There is a significant change happening in some American schools. That change is the active emphasis of a Mexican curriculum:

“Some Oregon high schools are adopting Mexico’s public school curriculum to help educate Spanish-speaking students with textbooks, an online Web site, DVDs and CDs provided free by Mexico to teach math, science and even U.S. history.”

link: Mexican curriculum in Oregon schools stirs debate

The social concept of the United States has been that of a ‘melting pot’, where English and ‘Americana’ are the prime foci. By contrast, Canada has a cultural paradigm where it is a ’social mosaic’. In Canada, there is a blending of French and English. For example, the text on food products are in both French and English. The cultural mosaic is not without its own unique problems.

As the school curriculum in American schools shifts, it may be a reflection of a social phenomena. The ‘melting pot’ model may be transforming.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]united states, schools, spanish, mexico, curriculum, canada, melting pot, french, cultural paradigm[/tags]