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Who is Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales?

In 2014, Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales wrote a book, “Toward an Ethnic Studies Pedagogy: Implications for K-12 Schools from the Research,” in which she argued for the introduction of critical race theory, or CRT, in ethnic studies.

Tintiangco-Cubales is cofounder of Community Responsive Education. As of September 2021, she is a professor in San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department. She is founder of Pin@y Educational Partnerships.

What services does Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales provide?

The academic wrote that “as Ethnic Studies courses enter K-12 school contexts, CRT offers concrete tools for framing pedagogies of race, such as counterstorytelling and testimonial (Yosso 2005) which, rather than adding the perspective of communities of color to a Eurocentric story, instead centralizes the experiences and narratives of people of color.” 

What K-12 work has Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales done? 

CALIFORNIA

Jefferson Elementary School District

In February 2020, representing her company, Piney and Community Responsive Education, she told a meeting of the trustees of Jefferson Elementary School District, headquartered in Daly City, California, outside San Francisco: “Ethnic studies is something we’ve been fighting for for 50 years.”

The original audio is available at this link.

The school district was going to become the first school district to implement ethnic studies in middle schools.

“Y’all got to clap for yourselves,” she said. “…It’s something to celebrate.”

“It sparks the nation to think about ethnic studies,” she said.

She continued: “It’s very important that we are not teaching multicultural ed. We are teaching critical race studies…we’re very, very clear about that.” (1:14:00) Jefferson Board President Shakeel Ali asked, “Is there any movement or push to add this critical race theory…into the California Common Core Standards.” (1:19:00)

San Francisco Unified School District

According to Tintiangco-Cubales’s bio on the website of Pin@Y Educational Partnerships, Tintiangco-Cubales is a consultant with the San Francisco Unified School District on developing ethnic studies curriculum for high school students. The biography said: “This last year, she worked with teachers, students, community members, and school board members to pass a resolution to have ethnic studies in all schools in San Francisco.”

Original Purchase Order

Revised Purchase Order

On Feb. 1, 2019, San Francisco Unified School District issued an Purchase Order SFU-0000138897 for $8,000 to Allyson Tintiangco to help teachers “create an ethnic studies curriculum development plan” at Malcolm X Elementary School during the 2018-2019 school year.

The original dates of service were from Oct. 24, 2018, through Nov. 30, 2019. The contract, titled “Ethnic Studies Support,” included meetings in November and December 2018.

Later, San Francisco Unified School District approved an amendment for an additional $8,000 of work. The amended dates of service extended the contract through June 30, 2019.

The new purchase order put the total spendings at $16,000.

The purchase order said the program would be implemented through professional development, known as “PD.” It said: “This will be done through facilitating PD to staff and provide consultation with the school’s Ethnic Studies Leadership Team.”

The purchase order including creating an “Ethnic Studies Curriculum Development Plan” launching an “Ethnic Studies Praxis Learning Circle” at the school.

The goals included: “Understanding the history and legacy of Ethnic Studies,” “Engaging the framework and propose of Ethnic Studies,” “Creating Ethnic Studies Teaching Philosophy” and “Building a Collective Vision for Ethnic Studies at Malcolm X Academy.”

At a board meeting on April 23, 2019, the original purchase order was amended so Tintiangco would “continue to provide consultation and support for Ethnic Studies Curriculum implementation at Malcolm X Academy.” She would provide “Grade Level PLC Coaching,” on a schedule of three hours per month in person and virtually.

The district goals met by the contract included: “Make social justice a reality,” according to the contract.

The purchase orders listed a number of other consultants.

Purchase Order

On Jan. 16, 2020, the C&I: Ethnic Studies Program in San Francisco Unified School District issued Purchase Order No. SFU-0000144764 for $10,000 to Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales as a consultant with dates of service from Sept. 16, 2019, through Sept. 20, 2019, to develop “humanizing education” in the school district.

The work included leading five-hour workshops at the Curriculum and Instruction Office at a rate of $2,000 per workshop, totaling $10,000.

The purchase order cited Board Resolution No. 19-60KA, approved on Sept. 10, 2019. The service was listed as: “The expansion of our district’s ethnic studies work, along with the addition of a new H-SS [History-Social Science] team, places us at a pivotal point in our work to develop, plan and implement a humanizing education for all of our students.” The contract included a plan for the consultant to “facilitate…new formation” of a position called “Teacher on Special Assignment,” or “TSA.”

In 2016, the California State Board of Education adopted the “History-Social Science Framework,” to develop new courses.

Purchase order No. SFU-0000144764 included a list of 23 consultants approved by Board Resolution No. 19-60KA on Sept. 10, 2019.