Project fosters critical literacy in Puerto Rico by making education culturally relevant

Thanks to support from IU's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, pre-service and early-career elementary teachers in Puerto Rico are acquiring essential tools to bring cultural relevancy to their curricula. Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Lugar School

Thanks to support from the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies in the Indiana University Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, pre-service and early-career elementary teachers in Puerto Rico are acquiring essential tools to bring cultural relevance to their curricula and foster critical literacy. 

The Puerto Rico Critical Literacy Project is one of many ways in which the Hamilton Lugar School’s centers serve the nation by supporting world language and cultural education programs through a Department of Education Title VI grant.

The project, which began in 2019, is led by Carmen Medina, an IU School of Education professor of literacy, culture and language education, and María del Rocío Costa, a professor in the Department of Pedagogy at the University of Puerto Rico Bayamón. In the wake of Hurricane Maria, Medina and Costa reaffirmed the need to decolonize literacy education in Puerto Rico.

Carmen Medina
Carmen Medina

“Puerto Rico many times does not qualify for funding that is just meant for U.S. states,” Medina said. “Other times we don’t qualify because we’re not international. Thankfully, CLACS understood the uniqueness of the position of Puerto Rico.

“This was like a dream come true. Not only have they provided funding, but they also helped me conceptualize the project to be what it is right now. Their support has been really, really important.”

Read more about the project at News at IU.