Equity Bilingualism & Biliteracy

Meet Anahi Quintana, advancing equity for bilingual learners and their futures

Hannah Fletcher — Thu, 14 May 2026 21:47:08 +0000

Meet Anahi Quintana, advancing equity for bilingual learners and their futures Hannah Fletcher Thu, 05/14/2026 - 15:47

In bold, black letters posted above the white board and sandwiched between student art and affirmations it reads “Do it for your future self!” in Anahi Quintana’s colorful classroom.

Quintana’s future-focused positivity radiates in her classroom and her graduate studies in the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education.

A proud bilingual teacher and Mexican‑American whose journey began in Greeley, Colorado with familial roots in Chihuahua, Mexico, Quintana draws inspiration from her family’s history and unwavering belief in educational opportunity. Her father walked for miles through rain to get to school, and her mother had to leave school after third grade to begin working—sacrifices that propelled Quintana’s academic pursuits and commitment to her students.

“Like my parents would always say, lo que uno siembra es lo que cosecha,” she said. “Make sure to plant persistence, patience, hard work and what will grow from there will be strong roots with lots of rewards.”

Carrying those lessons with her, Quintana entered the Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy Master’s program in the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education, where her bilingualism was embraced by professors and integrated into her learning. That experience affirmed what she already knew from her classroom: students thrive when their experiences and bilingualism are affirmed. She makes sure her sixth grade students feel that same level of affirmation and see their bilingualism is an asset and strength.

That spirit of positivity and persistence guided Quintana’s graduate studies, where she used her final inquiry project to study the misalignments between prescriptive curriculum and her students’ needs.

Initially enthusiastic about her district’s new scripted English Language Arts curriculum across all middle schools, Quintana soon saw cracks in the curriculum's rigid structure and gaps in meeting the linguistic, cultural and academic needs of her emergent bilingual learners.

Quintana designed a qualitative study comparing the mandated curriculum with her own teacher‑created, translanguaging aligned instruction and found students were more engaged, demonstrated stronger comprehension and expressed a clear preference for the flexible, affirming lessons.

Armed with her analysis demonstrating how standardized curricular mandates marginalize emerging bilingual learners, Quintana shared her findings with colleagues and district leaders — sparking deeper policy conversation and resulting in more flexibility in the curriculum that better supported teachers and students in her district.

By incorporating her experiences into research, advocacy and teaching, Quintana challenged monolingual norms and advanced equitable instructional practices for all. Faculty members, Deb Palmer and Robert Garcia, successfully nominated her for the Outstanding Leadership Award for the ways she leads by example for the young middle schoolers in her classroom and throughout the district. Advocating for the importance of their experiences and their future selves is her life’s work.

“[After graduation,] I am going to do what I love to do the most and what I am passionate about and that is teaching,” she said proudly. “I will keep having my students' best interest at heart and I will keep advocating for their needs.”

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Anahi Quintana. I was born in Greeley, Colorado and my roots are from Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua Mexico. I am a proud Mexican-American. I am currently a 6th grade reading and language arts teacher. I am passionate about teaching and believe that everyone deserves an equitable opportunity at an education. I proudly incorporate my upbringing, my background, and my culture into teaching. I love when my students learn that being bilingual is an asset. I serve as a reminder that being bilingual and our backgrounds are strengths in this world and not barriers. I love to advocate for my students and always have their best interest in mind.

What is one of the most significant lessons from your time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

One of the most significant lessons from my time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder that I will carry into the next chapter of my life is how much representation matters and learning to advocate for my students and have their best interest at heart. In grad school, I was able to see how much my mother tongue was used in my learning and how much my professors embraced it. This further proved the importance of representation and advocating for it.

What does graduating from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder represent for you and/or your community?

Graduating from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder is not just my success and my achievement, it is my parents' achievement too. This is for my grandparents, who had to let go of their children and hope they would make it in a new country to hold on to something better. It is for every late night my parents spent making sure I had the opportunity they never did. It is for the nights that I would go in and help my parents clean buildings, every mop on the floor, trash thrown away — it is every single moment that brought me here where I am today. Walking on the stage, I am not alone. On that stage walks with me the sacrifices everyone made for me to be in this exact moment. I carried a piece of each and every one of my family members onto that stage.

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

The best advice is to push through and be persistent. There will be nights that you will cry, there will be sweat and tears but you can do it! That nervous feeling you get in the pit of your stomach means you are challenging yourself and you are growing. Also, whatever you are passionate about, embrace that and incorporate that in your learning. You will thrive when you are able to connect your passion to your learning! Finally, never forget que sí se puede y todo es posible con esfuerzo! And like my parents would always say, lo que uno siembra es lo que cosecha. Make sure to plant persistence, patience, hard work, and what will grow from there will be strong roots with lots of rewards! You’ve got this!

What are your next steps after graduation?

I am going to do what I love to do the most and what I am passionate about and it is teaching. I will be teaching reading and language arts next year. I will keep having my students' best interest at heart and I will keep advocating for their needs.

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Our Best Wishes to Retiring Faculty

Tyler Caldwell — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:48:57 +0000

Our Best Wishes to Retiring Faculty Tyler Caldwell Tue, 01/20/2026 - 12:48

Please join us in recognizing our faculty who retired recently and learning more about their next steps.

In the past year, Johanna Maes, associate teaching professor and director of the master’s in higher education, also retired, and Kevin Welner, professor of educational foundations, policy and practice, retired from that position and continues to serve as research professor and director of the National Education Policy Center.

Sue Hopewell
Associate Professor of Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy

What are you excited about in retirement?

“Retirement is the best! I’m volunteering at the elementary school across the street from my home. I’ve enjoyed some cooking classes— French pastries and croissants. One thing I’ve started that was not on my list is golfing classes. I took it up because my husband and I closed on a condo at the coast in Delaware where I have family. Our development has a nine-hole course that I want to be able to play. It also has a kayak launch directly into the bay and wooded hiking trails. We are in heaven!”

What are you grateful for in your time at the School of Education?

“I appreciated working at a school that had a shared mission to social justice. We didn’t always get it right, but we were willing to step back, self-critique and think hard about how to move forward. That said, without a doubt, the thing that brought me the most joy while I was in the School of Education was my colleagues in EBB, my Literacy Squared team and my students— particularly the doctoral students. They were thoughtful, kind, generous and fun! I miss them terribly. At the end of the day, it’s all about the people, isn’t it?”

Vicki Hand
Associate Professor of STEM

What are you excited about in retirement?

“After 17 years at CU, I decided it was time for a new adventure focused on my interest in reparations work. I’m excited to get involved with community-based organizing dedicated to developing a model for reparations. I’m also coediting a book for Harvard Education Press about mathematics teacher noticing for equity. On a more personal note, I’ve joined a gravel bike club called the Petunia Mafia, am co-organizing the Fairview [High School] mountain bike team and have been making quilts.”

What are you grateful for in your time at the School of Education?

“I miss the School of Education—the wonderful colleagues, the fantastic staff and, of course, the students! I cherish the close friendships I built there and am grateful for the support I felt pursuing my research interests. For so many years, the School of Education felt like home, especially when it came to STEM Education. Plus, I believe the School of Education faculty are some of the humblest and most dedicated people in the field of educational research—their excellence truly shines in the work! This goes for our students as well.”

Discover more from Voices, vol. 8:

Supporting Rural Teachers & Leaders

The Bob and Judy Charles Endowed Chair of Education is deepening work in rural Colorado

The Transformative Power of Community

Meet several College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) & Patitos alumni whose important careers were first cultivated in CAMP, and are now utilized to support their community

Get to know Dean Amanda Haertling Thein and her full-circle journey to becoming dean of the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education

As the new Dean of the School of Education, Amanda Haertling Thein recently returned to the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder campus — a homecoming for the alumna

Return to Voices Volume 8

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The Heart of Public Education: Redefining Our Roots

Tyler Caldwell — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:18:43 +0000

The Heart of Public Education: Redefining Our Roots Tyler Caldwell Wed, 01/14/2026 - 14:18 Hannah Fletcher

In this moment of deepening distrust in Public Institutions, including Public Schools, it's important to recognize that much of this distrust is purposely manufactured."

- Nelia Peña

Nelia Peña began her journey as a public school teacher where she grew up: in Denver.

Peña had a strong commitment to justice but quickly realized the system was not built to truly center equity in her bilingual elementary classroom despite the district’s stated equity commitments. She began teaching in 2012 amid the “education reform era” initiated by the No Child Left Behind Act, which focused on holding K-12 schools accountable for student performance and led to the growth of state-mandated assessments, often tied to more rigorous state standards.

“I definitely went into it with a really strong desire to be a teacher for social justice, to help students develop critical consciousness,” Peña recalled. “Then I got to (the classroom), and that’s not what people were doing. People didn’t consider that ‘good teaching.’”

A bright spot amid her disheartening experiences came from her master’s in the Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy program in the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education and its BUENO Center cohort, which included many other Latinx teachers. There, she found validation for her frustrations and explored frameworks for reaffirming her students’ cultural and linguistic wealth.

“It was pretty transformative for me personally and professionally,” she said. “It gave me community and tools to re-center justice.”

Redefining Rigor

The program helped Peña (MEdu’20) speak up. When she was promoted to be a teacher leader—a hybrid part-time teacher and coach role— she challenged definitions of rigor that ignored students’ lived experiences.

“I led professional learning for the school focused on language instruction, integrating ideas around the intersections of race and language, honoring students’ ways of knowing, and how we could transfer equity work into concrete pedagogical practices,” she said. “We had these standards, and I was thinking about teaching in rigorous ways while centering our students.”

Peña, who taught for eight years, is now pursuing her doctorate at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder in the Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy program. Her focus is on further exploring how dialogue and translanguaging—or creating an environment where students use all their linguistic resources—can be integral for public schools. Schools have historically marginalized students’ language and ways of knowing, but she believes that can change.

“So often in school, what students bring with them is treated as ‘wrong,’” Peña explained. “But they’re drawing on their cultural and linguistic wealth. What would make sense for them in their families and communities? How can we value that? How would that feel different for students, and what would that do for our schools?”

The Allure of Innovation

Terri Wilson was an undergraduate in Minnesota—the first state in the U.S. to embrace charters schools and school choice—when she also noticed gaps in local schools.

While volunteering in Minneapolis- St. Paul schools, she realized many kids, especially those from immigrant families, were not being seen, valued or well educated in their classrooms.

“Schools in their neighborhoods had systematically been failing many of these kids,” she said. “For many of us working with these families, charter schools seemed like an appealing alternative.”

Wilson, then a triple major in philosophy, political science and education policy, was intrigued by the idea of innovative schools, so she decided to develop a charter school application for her senior thesis project. However, as she worked on the application, her certainty waned.

“I ended up being drawn toward questions about whether or not we should be creating a school of our own or pushing the public school system for more resources,” she said.

“My thesis was instead an examination of the democratic potential of charter schools and the contradictions.”

It was a fitting change of heart for Wilson, who is now a philosopher of education and associate professor in educational foundations, policy and practice. That thesis set the stage for her work with St. Paul community schools after graduation and her graduate studies. Today, her research focuses on school choice, parental rights and the democratic foundations of education. All these experiences sharpened her question: What does the “public” in public schools mean?

What Is “Public” Education?

Wilson has been partnering with several colleagues, including Kevin Welner, a longtime professor, director of the National Education Policy Center and education law expert at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, on a scholarly piece about the definition of public education from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Those perspectives include Wilson’s philosophical view and Welner’s legal take, as well as insights of economists, sociologists, historians and others. Spoiler: The definition of “public” is undefined.

“There is no single definition that we have, as a society, agreed to about what we mean when we say ‘public,’” Welner said.

Funding is one part, but publicness also includes “civil rights protections, regulatory control and the role of the public in making decisions and governance.”

The U.S. approach, he noted, differs sharply from many European systems, where private schools can receive taxpayer funding only if they accept strict regulations. Schools must comply with rules around teacher qualifications, protections against discrimination, tuition limits, curriculum, admissions criteria, accountability and governance.

“We’ve never attached the level of regulation and protections for students or teachers that the European model does,” Welner said.

The U.S. is moving toward a model with weaker regulatory guardrails, driven partly by recent Supreme Court decisions.

By expanding the “Free Exercise Clause” into what Welner described as a “very powerful anti-discrimination clause” that protects religious institutions from—under almost any circumstance—being treated less favorably than nonreligious ones, the Court has opened the door for voucher-funded religious schools to claim exemptions from civil rights requirements. Some cases, including in Colorado, involve religious schools asserting the right to “engage in faith-based discrimination,” including against LGBTQ+ families. These are worrisome trends for scholars like Welner.

Only 35% of Americans
are satisifed about U.S. Education quality, an
all-time low

“I used to say that our public schools are a foundational institution that props up our democratic society, but I am not sure we can say that now,” he said.

Yet 74% of parents are
satisfied with their children's education

Even so, Welner sees possibilities at state levels, where local policies can have clear benefits. For example, he cited the ways some states, like Colorado, New Jersey and Oklahoma, have strengthened investment in universal pre-K. As another example, he pointed to community-school initiatives in California and New York.

He called this moment a reminder that the struggles about publicness will continue with no clear end.

“We have to engage in the struggles and work toward a vision of publicness that we think is important,” he said.

Power to the People

Wilson urges supporters of public institutions to stay attuned to reality, not fear. Her research on parents’ rights and school-choice decisions has shown the influence of negative rhetoric about public schools.

“In this moment of deepening distrust in public institutions, including public schools, it’s important to recognize that much of this distrust is purposely manufactured,” she said. “It’s not neutral. It’s a result of steady campaigns to sow distrust, question effectiveness and build a sense of crisis.

“We can see this in efforts to reassert parental decision-making in education. While parental rights are portrayed as under threat, in reality, the U.S. has expansive protections for parents’ rights to shape and control their children’s education, health and well-being.”

Wilson is fascinated by the contrasting results of the Gallup polls every summer, where faith in public schools is low, including an all-time low of 35% of respondents saying they are satisfied with U.S. education. However, when parents are asked about their children’s school, responses are routinely more favorable.

“There’s a powerful and informative gap there,” she said. “If you ask people about their experiences with the local neighborhood schools or teachers they know, there are many openings there to tell different stories and to lean into those relationships.”

Rewriting the story won’t be easy, but Wilson remains hopeful.

“Institutions are just the people that are part of them,” she said. “When we talk about public schools, we’re talking about us.”

Wilson cautions against drawing a hard line between the public goods of education on one side and people’s private interests on the other. She sees room for commonalities. Preserving publicness in public schools may rely on our abilities to connect with and respect one another.

“We’re all agents of the democracy we want to see, but we have to understand what ‘democracy’ is and why it’s important to learn the skills, practices and dispositions of being able to talk to each other across differences,” she said.

Pockets of Possibility

Peña sees public schools as both deeply flawed and full of possibility.

“Their design from the start hasn’t really been to be a great equalizer, but instead for only certain students to succeed,” she said. Yet she believes in the pockets of transformation that emerge when educators center students’ humanity. “Education is the ingredient that changes so many people’s lives.”

Now, as a relatively new parent of a bilingual child in a same-sex-parent family, Peña’s outlook is deeply personal.

“I want my child to feel valued at school, and I want all children to feel that,” she said.

Despite the challenges, Peña remains hopeful that public schools can become places where every child’s language, identity and ways of knowing are treated as assets.

As she prepares to lean into her dissertation research in a Denver-area elementary school, she’s volunteering in the classroom, because she is committed to community-building over everything else.

“I see these pockets of really beautiful things that are happening, and these pockets of hope and possibility,” Peña said.

“Since entering this program, I’ve wanted to do research that shines a bright light on possibilities, on things that are going well that are also full of complexity and tension that ultimately illuminate something that we can build from.”

Discover more stories from Voices vol. 8:

Supporting Rural Teachers & Leaders

The Bob and Judy Charles Endowed Chair of Education is deepening work in rural Colorado

The Transformative Power of Community

Meet several College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) & Patitos alumni whose important careers were first cultivated in CAMP, and are now utilized to support their community

Get to know Dean Amanda Haertling Thein and her full-circle journey to becoming dean of the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education

As the new Dean of the School of Education, Amanda Haertling Thein recently returned to the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder campus — a homecoming for the alumna

Return to Voices Volume 8

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Get to know our newest faculty members

Hannah Fletcher — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 01:33:57 +0000

Get to know our newest faculty members Hannah Fletcher Sun, 12/28/2025 - 18:33

This year, the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education welcomed our newest faculty members, who bring a variety of experiences and enhance our community of educators and learners. Learn more about them below, and please join us in continuing to welcome them to our school and community.

Adria Padilla-Chávez is an assistant teaching professor in equity, bilingualism and biliteracy and elementary education.

She grew up in various neighborhoods throughout and around Denver, eventually graduating from Denver Public Schools. She received her BS in bilingual elementary education from the University of New Mexico in 2002, and an MA in culturally and linguistically diverse education from the BUENO Center in 2005. Padilla-Chávez has taught in public schools situated in immigrant, Latinx and Chicanx communities for more than 20 years, from Pre-K to 12th grade. She has dedicated her career to advocating for the cultural, linguistic and educational rights of her students. This advocacy led her to the PhD program at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder in learning sciences and human development. Her dissertation, “Buscando la Luz: Children’s Expressions of Dignity in a Co-designed Workshop,” explored a social design-based experiment co-designed with child-partners, her former kindergarten students. Through ethnographic observation and micro-interactional analysis, her study revealed the children’s collaborations, brilliance and critiques of schooling. Addressing the intentionally blurred line between researcher and participant, she reflected on her role as designer and teacher, navigating her own learning and unlearning in the workshop. Padilla-Chávez’s work emphasizes how affirming dignity in learning environments fosters new forms of worldmaking, highlighting children's capacities for coordination and care.

What are you excited about this upcoming year?

“I chose �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder and the School of Education because I have worked 30 years for this opportunity. When graduating from high school from Denver Public Schools, I did not have the merit to apply to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder for my undergraduate degree. Feelings of intellectual incapability engulfed me throughout my childhood and teens. Consequently, my merit reflected those feelings. Fortunately, in my undergraduate studies, I had professors that guided me in finding the light—feelings of intellectual capability. Since then, it has been my life’s work to provide the same for my students.

Along the way, I met (�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder professor emerita) Kathy Escamilla at La Cosecha, a bilingual education conference in New Mexico. When I heard her speak, I knew I wanted to study with her. The experience in the master's program through the BUENO Center with Dr. Escamilla as my advisor was one of the most transformational experiences of my life, so much so that I wanted to continue with my doctorate. Fifteen years later, I returned to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder in the School of Education to pursue a PhD in Learning Science and Human Development, yet another transformational experience where I grew in ways I did not know was possible. You see, choosing �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder has always been my choice. I am grateful to all my professors, mentors and advisors who believed in me, and I am grateful to myself for never giving up on me. It is where I belong, and now I can remind that 18-year-old girl back in 1997 that she does, too.”

What are you excited about this upcoming year?

“I am excited to live my dream as a college professor. I am excited to connect with those who have had a similar journey as me and who come from similar backgrounds and remind them that they too belong here. I am excited to help prepare future teachers to see and recognize the brilliance of their students, affirm their dignity and provide opportunities for the actualization of their potential in trusted communities of love and care.”

What’s a fun fact about you?

“I have been a dancer since the movie Breakin' came out in 1984. I was poppin' and lockin' with my older brother, Jojo, before I could tie my shoes. I danced Mexican Folklórico and flamenco as a teen and young adult. Now I dance anything Latin (Zumba, salsa, bachata, etc.) and hip-hop. Dancing is when I feel most free. It is important to find those things in life that enable you to feel free.”

What do you like to do on a day off?

“I cannot think of a better day than spending it with my family—my husband, Joe, and our two sons, José and Vicente, who are usually schooling us on life as they are both so wise, so insightful and so smart. They have been my greatest teachers.”

Lindsay Romano is an assistant professor in equity, bilingualism and biliteracy.

Her research examines how systemic oppressions, such as racism, ableism and linguicism, impact the educational trajectories and outcomes of secondary students experiencing multiple marginalizations. She is particularly interested in how teachers play a role in perpetuating and disrupting inequities in their instruction and how critical and contemplative pedagogies may be used as tools for social justice in the classroom.

Why did you choose �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder and the School of Education?

“I love the interdisciplinary nature of the school and its commitment to social justice and equity. In my own program, equity, bilingualism and biliteracy, I was particularly excited to work alongside colleagues who are not only researching issues of inequities for multilingual learners and learners with disabilities but also engaging in activism to enact change in partnership with local school communities.”

What are you excited about this upcoming year?

I am excited to embark on a new research project here in Colorado as well as to get to know students and faculty in the School of Education. I am excited to begin collaborating within and across programs in the school and to deepen my knowledge of the Colorado education context.

What do you like to do on a day off?

On my days off, you can find me with my family spending time outdoors, whether it be going to a park, exploring a new neighborhood, or going on a hike. I also love meditating, painting and writing!

Anything else you’d like to add?

I am really excited to be here and excited to meet students and faculty in the School of Education this year.

Blanca Trejo is an assistant teaching professor for the Leadership and Community Engagement major and the Multicultural Leadership Scholars program.

She was born and raised on the traditional homelands of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, hinono’eino’ biito’owu’, Tséstho’e and Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ Nations, aka Denver, Colorado. Her ancestral lineage is Mexica, Totonaca and Spaniard, and she identifies as Mexican American, Latina and Xicana. She is among the first generation of her family to hold U.S. birthright citizenship and to earn a BA, an MA and a PhD. Trejo is intimately aware of societal systems that marginalize and oppress BIPOC communities in the U.S. At age 15, she became involved in youth organizing, working on issues of educational justice and immigrant rights. She has been a community organizer, nonprofit leader and a state employee charged with implementing state law won by grassroots campaigns. As an academic and organizer, her research centers on a reconnection to Indigenous knowledge and medicines that helps all people heal from the generational traumas inflicted by white supremacy. She seeks to decolonize and re-indigenize the field of youth organizing and engage BIPOC youth in healing, power building and collective action. She believes in the power of intergenerational imagination to usher us toward a future of abundance, liberation and relationships of balance with human and more-than-human relations.

Why did you choose �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder and the School of Education?

My U.S. passport has stamps from over 24 different countries from five continents (I have yet to visit Australia or New Zealand, and I do not plan to visit Antarctica for environmental justice reasons). I have had the honor and the privilege to visit numerous towns and cities across the U.S. and the world. Ultimately, I have made choices to stay in Colorado because this is my home. I have lived, attended public schools and college and worked my whole life in Colorado. Like the yucca (indigenous to Colorado and the U.S. Southwest), I have a taproot that goes deep into these rocky, sandy soils. Attending graduate school and now working at the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education has allowed me the space and time to deepen my community relationships and extend my reach to the wonderful undergraduates who have enrolled in my courses over the past five years. I chose �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder because of the relationships and community that exist on and off campus.

What are you excited about this upcoming year?

So many elements of my life are shifting and changing at this time. My “doctora” title is still fresh, and I am still assessing what this PhD means for me, my family and my community. While I am unsure how long I will hold the title of “Assistant Teaching Professor” with the School of Education, one thing is certain: I am not going to work very far from home. I’ll be in Denver, in the historic Baker neighborhood, with my kids (human and furry) and my partner (Anthony) and our garden. Whatever the winds of change bring this coming year, I feel rooted, centered and confident that we (a collective WE) will weather these social, political and economic storms together and come out the other side ready to rebuild a world of abundance and balance for generations to come.

What do you like to do on a day off?

On my days of rest, you will find me getting my hands full of soil and leaves and worms. Fall is my favorite season. I adore the changes that arrive with the fall winds: leaves changing color, flower petals changing to seeds, and temperature changing from sunny mid-day to brisk in the evening. I tend to carry small paper envelopes during this time of year to collect seeds from the generous plants that grow all around me: on the side of a building; through the cracks in the concrete sidewalks; tucked clandestinely in an alley way. I love how the plants around us are a constant reminder of the beauty and abundance that exist in our world.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I am not an ardent social media savant. However, should anyone wish to stay in touch, please feel free to find me at LinkedIn: Dr. Blanca E. Trejo Aguilera; Instagram and Threads @dr_blancaelena; Blue Sky @DrBlancaElena.bsky.social; and my website BlancaElena.PhD.

This year, the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education welcomed our newest faculty members, who bring a variety of experiences and enhance our community of educators and learners. Learn more about them and what they are looking forward to most as we continue to welcome them to our school and community.

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MA Graduate Silvia Ortiz is a passionate advocate for rural, bilingual learners

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 21:50:38 +0000

MA Graduate Silvia Ortiz is a passionate advocate for rural, bilingual learners Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/24/2024 - 15:50

As a proud bilingual educator, Silvia Ortiz exemplifies excellence in teaching, leadership and advocacy for bilingual learners at her school and in her small rural district. Ortiz is a passionate advocate for her mostly Latinx bilingual students as an English Language Development Teacher at Hudson Elementary School in Weld RE-3 School District.

As a member of the BUENO Center for Multicultural Education’s Northeast Teacher Cohort, Otriz was able to earn her Master’s Equity Bilingualism and Biliteracy from the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education by attending courses close to home in Brighton and alongside 20 peer educators across three districts in the rural northeast region of Colorado.

Respected by her colleagues and revered in her community, Ortiz is also a strong bilingual writer and thinker. She completed her Teacher Inquiry Project, the culminating project and report for her master’s program, bilingually written in Spanish and English where she explored bilingual identities of her young Latinx students through linguistically and culturally responsive children’s literature.

For her work as an exemplary educator and graduate student, Ortiz has been selected the 2024 Outstanding Graduate of the Master’s in Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy Program by the faculty in the BUENO Center. However, she has been a member of BUENO Center community since she participated first in the BUENO Career Ladder program in 2005, a partnership between �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder and Aims Community College, on her pathway to becoming a teacher. Engaging in the master’s program helped bring Ortiz’s career, education, and connections with �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder full circle.

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

My journey to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder is a unique one. I reside in the Brighton area and teach in a small town in Northeastern Colorado. During my undergraduate program, I had the privilege of participating in the BUENO program through the Career Ladder Program. This experience not only deepened my passion for educational equity but also paved the way for my decision to pursue my master’s degree through the BUENO program at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder. The opportunity to return to BUENO now as a graduate student was a clear sign that this was the right path for me."

What is one of the most significant lessons from your time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

I have always considered myself a lifelong learner, and my time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder has satiated my desire to explore new learning and revive my passion for equity for bilingual learners. The most profound and significant lesson I take away from my time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder is this: all of our students come to us with various gifts and talents. It is up to us, educators, to explore such gifts and talents and leverage them to inspire and nurture independent learners and thinkers. By disrupting injustices created by systemic oppression we give our students the opportunities to thrive."

What does graduating from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder represent for you and/or your community?

Graduating from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder as a BUENO Center master’s student is a momentous achievement. �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder has always been at the forefront of educational equity and advocacy for bilingual students and communities. As a Latina, this accomplishment holds a special place in my heart. It is a testament to my dedication and the support I have received from my community. This honor will undoubtedly enrich my work with my brilliant bilingual students."

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

I believe that one’s most remarkable ability is the ability to use metacognition. The ability to evaluate, monitor, and apply new teachings to our understanding is essential. A student with the caliber of being a critical thinker and having metacognitive awareness will find success in their endeavors."

What are your next steps after graduation?

As a lifelong learner, I have enjoyed my time as a student. Now is the time to apply all of what I've learned. My graduate program was robust and rich, with mastery in the field of educational equity. Now is my time to discern how best to apply my newfound knowledge in my specific role. Furthermore, I would like to inspire other educators through my example and leadership."

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Meet Kim Strong, next generation public scholar devoted to justice for emerging bilinguals

Anonymous — Mon, 08 May 2023 05:05:44 +0000

Meet Kim Strong, next generation public scholar devoted to justice for emerging bilinguals Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 05/07/2023 - 23:05

Kim Strong has dedicated her work to spreading the love and kindness her supportive community of immigrant and bilingual family members and friends have afforded her.

“As the parent of an ‘English learner’ child, partner to a Spanish-speaking immigrant, and tía/cuñada/prima/comadre to wonderful in-laws and friends, my work is in large part inspired by my family and those I love,” she said. “It's my admittedly nerdy way to return a tiny fraction of the love and care they have shown me—how could I feel anything but passionate about what I do?”

Strong came to the Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy doctoral program after working for government programs designed to support — but more often failing to fully see or serve— Spanish-speaking families. She wanted to learn more about these challenges to make change for the communities she cares about.

Notoriously humble, Strong has been named the 2023 Outstanding Graduate award for Community Engagement and Public Scholarship for her tenacious and often behind-the-scenes work with bilingual educators and families.

Strong’s advisor, Kathy Escamilla, points to her proficiency in Spanish and English an asset for her community engagement work, and the many years Strong spent learning Spanish as a second language is a testament of her commitment to this work.

Escamilla, a ground-breaking scholar in bilingual education, and �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s BUENO Center for Multicultural Education have had a long-standing partnership with the Denver-based Congress for Hispanic Educators (CHE). Made up current and retired educators, CHE has advocated for educational equity for emerging bilingual learners for over 50 years. Strong jumped at the opportunity to support this partnership with Escamilla, and while many doctoral students have engaged with Escamilla and this partnership in the past, none have shown her level of committment in time, energy, or passion, Escamilla said.

Strong has earned the trust and respect of the CHE’s membership and leadership, and she was hand-picked by a long-time CHE leader to document the CHE-BUENO Center’s history and legacy in Colorado as an important chapter in the forthcoming book, “¡Qué BUENO! The History and Legacy of the BUENO Center.”

As an additional exampl of her impact, Escamilla and Strong were tapped to conduct a materials review after teachers in the Denver Public Schools expressed dissatisfaction and concern that their Spanish-language materials were not equivalent to the English materials in elementary schools. Strong expertly led this effort, soliciting help from a group of doctoral students and establishing at least two material reviewers who were bilingual and had expertise in teaching for each content area. The project’s resulting report and rubrics are currently used by the district to assess any newly adopted materials for cross-language equivalence.

When Strong and peers are celebrated at graduation, she will be Escamilla’s final doctoral advisee. The incoming generation of educational equity leaders have indeed benefited from the field's forebearers, like Escamilla, and also the future is in good hands with scholars like Strong, who is quietly, doggedly committed to equity and justice and willing to take on challenges in education in the name of change and justice.

“Kim is a person who has talent, intelligence, a good work ethic and organization,” Escamilla said. “For being so early in her career, she is an accomplished scholar, is a rigorous and caring teacher educator, and has a deep commitment to the development of bilingualism, social justice, and community involvement.”

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Meet Molly Hamm-Rodríguez, breaking new ground in international education

Anonymous — Tue, 02 May 2023 20:55:05 +0000

Meet Molly Hamm-Rodríguez, breaking new ground in international education Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/02/2023 - 14:55

Growing up in Kansas and venturing out for vacations only as far as the family car would reach, Molly Hamm-Rodríguez never dreamed she would find her calling in international education and the Dominican Republic.

Now, she is graduating with her doctorate in equity, bilingualism and biliteracy from the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education, and her groundbreaking research in the Dominican Republic has led to her work being honored with the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education’s 2023 Outstanding Dissertation Award.

As a master’s student at Teachers College at Columbia University, Hamm-Rodríguez worked with a nonprofit organization in the Dominican Republic, where she was hired after graduation to support hundreds of young people through a youth workforce development program. There, she discovered the program’s international sponsors, including the U.S. government, imagined a linear path between education, employment, and economic mobility in the Caribbean nation, but that was not what she saw working alongside the youth. As someone tasked with grant writing and program assessment, Hamm-Rodríguez was positioned to replicate the existing narrative rather than question it.

“I saw clearly how the local tourism industry constrained the jobs made available to youth and that, contrary to its promises, it could not resolve social inequalities,” she said. “It was undeniable that my own employment in a community where youth and their families struggled to make ends meet was part of the larger problem that I needed to question.

“I completed my dissertation research with these tensions at the forefront, and my work continues to be fueled by a desire to contest and deconstruct these inequities through ongoing collaborations with institutions in the Dominican Republic as well as through teaching, research, and service in my future job at the University of South Florida.”

Hamm-Rodríguez’s dissertation, “Re-Storying Paradise: Language, Imperial Formations of Tourism, and Youth Futures in the Dominican Republic,” focuses on the struggles of Black Dominican and Haitian youth who seek education and employment opportunities amidst the social stratifications generated by tourism in the island nation. Her research, weaving ethnographic methods and youth participatory action research, reveals how youth build solidarity across social difference and find commonalities in their struggles against anti-Blackness.

Hamm-Rodríguez’s innovative scholarship was awarded support of many highly competitive national fellowships and grants, including the National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, the Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grant in Linguistics, the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship, the Philanthropic Educational Organization Scholar Award, and the Foreign Language Studies Fellowship for Haitian Creole.

Hamm-Rodríguez’s approach to multilingualism, with a focus on the Caribbean, is grounded in sociocultural and critical theories of language and literacy development, and her interdisciplinary scholarship will be influential in the field of educational inquiry and beyond.

One of Hamm-Rodríguez’s award nominators explained: “As an Afro-Dominican member of the academy, I have felt honored to have interacted with Molly, in whom I readily recognized an emerging scholar, and privileged to have been invited to participate on the dissertation committee,” said Almeida Jacqueline Toribio from the University of Texas Austin. “Her dissertation project is critical in situating the research squarely within Dominican institutions, instigating a thorough-going interrogation of the parallel prejudices of racial bias and standard language ideologies, which are perpetuated by the nation state and which prove particularly injurious to Dominican youth.

“I have been especially impressed by Molly’s abiding attentiveness to understanding and centering the lived experiences of minoritized youth and with her attendant dedication to supporting and uplifting these marginalized groups through proposals for programmatic interventions.”

Hamm-Rodríguez’s experience with youth in the Dominican Republic led her to seek a PhD in education to address her questions about education, society, and inequity. Now, she is leaving �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder with a wealth of experiences, the ongoing support from her advisor, Mileidis Gort, and other faculty, and lifelong friendships from her doctoral cohort. However, Hamm-Rodríguez notes, she is graduating with even more questions than she started with—something she considers a good sign as a budding scholar.

“Graduating from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder does not represent an end but rather a beginning to me, as learning and unlearning is a lifelong journey,” she said. “Rather than leaving with a title, I know that I am leaving with new ways of thinking and being that I will continue to use for social change.”

In her own words:

Please tell us a bit about yourself

I was born and raised in Kansas and grew up taking road trips to Colorado in the summers, since my mom grew up here. We rarely took vacations and only to destinations where we could drive--I did not have the chance to fly on an airplane or see the ocean until I was 18. So I never imagined that my future education, work, and personal life would extend as geographically far as it has. I studied secondary education and English literature as an undergraduate at Kansas State University. After student teaching with 8th and 10th graders in Kansas City, I began a master’s program in international and comparative education at Teachers College, Columbia University. I was originally interested in studying bilingual education, but that program focus area was restructuring and I found more faculty support for research on education in Latin America. During the program, I worked with a nonprofit organization in the Dominican Republic and was hired for a full-time role upon graduation. After working there for five years, I became interested in doctoral programs and reached out to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Ph.D. students a few times before finally deciding to apply. I was initially interested in �鶹��Ѱ��because my parents and twin sister had moved to Colorado and I wanted to live near them, but after having a Zoom conversation with my future advisor, Dr. Mileidis Gort, and meeting my EBB cohort during finalist weekend (Becca Flores, Danny Garzon, and María Ruíz-Martínez) I was even more excited to bring my interest in studying bilingual education full circle."

What is one of the lessons from your time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

Meeting my best friend, Astrid Sambolín Morales. We were put in touch even before the program started, had a class together the first semester, and became fast friends. But our friendship deepened through our shared commitments to bring attention to the experiences of children and families displaced from Puerto Rico (Astrid’s home) after Hurricane María in 2017. We collaborated on a meaningful research project in Florida, traveling to both Orlando and Tampa together and creating many memories alongside having really difficult conversations. This experience led to collaborations with four high school teachers who joined us in Colorado for a conference on place and displacement sponsored by the URBAN Network. I have stayed in touch with one of the teachers, whose family is from the Dominican Republic, and met her extended family several times while in the country. Astrid and I talk almost everyday (despite her being in Ohio), sharing life’s ups and downs. There has been no greater gift from my time at CU! Staying connected to our support networks, no matter the distance, makes a world of difference..”

What does graduating from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder represent for you and/or your community?

I started the PhD program because I had a lot of questions about education, society, and inequity, and I wanted to become better about deeply understanding and answering those questions. Well, I’m leaving with even more questions, which I consider to be a good sign that I’m in a better place than when I began. Graduating from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder does not represent an end but rather a beginning to me, as learning and unlearning is a lifelong journey. Rather than leaving with a title, I know that I am leaving with new ways of thinking and being that I will continue to use for social change.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

Be open to surprises and follow your curiosity. Engage with the complexity of human experience. Seek feedback and be open to critique, give feedback generously. Read outside of your discipline. Do your best not to lose yourself on the journey, and don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. Center what matters to you and you will find your way.”

What continues to drive your passion for your work after graduation?

My passion for the work that I do has many roots, but a significant turning point began more than a decade ago when I supported hundreds of young people in the Dominican Republic through a youth workforce development program. During this experience, I found that international donors, such as the U.S. government, imagined a linear path between education, employment, and economic mobility. Having been hired to write grants and measure program outcomes, I was often positioned to replicate these discourses rather than question them. But this became increasingly more difficult to do. I saw clearly how the local tourism industry constrained the jobs made available to youth and that, contrary to its promises, it could not resolve social inequalities. And it was undeniable that my own employment in a community where youth and their families struggled to make ends meet was part of the larger problem that I needed to question. I completed my dissertation research with these tensions at the forefront, and my work continues to be fueled by a desire to contest and deconstruct these inequities through ongoing collaborations with institutions in the Dominican Republic as well as through teaching, research, and service in my future job at the University of South Florida. In the current political context, it is more important than ever to emphasize how attacks on public education and on racialized communities is not new and to continue educating young people for social justice.”

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Meet Caitlin Fine, using research and service to transform teaching, teacher preparation

Anonymous — Mon, 02 May 2022 22:57:33 +0000

Meet Caitlin Fine, using research and service to transform teaching, teacher preparation Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/02/2022 - 16:57

Before enrolling at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder as a doctoral student, Caitlin Fine was a science teacher in a dual-language elementary school in Virginia, where she was often frustrated by her district’s narrative that teaching science in Spanish was a “nice bonus” and teachers need to prepare students for English-language multiple-choice state science assessments. She felt too little class time was spent on student engagement with and sensemaking about science phenomena, and she knew something needed to change.

The most important part of my time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder was growing as a scholar along with my fellow cohort-mates. Moving through all of the PhD milestones from attending our first AERA conference through dissertation defenses and navigating the job market has deepened our relationships. I am excited to continue to grow as a scholar with the group of critical friends that I developed during my time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder."

The School of Education and the Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy program faculty’s critical stances and interdisciplinary nature attracted Fine to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, where she hoped she could influence educational change.

Beyond her own exemplary teaching, Fine has made significant contributions – both with her research and her service – to teaching and teacher preparation more broadly.

As a doctoral student the Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy program with a focus on STEM education, Fine was instrumental in shaping the redesign of science and assessment coursework in elementary teacher education, in supporting alignment in the elementary teacher education program and in redesigning and delivering coursework in culturally/linguistically diverse assessment for the program’s master’s program.

Fine’s contributions to elementary teacher education have gone far beyond the typical participation of a graduate student. In addition to working closely with Melissa Braaten to design and teach the Science Methods course, she served as the course designer and was the first instructor for both Assessment for Bilingual Learners, one of the culturally and linguistically diverse education endorsement courses, and the STEM Module for fourth year students focused on reading and STEM assessment.

At the master’s level, Fine significantly updated and taught Diagnostic Assessment, a required course for the culturally and linguistically diverse education endorsement.

“Caitlin's relentless insistence on asset-based stances and actions when working with minoritized communities, her thoughtful design of pedagogical tools, and her deep understanding of the complex contexts of K-12 schooling make her a powerful teacher educator,” said the faculty nomination committee that selected Fine as one of the 2022 Outstanding Graduates for Teaching.

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

I am from Virginia. Before coming to CU, I worked as a science teacher in a dual-language elementary school in Arlington, VA for 7 years. In that capacity, I understood my job as both a science teacher and a Spanish language teacher, but I would often get frustrated by the district narrative that teaching science in Spanish was a nice bonus, but we needed to prepare students for English-language multiple-choice state science assessments. I felt that much of my time was spent introducing and practicing vocabulary words in both Spanish and English and little time was spent on actual student engagement with and sensemaking about science phenomena. I chose �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder because of the critical stances of the Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy faculty and the willingness of the STEM Education faculty to work with someone like me whose research interests cross disciplines.”

What is one of the lessons from your time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

It may sound cliche, but the most important part of my time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder was growing as a scholar along with my fellow cohort-mates. Moving through all of the PhD milestones from attending our first AERA conference through dissertation defenses and navigating the job market has deepened our relationships. I am excited to continue to grow as a scholar with the group of critical friends that I developed during my time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder.”

What does graduating from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder represent for you and/or your community?

This accomplishment was definitely a group effort. Completing a PhD during a global pandemic while also being a mother of two young children is no easy feat. All along the way, I have had the unwavering support of my amazing husband. He spent many weekend days over the last six years entertaining the kids while I worked at a local coffee shop. We are also fortunate that my mother lives nearby - she was integral in supporting me last year while I completed my dissertation. She spent several days a week at out house helping the kids with 'crisis schooling' so I could focus on writing.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

I think my best piece of advice is to be sure to maintain your hobbies and fill your life with multiple things that bring you joy outside of academia. Be sure to prioritize time for these elements as much your assigned readings and term papers. Professor Gort told me early in my time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder that an academic life is a marathon not a sprint. She is so right. I have found that spending time with family, running on local trails, and taking weekend trips to the mountains are what fills my cup and makes the academic work possible.”

What continues to drive your passion for your work after graduation?

I am driven by the continued imperative that we work with K-12 teachers to reflect on their own linguistic ideologies and the ways those open and close opportunities for students to engage in meaningful sensemaking in science and in schools in general.”

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Meet Andrés Martínez, an activist educator who leads in his school and graduate courses

Anonymous — Mon, 11 May 2020 14:33:15 +0000

Meet Andrés Martínez, an activist educator who leads in his school and graduate courses Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/11/2020 - 08:33

Andrés Martínez stood out since the first week of his Master's program. It was clear the 23-year veteran social studies teacher at Thornton High School, a majority Latinx high school, had a careful and articulate way of moving forward critical perspectives.

He politely pushed classmates to reconsider assumptions about emerging bilingual students and students of color, said Deb Palmer, professor of equity, bilingualism, and biliteracy. A Colorado native with roots from New Mexico, Texas, Chihuahua Mexico, and North Denver, Martínez has a history of community activism and he "voices his own perspectives fearlessly and diplomatically even in the face of significant disagreement or hostility," Palmer added.

Martínez has proven himself as an excellent teacher who makes comprehensive use of culturally and linguistically diverse education endorsement curriculum that is embedded in the Master’s program, Palmer said. During his time in the program, Martínez was a key player in an initiative to move forward with the Seal of Biliteracy for his school district, Adams 12, and he has led a proposal to teach ethnic studies at his school, first as an elective and then potentially as part of the curriculum.

Martínez’s leadership does not end in the classroom but extends to his family life as well. He is aware of the educational example and seeds he is sowing for his daughters, as the first in his family to graduate from high school and now to earn a graduate degree.

“I am proud to say that my 11-year-old daughter attends the same Denver Public School in North Denver that my father attended in the 1950’s and my 18-year-old daughter attends Pace University in Manhattan in New York City,” he said. “My Chicano/Indigenous family is in the process of reclaiming and helping revitalize our culture. As such, unlike myself and their mother or even my own father and mother, my daughters are both fully fluent in Spanish and they know how to pray the rosary as well as to smudge with sage before doing a sweat ceremony. They are also fluent in both Tupac, Prince, and Selena as well as Ballet Folklorico, Danza Azteca, and Mariachi.”

Martínez has studied the important role �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder played in the Chicano Movement in Colorado and the opportunity to have a �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder graduate education has been a welcome chapter in his story.

“I knew how the BUENO Center at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder grew out of that Chicano activism and how it became a center for bilingual education,” he said. “I can’t overstate the degree to which el movimiento played in the Chicanx/Latinx communities as well as the broader American culture. So when the opportunity came to me in Adams 12 for the BUENO Masters program, I knew it was meant for me.”

Get to know Outstanding Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy Graduate Andrés Martínez:

What is one of the greatest experiences or lessons from your time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter of your life?

I consider the level of intellectual engagement that the BUENO professors provided as the greatest experience while in the Masters program at CU. I loved how so many of my cultural beliefs that had been denied and dismissed both my K-12 and undergraduate careers were now affirmed and with academic grounding.

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

My advice for incoming students is to allow yourself to be truly challenged. Don’t be afraid to be the radical - nothing ever changes otherwise. Everyone has a beautiful and rich cultural heritage and if you didn’t know about it, chances are you too had it suppressed. The only way to grow as a teacher is to embrace the cognitive dissonance that comes with this kind of graduate program. Use it to fully engage in checking your own privilege otherwise you risk not only making no difference - but actually making things worse for your students. Use your privilege and your intellect as a weapon because you may be literally saving your students’ lives. Get your degree and then work in solidarity with your students and their families because true teaching is nothing short of social justice activism because It’s up to us, the bold activists, to save public schools.To me, this is also what it means to have a graduate degree.

What does graduating from graduate school represent for you?

I have no illusions that the opportunity to go to graduate school and receive a Masters degree from a prestigious institution like �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder comes from generations of my ancestors who struggled - who had their land, wealth, and culture suppressed and stolen - and even died for my generation to have these opportunities. I owe it to them, as a matter of basic justice, that my students and the youth in my family and community get the best I and we can offer them. This is what drives me today.

Andrés Martínez, 23-year veteran social studies teacher, has studied the important role �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder played in the Chicano Movement in Colorado and the opportunity to have a �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder graduate education has been a welcome chapter in his story.

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Equity Bilingualism & Biliteracy

Meet Anahi Quintana, advancing equity for bilingual learners and their futures

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Our Best Wishes to Retiring Faculty

Sue HopewellAssociate Professor of Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy

Vicki HandAssociate Professor of STEM

Discover more from Voices, vol. 8:

Supporting Rural Teachers & Leaders

The Transformative Power of Community

Get to know Dean Amanda Haertling Thein and her full-circle journey to becoming dean of the �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder School of Education

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The Heart of Public Education: Redefining Our Roots

Discover more stories from Voices vol. 8:

Supporting Rural Teachers & Leaders

The Transformative Power of Community

Get to know Dean Amanda Haertling Thein and her full-circle journey to becoming dean of the �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder School of Education

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Get to know our newest faculty members

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MA Graduate Silvia Ortiz is a passionate advocate for rural, bilingual learners

In her own words

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Meet Kim Strong, next generation public scholar devoted to justice for emerging bilinguals

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Meet Molly Hamm-Rodríguez, breaking new ground in international education

In her own words:

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Meet Caitlin Fine, using research and service to transform teaching, teacher preparation

In her own words

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Meet Andrés Martínez, an activist educator who leads in his school and graduate courses

Get to know Outstanding Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy Graduate Andrés Martínez:

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Sue Hopewell
Associate Professor of Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy

Vicki Hand
Associate Professor of STEM

Get to know Dean Amanda Haertling Thein and her full-circle journey to becoming dean of the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education

Get to know Dean Amanda Haertling Thein and her full-circle journey to becoming dean of the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder School of Education