Edited by
Lorna Rivera, PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston,
Melissa Colón, PhD Bunker Hill Community College
Gastón Institute,University of Massachusetts Press
In 1993, UMass Boston’s Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development & Public Policy published the book, “The Education of Latino Students in Massachusetts: Issues, Research, and Policy Implications” (Edited by Ralph Rivera & Sonia Nieto, UMass Press). This was the first comprehensive book that focused on the educational outcomes, engagement, and experience of Latinx students and their families in Massachusetts. Scholars from various academic disciplines discussed their research about bilingual education, graduation trajectories, and best practices for engaging Latino students and families. The publication of the book was motivated by radical changes in the racial/ethnic composition of the Latino population in MA between the 1980s and early 1990s. Scholars collectively called for rapid and swift changes in policies and practices to fully address the magnitude of challenges that Latino students and their families were facing in Massachusetts public schools.
Thirty years after its initial publication, Massachusetts public schools have been nationally recognized as “leading the nation” in student achievement (MDESE, 2017), but this is clearly not true for Latino students. Latino students in Massachusetts public schools represent a diversity of diasporic Latinx communities from Central, South America, and the Caribbean. As the Gaston Institute’s demographic analysis of the ten largest Latino subgroup populations show, there are important socio-economic differences among Latinx communities in Massachusetts that affect their education and well-being. For example, Puerto Rican students are more likely to attend public schools in communities with significant academic achievement and opportunity gaps. Despite living in a state that is nationally recognized as an innovative leader in public education, data suggest that Puerto Rican students have some of the lowest educational attainment rates in the Commonwealth (Berardino, 2014, 2015; Rivera & Nieto, 1993; Nieto, 2000; US Census, 2015). The Gaston Institute’s research on the outcomes for bilingual students also suggests that when Massachusetts voters passed a statewide referendum to outlaw bilingual education in 2002, the subsequent Sheltered English Immersion programs that proliferated produced negative academic outcomes for Latinx immigrant students who were English learners. For these reasons, there is a need for updated research about the current challenges, issues, and opportunities for Latino education in Massachusetts.
The editors of Critical Perspectives on Latino Education in Massachusetts welcome manuscripts that critically examine the ideologies, policies, programs, and practices that shape Latino education in Massachusetts. The Critical Perspectives on Latino Education in Massachusetts book will examine contemporary educational issues affecting Latino students in MA, and it will offer critical recommendations for advancing liberatory Latino education in Massachusetts. We are seeking chapters that are guided by asset-based theoretical frameworks, including cultural wealth frameworks, that will enrich the next generation of research on Latino education. We are seeking chapters about Latino education in Massachusetts and the following topics:
Adult Basic Education
Critical Pedagogies
English Learners
Early Childhood Education
Elementary & High School Education
Family & Community Engagement
Latinx Cultural Wealth Frameworks
Latinx teachers
LGBTQ Youth
HiSet
Higher Education
Gender Inequities
Out of School Time
Student Leadership
Special Education
Social Determinants of Health
STEAM Education
Social Emotional Learning
Student Athletes
School Discipline/ Restorative Justice
Racialization in Schools
Vocational Schooling
Unaccompanied Youth
Interested authors should submit a chapter title, 500 word abstract (in Word Doc) to the editors by December 20, 2021. Abstracts should be in English and accompanied by a short biographical statement. Publication timeline is included below. Submissions and questions should be sent to: lornariveraphd@gmail.com and colon.melissa@gmail.com.
Book Timeline
500 Word Abstracts Due December 20, 2021
Manuscripts Due January 15, 2022
Peer Reviews Conducted January-April 15, 2022
Editors Send Feedback to Authors May 1, 2022
Revisions August 30, 2022
Anticipated Publication Spring 2023