Using Written Poetry to Critically Examine the Schooling Conditions of Midwest Latina High School Students

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Transforming Educational Equity for Latinx Students

Abstract

Using frameworks of Critical Latino Theory and subtractive schooling this study explores the educational experiences of two Iowan Latina youth through their expression of written poetry. The poems shed light on Latina youth experiences of white supremacy and institutional racism embedded in the pedagogy, curricula, and social practices of their public high school. The study also draws attention to the power of poetry to unveil Latina youth agency. This research can be used to inform both researchers and educators about the social injustice the growing Iowa Latinx student populations encounter in school, to both understand their experiences and move towards authentic allyship to engage in collective resistance to dismantle white supremacy and institutional racism in education.

Author

• Carlos R. Casanova, Arizona State University