Developing Language and Academic Supports for Indigenous Maya Students in California Schools (Yucatec Maya)
Patricia Baquedano-Lopez, Professor
Education
Closed. This professor is continuing with Spring 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Fall 2024.
Background: In 2016, voters in the state of California passed Assembly Bill (AB) 2016 which now requires an ethnic studies curriculum for grades 7-12. In a state where the Latinx student population is 3,284,788 or 56.1% of all students in the state, the new ethnic studies requirement invites a deeper study of the diversity of histories and cultures of Latinx students in our California schools and mechanisms that support these students, including the robust, but largely overlooked, population of transnational Indigenous students from Mexico, Central American, and South America, who are often subsumed under the category of Latinx upon entry into the school system. Relevant to the schools in the San Francisco Bay Area (or the greater San Francisco metropolitan area), the population of Indigenous Maya from Yucatan (southern Mexico) is estimated to be 30,000. Many immigrants from Yucatan speak Yucatec Maya, but like other groups in migration, there is always a risk of intergenerational culture and language loss under processes of settler colonialism that displace, reduce, and marginalize Indigenous communities. Despite educational challenges, recent research reports indicate that many Indigenous Maya students persist in our educational system seeking to remain connected to their indigenous roots.
If these topics and issues interest you, then you are perfect for this project!
This URAP project draws on data and findings of a longitudinal qualitative project (interviews, surveys, analysis of school lessons, classroom observations) focusing on Indigenous Maya students conducted in San Francisco and Yucatan. The main goals of the URAP project are to outline and work to develop a sustainable model of academic support for Indigenous Maya students with interventions to address institutional challenges faced by Latinx Indigenous students including 1) Studying and designing school entry material that supports inclusivity and visibility of Indigenous students; 2) Identifying curricula for schools and ethnic studies material that recognizes and uplifts Indigenous identity, language and culture; and 3) Identifying and articulating mechanisms for transnational educational supports. While the model centers on students of one particular Indigenous group, we hope the project provides a helpful blueprint to support other Latinx Indigenous students in schools.
Role: Research apprentices will receive training to access project data platforms and apps (data is already coded) and begin to identify material and findings to develop analyses that address different components of a model that can offer academic support for students in schools.
Research apprentices will collaborate with other students (in person/online), and at times, work independently carrying out the following tasks:
• Analyze data sources (audio recorded transcribed interviews, videotaped and transcribed classroom lessons and school activities)
• Review California Dept of Education /Secretaría de Educación Pública (básico, medio superior) documents and guidance
• Design new content for units/lesson plans
• Conduct online searches and in person visits to special collections of the UC Berkeley library
• Develop and keep a bibliography of documents and sources that will be used for disseminating project materials (lessons, research and policy briefs, infographics, journal articles, books)
As part of their hour/commitment, research assistants will meet weekly (one hour per week) with the project director.
Qualifications: • Knowledgeable of the public education system in California or being willing to learn about public K-12 education.
• Have some familiarity with topics, issues, and experiences related to Indigenous and Latinx students (e.g., coursework, personal experience).
• There is no additional language requirement, but just a note that some of the databases are in Spanish and in Yucatec Maya.
• Lab days for this project are typically,
Monday morning and/or afternoon
and/or Thursday 9-11.
Hours: 3-5 hrs
Related website: https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/lsider/home
Related website: http://https://bse.berkeley.edu/patricia-baquedano-lópez