Researching How Catholic Schooling Impacts Latino Educators

Ursula Aldana, professor of leadership studies, and master's student Katie Trautman '18 are conducting a study of Latino educators who attended Catholic school. The goal of the study is to see how their experience with Catholic education shaped their attitudes about schools and education in general. The work adds to the body of research on Latinos in Catholic education, which, up until now, has largely focused on student outcomes. The work uniquely highlights the experiences of Latinos in schools and seeks to understand how a Catholic school environment can leverage or ignore the cultural wealth of Latinos and their families. As Catholic schools continue to recruit Latino students to save under-enrolled schools, it is imperative Catholic school leaders have access to research that demonstrates how their school communities are or aren't inclusive of its Latino students and their families. 

"There is a dearth of research with respect to the experience of People of Color in Catholic education, and even less with respect to the Latino student experience. As Catholic schools continue to serve and target linguistically and culturally diverse students, there needs to be a more robust examination of the Latino student experience in Catholic schools. Prior research on African Americans in Catholic schools suggests that they have largely positive experiences in Catholic schools but also experience racism impacting their education. It is important we understand the complexity and totality of these educational experiences for all students." 
Ursula Aldana, Assistant Professor, Catholic Educational Leadership, Organization and Leadership 

"I was excited to work on this project because of my experience in Catholic education and interest in creating more culturally and linguistically responsive Catholic schools. I'm working with Dr. Aldana to recruit eligible participants, coordinate interviews and review literature regarding Latino/a educators and the impact of Catholics schooling on educator beliefs." 
Katie Trautman, Current Student, MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages