evealing Hidden Histories: Asian American Educators' Approaches to Teaching Asian American History in Elementary Schools

• In Event: Roundtable Session 49
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Analysis of Race, Class, Gender, and Ethnicity in Elementary School Contexts

Abstract

While Asian Americans comprise the fastest growing population in America, they remain largely absent in American History curriculum. In elementary schools, they are typically relegated to isolated lessons about cultural celebrations. This qualitative case study investigates an urban elementary school’s implementation of Asian American history curriculum in fourth and fifth grades. The study site is an urban school with the district’s only Vietnamese dual language program, a source of both contention and pride among teachers and community members. While this study is forthcoming during the 2015-2016 school year, teacher struggles with implementation and a range of teacher, student, and parent responses from enthusiasm and pride to a desire to return to traditional, more Eurocentric perspectives are anticipated.

Author

• Noreen Naseem Rodriguez, The University of Texas - Austin