Pedagogical and curricular lessons from bilingual education activism in New Mexico: Serna v. Portales (1974) 50 years later

ABSTRACT

This articles presents a chronology of events of the Serna v. Portales Municipal Schools (1974) court case decided by the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on its 50th anniversary. Serna protected and codified bilingual education for New Mexican children. Four lessons learned from those involved in the struggle for language rights are included. (1) Contextualize pedagogy within place and history; (2) Highlight the collaborative efforts of diverse groups toward change; (3) Design student-centered curriculum responding to community’s needs and strengths; (4) Connect to the larger purpose/soulfulness of our work. The lessons highlight the pedagogical relevance of the case.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. We interchange many of the historicized and geographically specific identity terms which Spanish-speaking New Mexicans utilize such as Hispanic, Nuevomexicana/o, Chicana/o, Latina/o, Mexican/Mexican American, Hispanic, etc.; the reader will also note that the lesser-known term Spanish surnamed also appears. This choice is consistent with the language in the lawsuit to name New Mexico’s Spanish-speaking population and is consistent with descriptors of native Spanish-speaking students in discussions of schooling during this historical period.

2. The first census with a reporting category of Hispanic, defined as “People who identify with the terms ‘Hispanic’ or ‘Latino’ are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the decennial census questionnaire and various Census Bureau survey questionnaires – ‘Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano’ or”Puerto Rican” or “Cuban” – as well as those who indicate that they are “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.” This census has been discredited for underestimating the total number of Hispanics in the nation.

3. In latter references, we name Daniel Sosa Jr., who later served on the New Mexico Supreme Court, as “Dan Sosa Jr.;” and while ‘Dan ‘was not his full name, we utilize it here in the interest of congruence with the oral history transcripts and how he was commonly known among colleagues and communities.