Scaling Down: Education Policy Progress and Potential in a Diverse Nicaraguan Community

• In Event: Roundtable Session 50
  In Roundtable Session: Taking Stock: Engaging Diverse Perspectives on Education at Macro and Micro Levels

Abstract

Bluefields, the capital of the Southern Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua, is the seat of government, a former booming port city, and home for much of the Afro-descendent population. Like the rest of the region, Bluefields also faces high levels of unemployment, poverty, and weak infrastructure. Despite challenges, the autonomous regions of Nicaragua can shape local policies in order to foster continued community resiliency. This study considers three aspects of community resiliency—policy corridors, power sharing, and agency. Education policy is viewed as a systemic approach to combat cycles of vulnerability that are linked to marginalization based on ethnicity. Using primary and secondary data this qualitative case study considers the long-term impact that education policy may have on community resiliency.

Authors

• Erica Beth Sausner, Pennsylvania State University

• Nicole Webster, The Pennsylvania State University