Copyright by Sonia Adriana Noyola 2012 The Dissertation Committee for Sonia Adriana Noyola Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: FROM CLASS TO CLUB: AN EXPLORATION OF HIGH SCHOOL CIVIC-MINDED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS FROM 1996-2011 IN CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS Committee: Sherry Field, Supervisor O. L. Davis, Jr., Co-Supervisor Diane Schallert Angela Valenzuela Beth Maloch FROM CLASS TO CLUB: AN EXPLORATION OF HIGH SCHOOL CIVIC-MINDED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS FROM 1996-2011 IN CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS by Sonia Adriana Noyola, B.A., B.S.R.T.F., M.S., M.Pub.Admin., M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2012 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to la familia: my mother Alma, my father Danny, Sr., my brother Daniel, Jr., and the newest addition to la familia Noyola, Alejandro Christian (my gloriously gifted son whose soul and intellect inspire the entire family). Acknowledgements “Alma” means “soul” in Spanish. The first person I want to thank es mi Alma, my soul and the foundation for us all, my mother Alma Sonia Araiza Noyola. My mother has been one of the driving forces helping me to accomplish all that I have. She unselfishly and with total motherly love quit a job she adored to help me take care of my son, Alejandro Christian, after my divorce. As a life-long social worker, she knew full well the impact domestic violence was having on me as a person and waited in the wings, always ready to assist me in making the final decision to leave that life. Another beautiful soul I wish to thank is my son Alejandro. It is because I saw the world through his innocent eyes that I did not want him to live the life I had been enduring with my now ex-husband. Ale has been the epicenter of inspiration for me and my family. I could write several dissertations about his short but miraculous life. His compassion, intellect, and general funniness amaze me daily. Next is my father, Daniel Noyola, Sr., without whom I would not have been inspired to write this material or to pursue the career I have chosen. In my youth, I was often upset that he devoted so much time to others, but as the years have progressed I realized that he was the father figure for literally thousands of children in South Texas (with over 5,000 Facebook friends, most of whom are ex-students). Today, I am also proud to say he is an excellent male role model and the closest thing to a true father my son has. Not a day goes by that my son is not enveloped in the love of his mother (myself), co-mother (my mom), and father figure (my dad). The multi-generational upbringing of my past is a reality for my son, and I am truly blessed for this. v These next two men have played no less a part in my life: my brother Daniel Noyola, Jr. and my tio (uncle) Javier Araiza. My brother and tio are the godparents of my son and the other steady male role models in his life. He adores them both. I often see many of my brother’s attributes in my son, and it pleases me that he will have the wit and charisma of my younger brother. My tio Javier assisted me in Houston whenever I had to move out of my apartment because of issues in my marriage. He kept me safe and was the home I needed. I truly feel for other women in similar situations, who do not have the familial support I had. I pray for them and hope my story will help provide a voice to those women and men who find themselves in lives they just do not know how to escape. Now for my academic family. Dr. Paul Brace was my advisor at Rice University and remains a steadfast mentor to this day. He unselfishly let me explore my love for teaching, which led me to Dr. Linda McNeil. She was the woman who knew of my marriage struggles in Houston and always lent me an ear and provided me the hugs I needed to get through. She also led me to one of my co-advisors Dr. O. L. Davis at the University of Texas-Austin Curriculum and Instruction program. Dr. Davis was amazingly supportive from the onset. He helped me weave through the maze that is the doctoral process, which led me to my other co-advisor Dr. Sherry Field. Dr Field helped to do battle on my behalf; and when a door closed to us, she helped guide me through the rough and tumble dissertation process. Finally, I would like to thank each member of my committee: Dr. Angela Valenzuela (for her inspirational book Subtractive Schooling), Dr. vi Diane Schallert (for her amazing Ed. Psych. class), and Dr. Beth Maloch (for her overall enthusiasm and support of the project). Last but not least, I would like to thank my students, who have taken me on a journey more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined. My first loves will be the 2005 graduating class at Juan B. Galaviz for inviting me back to serve as their commencement speaker, my wonderful years at Foy H. Moody High School with the Moody Civic Minded Students (we made national and almost international news together), and, of course, my Collegiate Civic Minded Student inaugural class (who tested me to no end but delivered in me a renewed sense of inspiration). These are the students who taught me about proxies, how to T9, Facebook, and otherwise join the social media network, all of which had eluded me due to technological constraints. They are the students who knew things before I could see them. My Houston babies told me to leave my marriage (they picked up on subtle sadness I did not know I was expressing), my Moody babies told me I was pregnant before I even knew it myself, and my Collegiate babies predicted the success of our endeavors (our inaugural E.P.I.C. conference was approved to expand from campus based to district initiative in one academic year). In my life, I have been blessed with so many wonderful experiences and tremendous people. Last but not least, thank you God for all of those experiences and people. Finally, take care of Abuelo Araiza, Abuela Araiza, Abuelo Noyola (que en paz descansan), Abuela Noyola, and all of my supportive Noyola/Araiza tias, tios, tiaabuelas, tioabuelos, primas, primos, etc. vii FROM CLASS TO CLUB: AN EXPLORATION OF HIGH SCHOOL CIVIC MINDED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS FROM 1996-2011 IN CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS Sonia Adriana Noyola, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2012 Supervisor: Sherry Field Co-Supervisor: O.L. Davis, Jr. Our educational system has long claimed that preparing students to be active citizens is one of its main goals. With high-stakes testing pressures, schools with high minority enrollment have been found to cut back social studies programs and/or implement a drill and practice fragmented teaching style. (Center on Education Policy, 2007; McNeil and Valenzuela, 2000). This research project seeks to understand how civic engagement opportunities were provided for, the impact of these opportunities on students and community members in Corpus Christi, Texas, during the last 15 years, and the ways in which these opportunities may serve to maximize civic engagement for today’s Latino/a student. Using oral histories and archival data as a means to uncover the history of civic- minded organizations in Corpus Christi, Texas, on high school youth and their community, this research project will investigate the founding of the organizations, the people involved in them, and the impact of these organizations as it is perceived by alumni and those with direct experience of the organizations. While a study of this type viii may not be highly generalizable, it will provide new insights into promising civic education and engagement for previously marginalized groups of students. The findings of this research should add to the educational and social science literature by providing a nuanced understanding of how civic engagement opportunities may be tailored to fit into the learning environment of the high school civics classroom and beyond. ix Table of Contents List of Tables ......................................................................................................... xiv List of Figures ........................................................................................................ xv Chapter 1 Overview of Study .................................................................................1 Statement of Problem ......................................................................................2 Purpose and Significance of Study .................................................................4 Research Questions .........................................................................................9 Oral History Research .....................................................................................9 Oral History Value ........................................................................................11 Selection and Consent of Interviewees .........................................................11 Psuedonynms ................................................................................................12 Participants ....................................................................................................13 Interview Length ...........................................................................................15 Interview Bias ...............................................................................................16 Language (Bilingualism) ..............................................................................16 Potential Field