The Caminos Project aims to support bi/multilingual youth in developing skills for research around and advocacy for bi/multilingual policy and programming in their schools and districts.  We do this by creating structures for sustained partnership with youth. We meet regularly with students and use Youth Participatory Action Research methods to support multilingual students in pursuing inquiry projects most important to them. Through our partnerships with schools and districts, we create pathways and opportunities for students to share their results with relevant stakeholders in their communities in diverse ways.

The Caminos Project @ New Vista High School, Boulder, Colorado

During the 2023-2024 school year New Vista High School (NVHS) students and CU Boulder faculty and graduate students co-designed and co-conducted a study that explored the biliteracy pathways students, families, community members, educators and administrators wanted to create in Boulder Valley School District (BVSD).  This YPAR project investigated the student-designed research question: What kinds of unique secondary biliteracy programs could BVSD create to best help emerging bilingual students across the district? 

This project aimed to support BVSD’s Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education department and NVHS to become innovators in the area of high school biliteracy pathways by centering student voices and engaging students as experts and co-constructors of knowledge. The NVHS student researchers learned research skills, learned about bilingual education, spent time on the CU Boulder campus and developed their own biliteracy. They developed meaningful recommendations about how and why NVHS and BVSD can expand biliteracy pathways based on their research which they presented to the BVSD school board in May 2024.  Students also presented together about their project at the Colorado Association for Bilingual Education conference (CO-CABE) and the American Education Research Association conference in February and April 2024 respectively.  Last year, NVHS student researchers were able to earn both Community Experience credit towards graduation and concurrent enrollment college credits in youth research through CU Boulder continuing education.

During the 2024-2025 school year, a group of student researchers who participated last year will be working on co-writing a policy memo on their recommendations and a journal article to share about and expand the impact of their project.

The Caminos Project in Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Thornton, Colorado

Since October 1, 2023, Adams 12 has seen an influx of approximately 150 new migrant students per month (at least 4,500 newcomers in total), who come into schools with the resources of multiple languages and cultures. This is in addition to the 20.4% of multilingual students already enrolled in Adams 12 schools (U.S. News and World Report).

In an effort to bring more diverse student voices into conversation with the Board of Education, and to expand opportunities for civic engagement to multilingual youth, in partnership with students and teachers at Thornton High School and relevant Adams 12 district partners, we are working to create a Multilingual Student Advisory Council. This group will take on the specific mission to explore ways for Adams 12 schools to better serve , K-12 multilingual students. Employing a model of youth participatory action research, students will meet two hours weekly with a CU Boulder doctoral student who will work in partnership with Thornton High School faculty. This group will engage in a needs assessment and inquiry project to envision pathways and possibilities for supporting multilingual students in Adams 12 Five Star Schools. Through their participation, students will earn dual enrollment credit at CU Boulder and Thornton High School.

• Caminos Project Workshops with NVHS Students @ CU Boulder

  Additional Info

  CU Graduate students and NVSD students bilingually work to write about their co-constructed and co-designed research exploring high school bilingual program possibilities from the 2023-2024 school year.

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  Location

  on campus

  Dates

  8/28/2024 - 5/21/2025

  Public or Private

  Private Program (by request only or for a specific audience or group)

  Program Fee

  No charge to attend/participate in activity or program