
AB 146 (Cristina Garcia) Page 2
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4)Requires IQC to consider incorporating into the history-social
science framework content on specific historical events,
including the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan
genocides and the Great Irish Famine of 1845 to 1850.
Existing law also encourages the California Department of
Education to incorporate into curriculum resources for
teachers, age-appropriate materials on the Armenian,
Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides. (EC § 51226.3)
5)Requires the IQC, whenever the history-social science
framework is revised, to do all of the following (as
appropriate and based on the subject matter of the course):
a) Receive input from civics learning experts for purposes
of integrating civics learning content, concepts and skills
with the standards.
b) Consider how civics and history instruction includes the
application of that content to develop the competence and
skills needed for civic engagement.
c) Ensure that voter education information is included in
the American government and civics curriculum at the high
school level.
d) Ensure that specified historical documents are
incorporated into the framework. (EC § 33540)
6)States Legislative intent that when the history-social science
framework is revised after January 1, 2015, the Instructional
Quality Commission (IQC) consider whether and how to
incorporate the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for
Social Studies State Standards into that framework. (EC §
33540)
7)Requires the IQC, during the next revision of the
history-social science framework, to consider including and
recommending for adoption by the State Board of Education
(SBE), instruction on the election of President Barack Obama
and the significance of the United States electing its first
African American President.
(EC § 33543)
ANALYSIS
AB 146 (Cristina Garcia) Page 3
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This bill requires the SBE to consider including instruction on
the unconstitutional deportation to Mexico during the Great
Depression to the history-social science framework.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the SBE, when it revises and adopts the curriculum
framework for history-social science after January 1, 2016, to
consider providing for the inclusion of instruction on the
unconstitutional deportation to Mexico during the Great
Depression of citizens and lawful permanent residents of the
United States into the history-social science framework,
evaluation criteria, and accompanying instructional materials.
2)Expands existing law that encourages the California Department of
Education to incorporate into curriculum resources for
teachers, materials that deal with specified genocides, to
include the unconstitutional deportation to Mexico during the
Great Depression of citizens and lawful permanent residents of
the United States.
3)Specifies that "human rights" and "human rights violations"
include the deportation to Mexico, in regards to existing law
that encourages the incorporation of testimony into
instruction and professional development activities.
STAFF COMMENTS
1)Need for the bill. According to the author, "In the past years,
similar legislation to require historical events such as the
Holocaust, Japanese internment camps and other human rights
violations are now included in our history-social science
textbooks. In a state where 38% of the population is Latino,
our children should learn about an event where over 1 million
Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans were
unconstitutionally deported to Mexico."
2)Current revision of the history-social science framework. The
revision to the history-social science framework was suspended
in July 2009, and subsequently
resumed in July 2014. The draft revision was released for
field review in September 2014, is expected to be presented to
the SBE in November 2015, and expected to be adopted by the
AB 146 (Cristina Garcia) Page 4
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State Board of Education (SBE) in May 2016.
The draft generated extensive public comment (nearly 700
comments). The Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) also
determined that more subject matter expertise was needed for
certain areas (including some mandated for inclusion by
legislation), and submitted a budget request for $124,000 to
hire experts through an interagency agreement. These events
have caused significant delays in the production of the
revised framework, which was originally scheduled for adoption
in May 2015.
A schedule once existed for the revision and updating of
curricular frameworks. That schedule was suspended in 2009
when the prohibition on that process was imposed. Current law
continues to reference an eight-year cycle for revisions to
frameworks and the adoption of instructional materials. It is
likely that the next revision of the history-social science
framework will occur in several years.
3)Some information is in the draft framework. The existing draft
framework includes some references to the deportation to
Mexico. In the chapter of course descriptions for grades
Kindergarten through grade five, the following reference is
included in a section on Modern California: "Students can
also learn about other important events in California's civil
rights history, such as ? the forced repatriation of Mexicans
and Mexican Americans to Mexico that took place during the
Great Depression." In the chapter of course descriptions for
grades nine through 12, the following reference is made in a
section on the Great Depression: "The economic crisis also
led to the Mexican Repatriation Program, in which the
Secretary of Labor directed government agents to force nearly
400,000 Mexican migrants (both legal and illegal) out of the
country."
4)Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill would impose one-time General Fund costs
to the California Department of Education (CDE) of
approximately $160,000 to revise the history-social science
framework.
5)Related and prior legislation.
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RELATED LEGISLATION
AB 104 (Committee on Budget, Ch. 13, 2015) among other things,
imposes a fee on publishers who submit history-social science
materials to the SBE for consideration.
AB 740 (Weber, 2015) requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction to recommend to the SBE, by January 1, 2017, a
schedule for the regular update of academic content standards
in all subjects for which standards have been adopted by the
SBE. The schedule must be aligned to the current eight-year
cycle of curriculum framework updates and instructional
materials adoptions. AB 740 is scheduled to be heard by this
Committee on July 15.
PRIOR LEGISLATION
SB 1214 (Cedillo, 2008) required the State Board of Education
(SBE) to provide for such inclusion when it next revises and
adopts the curriculum for the history-social science framework
and instructional materials on or after January 1, 2009. SB
1214 was vetoed by the Governor, whose veto message read:
I vetoed a substantively similar bill two years
ago on this issue, and I have consistently vetoed
legislation that has attempted to mandate
specific details or events into areas of
instruction. The State Board of Education
adopted content standards are developed by a
diverse group of experts and are intentionally
broad in order to allow coverage of various
events, developments, and issues. I continue to
believe that the State should establish rigorous
standards and frameworks, but refrain from being
overly prescriptive in specific school
curriculum.
SB 551 (Cedillo, 2007) required the SBE to include instruction
on the unconstitutional deportation to Mexico during the Great
Depression in the next revision of the history-social science
framework. SB 551 was held in the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
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SB 1575 (Dunn, 2006) expanded the course of study for grades
7-12 to include instruction on the unconstitutional
deportation to Mexico during the Great Depression, and
required the California Department of Education (CDE) to
include this instruction in curriculum resources for teachers.
SB 1575 was vetoed by the Governor; staff is unable to locate
the veto message.
SUPPORT
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
California Communities United Institute
California Immigrant Policy Center
California Teachers Association
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Council of Mexican Federations
Montebello Unified School District
National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
OPPOSITION
None received.
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