Person

Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales

Nationality:

Filipino-American

Profession:

Ethnic studies professor, San Francisco State University

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Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales is a professor of Asian-American studies and a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultant. She is also an advocate of expanding ethnic studies curricula in public schools. 1

Tintiangco-Cubales was the co-chair of the advisory committee that helped design California’s mandatory ethnic studies curriculum for the state’s public high schools. However, Tintiangco-Cubales and most of the rest of her committee refused to put their names on the final curriculum after she and the committee complained that the curriculum had been watered down and compromised after media and political pressure. Among those that had complained about the initial ethnic studies curriculum were Jewish organizations that complained that Jewish people had been overlooked in the initial draft and that antisemitism was ignored while other types of bigotry were mentioned. 2

Tintiangco-Cubales has developed a lucrative career as a consultant helping California public school systems implement ethnic studies programs. A report found that as of April 2021, she had made more than $100,000 in consulting fees from California school systems to implement and supervise ethnic studies programs. 3

Early and Academic Life

Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales earned her bachelor’s degree in ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley in 1993. She earned a Ph.D. in education at UCLA in 2000. 4

Tintiangco-Cubales is a professor of Asian-American studies at San Francisco State University. She has won numerous awards, including the Distinguished Faculty Award. 5

In 2014, she received the Critical Educators for Social Justice (CESJ) Community Advocacy Award from the American Educational Research Association. In 2015, she received the Association of Asian-American Studies Engaged Scholar Award. 6

California Ethnic Studies Curriculum

A 2016 law mandated the development of an ethnic studies curriculum for California high schools. An advisory commission made up of ethnic studies teachers and other academics was created to develop the new curriculum. Tintiangco-Cubales was chosen as co-chair of the commission. 7

In 2019, the commission’s first draft was released. Critics blasted the draft over numerous perceived deficiencies. 8

Among the critics of the commission’s draft were Jewish groups that accused the commission of erasing the Jewish experience. Jewish organizations and leaders also criticized the draft for containing language supporting the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and comparing it to Black Lives Matter and #MeToo. The draft also contained other language calling the founding of Israel the “Nakba,” an Arabic word for “catastrophe” used by Palestinian activists to describe the Arab coalition’s defeat in the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. It also did not define antisemitism while defining other forms of bigotry such as Islamophobia. 9

Other criticisms of the draft were that it had too much jargon and was overly ideological and too one-sided. Ultimately, it was decided that the initial draft was inappropriate for high schools. 10

The California Department of Education made numerous revisions to the draft, but Tintiangco-Cubales and other commission members rejected the changes. They wanted the curriculum to adhere to the radical roots of ethnic studies and contain strong critiques of capitalism and colonialism. She rejected the changes as “watering down” the curriculum and said it was “compromised” due to political and media pressure. 11

Tintiangco-Cubales and other commission members demanded their names be removed from the final report completed by the California Department of Education. 12

Consulting With School Districts

Tintiangco-Cubales has helped the San Francisco Unified School District develop its ethnic studies programs. 13

Tintiangco-Cubales has co-founded a consultancy known as Community Responsive Education Corp. The consultancy has billed $11,000 for teacher training at the Poway Unified School District, $65,000 for a keynote address and a professional development workshop series for the leadership of Chula Vista Elementary, and $40,000 to develop ethnic studies programs at Jefferson Elementary School District south of San Francisco. 14

The corporation has contracts with school districts all over the country. 15

She is also a lead trainer for a Boston consortium of educators that is partially funded by the NoVo Foundation. 16

References

  1. “Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales | Asian American Studies.” San Francisco State University. Accessed November 22. https://aas.sfsu.edu/tintiangco-cubales-allyson.
  2. Stutman, Gabe. “Latest Salvo In Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Its Writers Want No Part Of It.” The Jewish News Of Northern California. February 3, 2021. https://www.jweekly.com/2021/02/03/latest-salvo-in-ethnic-studies-curriculum-its-writers-want-no-part-of-it/.
  3. Cooper, Sean. “Getting Rich In The Diversity Marketplace.” Tablet Magazine. April 20. 2021. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/ethnic-studies-diversity-consultants-schools-sean-cooper.
  4. “Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales | Asian American Studies.” San Francisco State University. Accessed November 22. https://aas.sfsu.edu/tintiangco-cubales-allyson.
  5. “Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales | Asian American Studies.” San Francisco State University. Accessed November 22. https://aas.sfsu.edu/tintiangco-cubales-allyson.
  6. “Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales | Asian American Studies.” San Francisco State University. Accessed November 22. https://aas.sfsu.edu/tintiangco-cubales-allyson.
  7. Stutman, Gabe. “Latest Salvo In Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Its Writers Want No Part Of It.” The Jewish News Of Northern California. February 3, 2021. https://www.jweekly.com/2021/02/03/latest-salvo-in-ethnic-studies-curriculum-its-writers-want-no-part-of-it/.
  8. Stutman, Gabe. “Latest Salvo In Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Its Writers Want No Part Of It.” The Jewish News Of Northern California. February 3, 2021. https://www.jweekly.com/2021/02/03/latest-salvo-in-ethnic-studies-curriculum-its-writers-want-no-part-of-it/.
  9. Stutman, Gabe. “Latest Salvo In Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Its Writers Want No Part Of It.” The Jewish News Of Northern California. February 3, 2021. https://www.jweekly.com/2021/02/03/latest-salvo-in-ethnic-studies-curriculum-its-writers-want-no-part-of-it/.
  10. Stutman, Gabe. “Latest Salvo In Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Its Writers Want No Part Of It.” The Jewish News Of Northern California. February 3, 2021. https://www.jweekly.com/2021/02/03/latest-salvo-in-ethnic-studies-curriculum-its-writers-want-no-part-of-it/.
  11. Stutman, Gabe. “Latest Salvo In Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Its Writers Want No Part Of It.” The Jewish News Of Northern California. February 3, 2021. https://www.jweekly.com/2021/02/03/latest-salvo-in-ethnic-studies-curriculum-its-writers-want-no-part-of-it/.
  12. Stutman, Gabe. “Latest Salvo In Ethnic Studies Curriculum: Its Writers Want No Part Of It.” The Jewish News Of Northern California. February 3, 2021. https://www.jweekly.com/2021/02/03/latest-salvo-in-ethnic-studies-curriculum-its-writers-want-no-part-of-it/.
  13. “Community Responsive Education.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://defendinged.org/report/community-responsive-education/.
  14. Cooper, Sean. “Getting Rich In The Diversity Marketplace.” Tablet Magazine. April 20. 2021. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/ethnic-studies-diversity-consultants-schools-sean-cooper.
  15. “Community Responsive Education.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://defendinged.org/report/community-responsive-education/.
  16. Cooper, Sean. “Getting Rich In The Diversity Marketplace.” Tablet Magazine. April 20. 2021. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/ethnic-studies-diversity-consultants-schools-sean-cooper.
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