Realizing the Promise of Ethnic Studies for Newcomer Students

• In Event: Addressing Educational Equity for Immigrant and Multilingual Learners: Instructional Practices Across Educational Settings

Abstract

One concern with California’s new ethnic studies graduation requirement is ensuring that Newcomers can access the benefits of ethnic studies (Sleeter & Zavala, 2020) given that emergent bilingual students are often relegated to remedial curricular streams (Estrada, 2014). Further, the graduation requirement may yield another gatekeeper absent appropriate supports or if schools avoid enrolling newcomers to preclude dampening graduation rates (Sugarman, 2021). As a team of Newcomer ethnic studies teachers and a teacher educator, synthesized literature advancing ethnic studies core principles, critical ESL frameworks, and practitioner guides for educating Newcomers to identify congruences and tensions. We also analyzed our experiences in Newcomer ethnic studies classrooms to identify structures and practices that support students' meaningful participation, agency, and solidarity in learning.

Author

• Luis E. Poza, San José State University