Nearly every year, the Summer Institute for Transformative Education co-sponsored by Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American/Raza Studies program and the University of Arizona’s College of Education has been surrounded by controversy and this year proved to be no different.
Once again Critical Race educators came together to hone their skills and share their latest gimmicks, and sell their politicians. However this year, it is not the content of the curriculum or the bitter fight between the pro-Sean Arce/Curtis Acosta and Augustine Romero/Adelita Grijalva factions of radical educators that is the sources of controversy, but the character of the politicians that have some upset.
According to a group of District educators known widely as the “Whistleblowers” TUSD Board members Cam Juarez and Kristel Foster used the District sponsored the Institute to campaign for re-election. The Whistlblowers report:
Foster and Juarez Campaigning at TUSD Sponsored Conference & Taking Credit For Culturally Relevant Courses by Doing NOTHING
This month Kristel Foster attended the Tucson Unified School District Summer Institute for Culturally Responsive Education. She and her peer, Cam Juarez, both made a pitch for their re-election during the desegregation-funded event, which was incredibly distasteful and a violation of state law (A.R.S. § 15-511: Use of school district or charter school resources or employees to influence elections; prohibition; civil penalty; definition – A. A person acting on behalf of a school district or a person who aids another person acting on behalf of a school district shall not use school district or charter school personnel, equipment, materials, buildings or other resources for the purpose of influencing the outcomes of elections. Notwithstanding this section, a school district may distribute informational reports on a proposed budget override election as provided).
At the event, both Kristel and Cam said that they were responsible for the District having Mexican American Culturally Relevant Courses in the District and that they needed to be reelected to return to their seats so that they could continue to support CRC courses. A knowledgeable attendee questioned their statements and asked if it was not the desegregation court order that was responsible for the CRCs in the District. Both of them begrudgingly agreed. Our research found that Foster and Juarez were NOT on the Board when the drafted Unitary Plan which had contained within it -Mexican American and African American CRCS was already in existence. The outpouring of feedback from the community during the Special Master’s forums during the fall of 2012 which were held to obtain feedback on the drafted USP asked for a director level position to oversee the department, which took place. The community also asked that the USP and specifically Mexican American CRCS be supported. Foster and Juarez had NOTHING to do with the development of USP, the CRCs and have actually worked against it since they have joined the Board to create a dysfunctional Board majority. Foster and Juarez did support the USP once on the Board but that was short-lived. Any credit for the CRCs should be given to the MAS community (of which Kristel Foster only pretended to be a part). It was the MAS community who supported those involved in the desegregation case who actually fought to have Mexican American CRCs made part of the desegregation court order. It is hypocrisy at its height to have Foster and Juarez take any credit for the CRCs.
No one who attended the Summer Institute is willing to file a complaint with the AG to report the campaign wrongdoings due to what has become blatant retaliation from HT which is imposed on anyone who even whispers disagreement with him or HIS Board members. However, many of us are more than willing to testify if an investigation takes place. The attendance roster is public information.
HT Sanchez and his gruesome Board majority have become so arrogant that they really do not think twice about breeching any ethical and/or legal boundary. HT’s greed and manipulation of his cheerleader squad of three on the Board has made him the highest paid superintendent at almost half a million dollars a year in Arizona. All four of them are disgraceful. HT’s self evaluation again went through without a wrinkle and again, his pocket is lined by three enormous fools and at the expense of kids and taxpayers. HT exemplifies GREED; a sin in any book.
Because of the rift between the Sean Arce/Curtis Acosta and Augustine Romero/Adelita Grijalva factions, beginning on July 8, Acosta and Arce will be hosting their Summer Institute through the Xican@ Institute For Teaching And Organizing, at City High School.
TUSD/UofA program sponsors included Revolutionary Grounds, AXA Advisors, Barbea Williams Performing Company, and REA Media Group. The program featured Grijalva, Juarez, Foster, and Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias. Also featured was Dr. Nolan Cabrera, whose work which claimed to prove that MAS classes improved students’ performance was discredited by academics across the country.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
7:45 A.M. – 8:00 A.M. Registration
8:00 A.M. – 8:15 A.M. Ceremonial Opening Calpulli Teoxicalli: Jesus Ruiz
8:15 A.M. – 8:55 A.M. Welcome
Lorenzo Lopez Jr., CRPI Director
Raul Aguirre, Master of Ceremony
Dr. HT Sanchez, Superintendent, Tucson Unified School District
Dr. Ron Marx, Dean, UA College of Education
Dr. Deborah Embry, Director, CEO Tucson Urban League
Hon. Adelita Grijalva, President, TUSD Governing Board
Culturally Responsive Teacher Award
8:55 A.M – 9:05 A.M. Dr. Augustine Romero, Principal, Pueblo Magnet High School.
9:05 A.M. – 10:05 A.M. Keynote: Dr. Antwi Akom- San Francisco State University
The Green Path Out of Poverty
Dr. Akom will discuss the ways in which technological innovation is transforming the flow of information, the fluidity of social action, and is giving birth to a new forms of bottom up innovation, Dr. Akom will discuss the ways in which technological innovation is transforming the flow of information, the fluidity of social action, and is giving birth to a new forms of bottom up innovation.
10:05 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. African Percussion
10:35 A.M. – 11:35 A.M Keynote: Dr. Christine Sleeter
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and the Decolonization of Education
Why does the research consistently find culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogy to make a positive impact on students? After briefly reviewing the research, Professor Sleeter will discuss the colonizing function of education, particularly curriculum and pedagogy in the classroom, and, with examples, how culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogy directly challenge that function. She will also share what the research suggests teachers need to do to prepare themselves to do this work well.
11:35 P.M. – 12:20 P.M. Lunch
12:20 P.M. – 1:15 P.M. Breakout Session I
1:15 P.M. – 1:45 P.M. Mariachi Inspiracion
1:45 P.M. – 2:45 P.M. Keynote: Dr. Ernest Morrell, Columbia University
Critical Literacy, Popular Culture & Educational Reform
Dr. Morrell’s keynote will discuss such issues as popular culture, critical literacy, and civic engagement. Dr. Morrell may also take questions about the status of controversial projects of educational reform and the growing influence of corporate technology companies in publishing instructional and testing materials
2:50 P.M. – 3:50 P.M. Breakout Session II
3:50 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Conference Survey
First Breakout Session I
Workshop A: Dr. Antwi Akom, “The Green Path Out of Poverty”
In addition to extending his keynote remarks, Dr. Akom will dialog with participants on the role of the green economy in facilitating pathways out of poverty for vulnerable populations and green innovation in creating smart, sustainable, and shareable cities for all, while also giving everyday people have a voice in transforming the structures that influence their lives.
Workshop B: Dr. Christine Sleeter, “Critical Family History”
Teachers often wish to incorporate family history into culturally relevant curriculum. What might this work look like, and what kinds of tools are available? Dr. Christine Sleeter will discuss what makes family history “critical” and decolonizing and why this is important, then share tools and resources that are available, including some that can be used with children and youth.
Workshop C: Teri Hollingsworth, “The School-to-Prison Pipeline”
Participants will read, analyze and discuss various explanations and critiques of the school-to-prison pipeline. Topics will include the Prison Industrial Complex (including private prisons and immigrant detention centers), the new Jim Crow reality, and the use of School Resource Officers on high school campuses.
Workshop D: Kevan Kiser-Chuc, “Using Art and Poetry to Help Students Construct an Academic Identity”
Through dialog based on samples of student self portraits that combine visual images and text, participants will examine ways to use art and poetry to promote students’ ability to speak with authority about their cultural identity and personal experiences.
Workshop E: Katy Long, “Culturally Responsive Teaching in a Digital World”
A discussion focusing on the use of technology to explore the connections between subject area content and students’ cultural backgrounds. Participants will examine recent technological developments that individual teachers can incorporate into the classroom to promote students’ academic engagement.
Second Breakout Session II
Workshop A: Dr. Ernest Morrell, “Critical Literacy, Popular Culture & Educational Reform”
This session will provide participants with an opportunity to follow up on Dr. Morell’s keynote comments and to discuss such issues as popular culture, critical literacy, and civic engagement. Dr. Morell may also take questions about the status of controversial projects of educational reform and the growing influence of corporate technology companies in publishing instructional and testing materials.
Workshop B: Dr. Deborah Embry, President/CEO, Tucson Urban League, “Little Brother”
Participants in this session will view and discuss a video clip from Little Brother, a series of 15-minute documentary films dedicated to giving black boys a unique voice. Filmmakers Nicole Franklin and Jai Tiggett interviewed boys as young as nine about the love society often denies them.
Workshop C: Teri Hollingsworth, “The School-to-Prison Pipeline”
Participants will read, analyze and discuss various explanations and critiques of the school-to-prison pipeline. Topics will include the Prison Industrial Complex (including private prisons and immigrant detention centers), the new Jim Crow reality, and the use of School Resource Officers on high school campuses.
Workshop D: Kevan Kiser-Chuc, “Using Art and Poetry to Help Students Construct an Academic Identity”
Through dialog based on samples of student self portraits that combine visual images and text, participants will examine ways to use art and poetry to promote students’ ability to speak with authority about their cultural identity and personal experiences.
Workshop E: Katy Long, “Culturally Responsive Teaching in a Digital World”
A discussion focusing on the use of technology to explore the connections between subject area content and students’ cultural backgrounds. Participants will examine recent technological developments that individual teachers can incorporate into the classroom to promote students’ academic engagement.
Friday, June 17, 2016
7:45 A.M. – 8:00 A.M. Registration
8:00 A.M. – 8:15 A.M. Ceremonial Opening Calpulli Teoxicalli: Jesus Ruiz
8:15 A.M. – 8:45 A.M. Welcome:
Raul Aguirre, Master of Ceremony
Richard Elias, Pima County Supervisor
Dr. Anna O’Leary, University of Arizona, Mexican American Studies
Camiliano Juarez, TUSD Governing Board Member
CRPI 2016 Distinguished Teacher Award
8:45 A.M. – 9:45 A.M. Keynote: Dr. Nolan Cabrera, University of Arizona
This session will provide an overview of the historical development of Ethnic Studies, what constitutes Ethnic Studies, and the research around the efficacy of this curricular/pedagogical approach. Within this context, it will also explore a frequently invisible component of Ethnic Studies: Whiteness and White Privilege. The intersection of these two areas, Ethnic Studies and White Privilege, will serve as a critical point of dialogue in terms of developing inclusive, supportive, and academically challenging classrooms.
10:00 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. Ballet Folklorico Los Tucsonenses de Tucson High
10:35 A.M. – 11:35 A.M. Breakout Session III
11:40 A.M. – 12:20 P.M. Lunch
12:20 P.M. – 1:20 P.M Keynote: Culturally Relevant Teacher Panel
CR Pedagogy: Tap Root of Educational Empowerment
As members of the group of Tucson educators involved in the first-in-the-nation public school ethnic studies program accredited for graduation, the panelists (Director Lorenzo Lopez, Maria Federico-Brummer, Salvador Gabaldon, Jose Gonzalez, Corina Ontiveros, Jennifer Johnson-Marlow, and Yolanda Sotelo) will share their experiences, successes, and vision for the program. Margaret Chaney, Tucson Magnet High School CRC teacher, will serve as moderator.
1:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Capoeira Menino Bom
2:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Breakout Session IV
3:00 P.M. – 3:10 P.M. Conference Survey
First Breakout Session III
Workshop A: CRC Panel, “CR Pedagogy: Tap Root of Educational Empowerment”
As members of the group of Tucson educators involved in the first-in-the-nation public school ethnic studies program accredited for graduation, the panelists (Director Lorenzo Lopez, Maria Federico-Brummer, Salvador Gabaldon, Yolanda Sotelo, Corina Ontiveros, Jennifer Johnson-Marlow, and Jose Gonzalez) will share their experiences, successes, and vision for the program. Margaret Chaney, Tucson Magnet High School CRC teacher, will serve as moderator.
Workshop B: Rosario Hutchings, “Historical Fiction and the Black Panther Movement”
The presenter will discuss her experience in teaching the novel One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia. Participants will discuss ways of using young adult literature and media to build students understanding of history from a social justice perspective.
Workshop C: Sal Gabaldón/José González, “Critical Literacy in the Culturally Responsive Classroom”
The presenters will demonstrate a method for enhancing students’ academic writing through the use of templates and a study of sample passages from African American literature. Participants will discuss the method and its potential for promoting student writing that contains strong voice.
Workshop D: Dr. Lane Santa Cruz & Jim Byrne, “Systems of Oppression & Critical Pedagogy Classrooms”
Following a brief presentation on the systems of oppression faced by many of our students outside and inside American public schools, the presenters will invite participants to engage in a discussion of the alternative models of instruction that have the potential to transform communities as well as schools.
Workshop E: Dr. Desiree Cueto, Director Multicultural Curriculum, “Bridges Not Borders: Building Cultural Connections through Literature, Inquiry and Dialogue”
This presentation outlines a collaborative action research study that documents a process of curricular development aimed at infusing diverse perspectives and supporting the academic needs of historically marginalized students in the Tucson Unified School District.
Workshop F: Christy Friske-Daniels & Amy Rusk, “In Defense of Your Right to Read”
This session is designed to educate participants about the legal procedures to be followed when library books are challenged. Covering the history of intellectual freedom, and the legal rights and responsibilities of library patrons, the talk may also be adapted for a unit on intellectual freedom during October’s Banned Book Week or February’s Love of Reading Week.
Second Breakout Session IV
Workshop A: Dr. Nolan Cabrera, “A Frank & Open Conversation”
Dr. Cabrera will be extending the remarks he presented in his keynote address and will welcome comments from participants. The discussion may branch out into the many other reasons of interest that he has studied, including issues of racial ideology, racism in higher education, whiteness formation, diversity, and affirmative action. He may also address the study he conducted of Tucson Unified’s Mexican American Studies program and the influence it may have on the pending court decision.
Workshop B: Rosario Hutchings, “Historical Fiction and the Black Panther Movement”
The presenter will discuss her experience in teaching the novel One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia. Participants will discuss ways of using young adult literature and media to build students understanding of history from a social justice perspective.
Workshop C: Sal Gabaldón/José González, “Critical Literacy in the Culturally Responsive Classroom”
The presenters will demonstrate a method for enhancing students’ academic writing through the use of templates and a study of sample passages from African American literature. Participants will discuss the method and its potential for promoting student writing that contains strong voice.
Workshop D: Dr. Lane Santa Cruz & Jim Byrne, “Systems of Oppression & Critical Pedagogy Classrooms”
Following a brief presentation on the systems of oppression faced by many of our students outside and inside American public schools, the presenters will invite participants to engage in a discussion of the alternative models of instruction that have the potential to transform communities as well as schools.
Workshop E: Dr. Desiree Cueto, Director Multicultural Curriculum, “Bridges Not Borders: Building Cultural Connections through Literature, Inquiry and Dialogue”
This presentation outlines a collaborative action research study that documents a process of curricular development aimed at infusing diverse perspectives and supporting the academic needs of historically marginalized students in the Tucson Unified School District.
Workshop F: Christy Friske-Daniels & Amy Rusk, “In Defense of Your Right to Read”
This session is designed to educate participants about the legal procedures to be followed when library books are challenged. Covering the history of intellectual freedom, and the legal rights and responsibilities of library patrons, the talk may also be adapted for a unit on intellectual freedom during October’s Banned Book Week or February’s Love of Reading Week.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
8:00 A.M. – 8:15 A.M. Registration
8:15 A.M. – 8:30 A.M. Ceremonial Opening Calpulli Teoxicalli: Jesus Ruiz
8:35 A.M. – 9:35 A.M. Breakout Session V
9:45 A.M. – 10:45 A.M. Breakout Session VI
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Lunch
12:00 P.M. – 12:30 P.M. Welcome
Marisol Flores-Aguirre, Mistress of Ceremony
Hon. Regina Romero, City Council
Isabel Garcia, Esq., Human Rights Activist
Hon. Kristel Ann Foster, TUSD Governing Board Member
2016 CRPI Student Awards
12:30 P.M. – 1:30 P.M Keynote: Dr. Angela Valenzuela
Dr. Angela Valenzuela will be presenting from her latest anthology, Growing Critically Conscious Teachers: A Social Justice Curriculum for Educators of Latino/a Youth. It represents the culmination of years of work in developing a Grow Your Own (GYO) Latin@ teacher framework as part of the National Latino/a Education Research and Policy Project (NLERAP) that she also directs. Located in 5 cities in 5 states, it creates pathways for Latin@s into the teaching profession through a partnership model. She will describe this national effort in tandem with its application and relevance to a local, Austin, Texas, GYO initiative that she also directs in order to make this model tangible and potentially translatable to Tucson’s local context.
1:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. African Dance: Barbea Williams Performing Company
2:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M Keynote: Dr. Bettina Love
Imagining Mattering: Hip Hop Civics Ed, Intersectionality, & Black Joy
Dr. Love will discuss how Hip Hop Civics Ed, when linked to the framework of intersectionality, creates a space where Black lives matter and analytic sensibilities are nurtured to engage students in the work of fighting for visibility, inclusion, and justice. Her talk will end by calling for educators not only to teach students about racial violence, oppression, and how to make sustainable change in their communities through innovative and radical civic initiatives and movements, but also to expose youth to the possibilities that come with envisioning a world built on Black joy.
3:00 P.M. – 3:30 P.M. Enrique Garcia-Naranjo: Spoken word
3:30 P.M. – 3:45 P.M. Conference Closure and Survey
First Breakout Session V
Workshop A: Dr. Angela Valenzuela, “Subtractive Schooling and the Latino Teacher Pipeline”
Dr. Valenzuela will welcome comments and questions relating to her keynote address, as well as any discussion about her areas of interest, including the concept of subtractive schooling and how education policies in Texas have negatively impacted Latino students.
Workshop B: Rickyana Estrada, “Curriculum in Action”
In this session participants will analyze samples from the ongoing development of TUSD’s Culturally Relevant curriculum, including descriptions of course units and actual lesson plans. Participants will be encouraged to offer ideas for revisions to the curriculum and the selected course materials.
Workshop C: Dr. Raúl Gonzáles, “Music of Marginalization”
This interactive presentation focuses on designing classroom lessons that are based on music analysis. The strategy promotes student engagement and provides teachers with a way to help students understand historical marginalization. The presenter will model the mechanics of the lesson.
Workshop D: Jennifer Johnson-Marlow, “Let’s Talk about Race…ism”
The presenter will moderate a panel discussion involving the experiences of new and veteran teachers instructing middle and high school Culturally Relevant classes in Tucson schools. The focus of the discussion will be the topic of race and racism in literature and history, the specific instructional strategies used that impacted student learning this year, and how their students responded when engaged in frank dialog on the topic.
Workshop E: María Federico-Brummer, “Teaching Tolerance’s Anti-bias Framework: A Tool for Culturally Responsive Education”
TUSD’s English and Social Studies curricula include the Anti-bias Framework composed of twenty anchor standards and eighty grade-level outcomes organized into four domains: Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action. Participants will examine how the framework promotes reflective teaching practices and equitable learning environments.
Workshop F: Nicole Snook, “Explicit Empathy: A Vehicle for Transforming Education”
Creating a culture of empathy in a teen-age world that’s “all about me” is no easy task. The presenter will discuss how Changemaker High School approaches the challenge and convinces students to refocus on service to the community as individual changemakers.
Second Breakout Session VI
Workshop A: Dr. Bettina Love, “The Power of Hip Hop in Classroom Instruction”
This session will expand on Dr. Love’s keynote comments. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences in urban education and social justice, as well as ways to transform urban classrooms through the use of non-traditional educational curricula and classroom structures.
Workshop B: Rickyana Estrada, “Curriculum in Action”
In this session participants will analyze samples from the ongoing development of TUSD’s Culturally Relevant curriculum, including descriptions of course units and actual lesson plans. Participants will be encouraged to offer ideas for revisions to the curriculum and the selected course materials.
Workshop C: Dr. Raúl González, “Music of Marginalization”
This interactive presentation focuses on designing classroom lessons that are based on music analysis. The strategy promotes student engagement and provides teachers with a way to help students understand historical marginalization. The presenter will model the mechanics of the lesson.
Workshop D: Jennifer Johnson-Marlow, “Let’s Talk about Race…ism”
The presenter will moderate a panel discussion involving the experiences of new and veteran teachers instructing middle and high school Culturally Relevant classes in Tucson schools. The focus of the discussion will be the topic of race and racism in literature and history, the specific instructional strategies used that impacted student learning this year, and how their students responded when engaged in frank dialog on the topic.
Workshop E: Maria Teresa Mejia, “Black Lives Matter in the Classroom”
A demonstration of an innovative classroom lesson using multimedia presentations and literature to explore and critique the Black lives matter vs. all lives matter debate. Participants will discuss how to organize respectful and inclusive student dialog involving controversial subjects such as racism, police brutality, and stereotyping, as well as ways to manage student interaction with material that contains adult language.
Workshop F: Nicole Snook, “Explicit Empathy: A Vehicle for Transforming Education”
Creating a culture of empathy in a teen-age world that’s “all about me” is no easy task. The presenter will discuss how Changemaker High School approaches the challenge and convinces students to refocus on service to the community as individual changemakers.
Past keynote speakers include:
Peter McLaren is a professor of urban studies at the University of California, Los Angeles Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. McLaren has written dozens of books related to Marxism, curriculum, pedagogy and policy.
From McLaren’s website: “This website is developed as a resource for students of critical pedagogy. The critical pedagogy which I support and practice advocates non-violent dissent, the development of a philosophy of praxis guided by a Marxist humanism, the study of revolutionary social movements and thought, and the struggle for socialist democracy. It is opposed to liberal democracy, which only serves to facilitate the reproduction of capital. It advocates a multiracial and anti-imperialist social movement dedicated to opposing racism, capitalism (both in private property and state property forms), sexism, heterosexism, hierarchies based on social class, as well as other forms of oppression. It draws its inspiration from philosophers of revolutionary praxis such as Paulo Freire, Raya Dunayevskaya, and other philosophers, social theorists and political activists and supports all those who yearn and struggle for freedom. Critical pedagogy is opposed to both state terrorism and individual acts of terrorism. As Freire writes in The Pedagogy of Freedom, “Terrorism is the negation of what I call a universal human ethic.” Critical pedagogy is driven by the engine of class struggle in both national and international arenas.”
Antonia Darder is an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the area of educational policy studies. Darder researches issues related to racism, class and social issues, identity and language.
From the Paulo and Nita Freire International Project for Critical Pedagogy website, “Antonia Darder is internationally recognized for her contributions as a radical educator in the critical pedagogy tradition. Her work has focused on comparative studies of racism, class, gender, and society. Her teaching examines cultural and global issues in education with an emphasis on identity, language, and popular culture, as well as the philosophical foundations of critical pedagogy, Latino and Latina studies, and social justice theory.”
Francisco Rios is professor and department chair of educational studies at the University of Wyoming. Rios is an expert on multicultural education and diversity in teacher education.
Christine Sleeter is a professor in the College of Professional Studies at California State University, Monterey Bay. Her areas of research include anti-racist multicultural education, the diversification of teacher education programs and racism in higher education.
Shawn Ginwright of Santa Clara University is an associate professor of education in the Africana studies department. Ginwright is with the Cesar Chavez Institute for Public Policy at San Francisco State University.
A. A. Akom, is an professor of urban sociology and Africana studies at San Francisco State University. Akom, who also is with the university’s Educational Equity at the Cesar Chavez Institute.
Jeffrey Duncan-Andrade is an assistant professor of Raza studies and administration and interdisciplinary studies at San Francisco State University. He specializes in urban schooling, critical pedagogy.
Marcos Pizarro is an assistant professor of Mexican American studies at San Jose State University. Pizarro’s work has focused heavily on Hispanic students.
Sandy Grande is an associate professor of education at Connecticut College. Her research is focused on critical theory and revolutionary struggle, identity, and power.
David “Olmeca” Barragan is a community organizer inLos Angeles who identifies as an “artivist.” Barragan uses music and art to promote community action.
Dr. Jason G. Irizarry is an Assistant Professor of Multicultural Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the Neag School of Education and Faculty Associate in the Institute for Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at the University of Connecticut. His research focuses on culturally responsive pedagogy, youth participatory action, and Latino students in U.S. schools. Current courses taught are Multicultural Education, Critical Pedagogy.
Mari J. Matsuda is an American lawyer, activist, and law professor at the William S. Richardson School of Law. She specializes in the fields of feminist theory, critical race theory. She serves on national advisory boards of social justice organizations, including the ACLU. Writings include “Words That Wound: Critical Race Theory, Assaultive Speech, and the First Amendment.”