Teaching Ethnic Studies during a Complex Time: K – 12 Ethnic Studies Educators in California

Angeles Rubi Castorena

Amidst ongoing debates about education, particularly around the discipline of ethnic studies, which centers marginalized stories and empowers people from diverse backgrounds, teachers are caught at the forefront of these attacks. Educators are expected to accommodate contradicting viewpoints, yet little is known about their experiences. My dissertation focuses on K-12 ethnic studies educators as they navigate the social and political context surrounding the discipline in California, the first state in the country to pass an ethnic studies high school graduation requirement. I draw on a multi-method qualitative approach utilizing 1) interviews with K-12 ethnic studies teachers in California, who have taught the course for at least one semester, and 2) participant observations of a grassroots organization founded by K-12 ethnic studies teachers to defend the discipline. Through these methods, I examine how teachers navigate pushback against ethnic studies both inside and outside the classroom. Preliminary findings suggest that educators face multi-layered attacks from families, communities, and organizations, receiving little support from their district or state. As a result, teachers are co-creating spaces that serve as sites of community support and as sites to discuss ethnic studies lessons and curricula. These findings underscore the need to further develop ethnic studies teacher education programs that draw from the ongoing work of ethnic studies educators. Through the use of these findings, programs can be developed that better prepare current and future educators by equipping them with curricula to sustain critical ethnic studies and resources to navigate complex social contexts.

About Angeles Rubi Castorena

Angeles Rubi Castorena is a Sociology Ph.D. candidate at UC, Irvine. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Women's Studies from the University of New Mexico in 2021, where she received the Raza Excellence Award for her commitment to the Latinx community and research. As a graduate student, Castorena has built on this foundation by publishing her work in academic journals, with her most recent publication appearing in the Journal of Latinos and Education. This work was inspired by her educational journey as the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents and examines the educational experiences of Mexican American college students, focusing on the role their parents play in shaping their educational trajectories. Utilizing counter-storytelling, Castorena highlights how immigrant parents support their children in ways that often go unrecognized. Her dissertation shifts focus to K–12 ethnic studies educators, who are at the frontlines of discipline-related debates. She examines educators' efforts to teach courses rooted in student empowerment and critical consciousness within a landscape of limited support and nationwide pushback. Through this project, she serves as a scholar-activist, working alongside ethnic studies educators to support resource development and advocacy efforts across the state. Castorena has also dedicated much of her graduate training to developing pedagogical practices that foster equitable and accessible classrooms by participating in highly competitive teaching programs. Through her research and teaching, Castorena aims to become a tenured Sociology professor who centers and advocates for diverse communities.