Arizona's Ethnic-Studies Curriculum - NYTimes.com Re "Rejected in Tucson" (editorial, Jan. 22): As a Mexican-American educator who teaches Mexican-American history, I find Arizona's efforts disheartening. Last January, the state outlawed Tucson's Mexican-American studies program, saying it planted seeds of racism in the minds of its pupils. Tom Horne, a former Arizona superintendent of public instruction, and John Huppenthal, the current school chief, supported the legislation. This is disheartening, as a school superintendent provides vision and leadership while striving to demarginalize students regardless of creed, color or ethnicity. In the 1960s, Mexican-American students throughout the Southwest decried the lack of pedagogical and curriculum support in their schools. Consequently, Mexican-American history and literature courses sprang up across the region. As these courses disappear, I fear that the educational chasm will only deepen, perpetuating inequity, low self-esteem and low achievement among Mexican-American students. FRANK J. PEREZ Hollister, Calif., Jan. 22, 2012