Institutionally Responsive Pedagogies: A Community-Cultural Wealth Approach to Latina/o Student Engagement Across the Educational Pipeline

Abstract

The educational system continues to inadequately serve Latina/o students across the educational pipeline. A key shortcoming is the system’s inability to develop, support, and grow educational leaders that can respond. In this article, the author poses a series of pedagogical approaches using a Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005) lens. In the spirit of testimonio, the author sets the context by articulating his own principles for engagement as a Chicano scholar directly engaged with Latina/o students and communities across the educational pipeline. Then the author shares four concrete pedagogical principles that have been used in his work with students, communities, parents, and in higher education, particularly in a leadership development program. The article concludes with a proposed set of principles focused on Institutionally Responsive Pedagogies driven by Community Cultural Wealth and centers on the ways in which institutions need to shift so that the cultural wealth of Latina/o students and communities are realized across the educational pipeline.