Background
In 1954, the United States Supreme Court handed down a landmark
decision. They declared that the earlier finding of Plessy v.
Ferguson in 1896 which founded the doctrine of "separate
but equal" did indeed violate the constitution. However,
eight years earlier another case was made, this one in our own
backyard.
When the 17th Street School in
Westminster refused to admit Gonzalo Mendez' children, it set a
series of events into motion that would change the history of
public education in California.
Your Assignment
For this research assignment, you
will investigate the story behind the Mendez vs Westminster
case. Describe the case, and explain its place in history.
Finally, assess the impact today. Is there equality in education
today?
While you will be explaining what
happened in the Mendez story, this in itself will not give you a
thesis. How did the Mendez case impact education here in
California, and how did it influence later events (such as Brown v
Board of Education)? Look at the impact of the case today. Use all
of the information you have collected as you prepared the prison
education essay and the No Child Left Behind essay. When Mendez
and his colleagues were fighting for equality in education, they
had a vision in mind, a goal. Have we met that goal in education?
Or is there still more we need to be working toward?
For a quick overview of the
story and some helpful links, you can check out "Mendez
v. Westminster: A Look At Our Latino Heritage."
The Cerritos Library has also developed
a resource page
to help you get started.
If you feel ambitious, you might
even research the court documents themselves.
Here
are a few more good articles:
Helpful Hint: Since this case took
place in Orange Country, the absolute best source of information
is the
Santa Ana Library. They have archived materials that will be
invaluable to you as you research this topic. I know it is can be
a drive for some of you, but I can assure you that it will be well
worth your time and energy. As one student put it, "The Santa Ana
Library was a one-stop shop for this research paper."
As you begin, I would encourage
you to look into the background behind the case. What made this
all possible? Also, while you will be evaluating these events
with your 21st Century views, try to take into account the
thinking of the time. This will give you a better perspective as
you analyze the case.
In addition to providing
information on the case itself, you will also analyze the impact
this case had on education in California and its role today.
This will require some critical thinking on your part.
Style and Format Issues
Your research paper will need to
be a MINIMUM of SEVEN pages in length. You will need to document
your sources following MLA formation, and you must include a
MINIMUM of TEN sources in your bibliography (otherwise known as a "List of Works
Cited"). Of those ten sources, a maximum of TWO can be from
the Internet (you can use as many as you want from Online
databases such as LexisNexis or Ebscohost). I will expect to see evidence that you are using
all ten sources to develop your essay (this means that you
should be integrating the source material into your essay and
providing in-text citations).
NOTE: You must complete the
draft of your bibliography and submit it on time. If you fail to
do this, I will not accept your research paper. This will hopefully prevent you from procrastinating!
Also, remember that the bibliography is part of your research
paper, so just because you are submitting a draft ahead of time
does not mean that you don't need to include the works cited
with your research paper.
Also remember that you must submit your essay to Turnitin.com prior to
submitting it in class.
The Fast Track to a
"D" or an "F" on This Assignment
Even though this assignment is a
significant percentage of the final class grade, many students
don't put in their best effort. There are a few mistakes that
will automatically drop your grade down to a D or an F. Here is
a list so you can be sure to avoid these mistakes upfront and
save yourself some heartache and anguish.
- Not providing BOTH in-text
citations AND a bibliography. You
are expected to use 10 sources to develop this essay. I
would expect to see those sources referenced not only in the
bibliography but also within the text. If you are only using
one or two sources to write your paper and then simply
listing the rest in the bibliography, you are probably
coming very close to plagiarism. Also, remember that the
bibliography is part of your paper. It is not a separate
assignment! The bibliography should be the page immediately
following the final page of text in your essay.
- Using first person pronouns
(I, me) to refer to yourself. This is not an autobiography.
This paper is not about you personally. I shouldn't be
reading "I think," "I feel," "I
believe" or anything even close to that in your paper.
-
Not
developing the essay to the full seven page minimum. This
has been true of all of the essays you have submitted this
semester, but often people forget about it on the research
paper.
-
Not
submitting the assignments associated with the research
paper. No matter how many times I say that this assignment
will be time consuming, students still wait until the last
minute. The associated assignments are a means to push you
to work on the paper early and to be sure you have the
events in order. It is also a way for me to monitor your
progress and offer suggestions if I notice any
problems.
Essays will be returned unread and
ungraded if they:
- do not meet the minimum page requirement
- do not meet the minimum requirement for
secondary sources
- are not typed in MLA format (the format
discussed in class)
- are not accompanied by strong evidence of
the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revision, editing,
proofreading.
Late papers (including those that are
returned with any of the above listed problems) will lose one full
letter grade (10 points). Papers that are submitted more than 15
minutes late on the day they are due will be considered late. Late
papers will not be eligible for any revision opportunities that
might be offered.
Remember
that if you get stuck I am here to answer your questions.
This can be a fun and challenging assignment, but sometimes it
takes some getting used to. If you do get stuck, don't stay
stuck. Come and talk to me as soon as possible.
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