"Rooted in Tlatohcan Epistemologies: Bridging Latina/o Pedagogies and Families through the Praxis of Cariño.”

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Rooted and Rising: Latinx Educators Reimagining Belonging and Citizenship

Abstract

This study examines how pláticas and the Tlahtocan Community Dialogue Circle (TCDC) serve as culturally sustaining methodologies that center on Indigenous epistemologies, relational pedagogies, and community voice. Grounded in Orientations Authentic Cariño (Curry, 2021; Valenzuela, 1999) and Familia- and Comunidad-based Saberes (Urrieta, 2013), the research highlights how dialogic exchanges among families, teachers, and students foster trust, mutual respect, and co-learning. Through storytelling, cultural artifacts, and expressive communication, participants co-create knowledge that affirms bilingual/bicultural identities and reimagines educational spaces as sites of healing and transformation. This work contributes to scholarship on equity and inclusion by offering a replicable model for culturally responsive family engagement and educational justice that extends beyond traditional school boundaries.

Authors

• Ana Isabel Carrasco, The University of Texas at Austin

• Dora Diaz, University of Texas at Austin