"For Us, by Us": A Vision for Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies Forwarded by Latina/o Youth

• In Event: Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Educational Justice in a Changing World

Abstract

Drawing from data collected as part of a larger two-year ethnographic study, this paper documents how a group of Latino/a high school students created a culturally sustaining space within the otherwise oppressive context of their school through their participation in an action research collaborative. The findings of the study illustrate how Latino/a youth created a learning environment that was simultaneously culturally sustaining and academically rigorous. Three major themes emerging from the data speak to the impact of a culturally sustaining approach to teaching and learning. These include:
1) Awareness— Participants developed a heightened awareness of the sociopolitical contexts in which they were being educated.
2) Agency— This increased awareness motivated students to assert themselves and become more active participants in their education. It also motivated them to develop a social justice orientation and work for educational equity within their school.
3) Aspirations—Finally, a culturally sustaining approach inspired students to reconsider their aspirations for futures beyond high school.

As scholars and policy makers search for solutions to improve the educational outcomes for youth who have been underserved by schools, they often ignore the perspectives of those most directly impacted by the problem—namely youth themselves. This paper amplifies the voices of Latino/a high school students to forward a vision for teaching and learning that affirms students’ identities and speaks to the lived realities of Latino/a students and families.

Author

• Jason G. Irizarry, University of Massachusetts - Amherst