The Latinidad Curriculum Initiative team at the Edmund W. Gordon Institute for Advanced Study at Teachers College, Columbia University, is creating a new curriculum to enhance the education of Latinidad for students in New York City Public Schools (NYCPS). In the first year of this multi-year project, the team has developed a framework for the curriculum development process, regularly seeking feedback from students, parents, teachers, school and district leaders, and other community members. The team published a strategic report in May 2025 entitled The Need to Advance the Study of Latinidad In New York City Public Schools, which outlines the research and vision behind the curriculum as well as the conceptual framework based on four foundational pillars: Belonging, Multiple Ways of Knowing, Dynamic and Inquiry-Based Learning, and Critical Skills Across Contexts. The Latinidad Curriculum Blueprint infographic picturing the conceptual framework is available here: https://www.tc.columbia.edu/latinidadnycschools/our-curriculum-vision/blueprint/.

Members of the Latinidad Curriculum Initiative team presented at the recent Hispanic Federation’s 2025 Hispanic Education Summit on Tuesday, June 17, at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Moderator Dr. Regina Cortina of Teachers College, Columbia University, alongside collaborators including Dr. Amanda Earl and PhD student Jonathan Beltrán Alvarado from the International and Comparative Education Program at Teachers College, Dr. Eddie Rivero, visiting Bilingual/Bicultural Education professor at Teachers College, and Dr. Samantha Chung from the Educational Leadership Program at CUNY Lehman College, led an interactive panel at the event in which participants engaged with a sample lesson plan and offered feedback and insight about both the content and structure of the lesson based on their unique perspectives and experiences.

The following day on June 18, 2025, Jonathan Beltrán Alvarado along with other team members, led a collaborative workshop with New York City educators and leaders representing Community School District 3, marking another significant step in developing the participatory framework as the team was able to gain insight from individuals who will ultimately bring this curriculum to life in their classrooms.

Throughout the day, the educators were actively engaged and offered tailored feedback, drawing on their individual insights and professional expertise. Teachers engaged with sample lesson plans across grade level bands and worked in stations to discuss important themes, including differentiation, family connections, unit planning, and standards.

In one activity, the participants reflected on images from New York City picturing various representations of Latinidad, including the photograph depicted below. Using the See, Think, Feel, Wonder protocol, a protocol also utilized in proposed lesson plans, participants shared their responses to the images. Reflecting on the activity, Beltrán Alvarado stated:

“Bodegas richly stocked with arepas and tortillas, where Colombian and Ecuadorian flags welcome and greet all paisanos. Sunny carnivals and parades where children in arms smile at wavy Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Mexican flags. Veladoras burning on a street corner as a sacred offering that protects a group of domino players. Such vignettes of Latinidad emerged during our June 18th workshop at the Teachers College, in which teachers, coaches, and NYCPS District 3 leaders engaged with the purpose, pedagogical foundations, and sample lesson plans of the Latinidad Curriculum Initiative.”

As the Latinidad Curriculum Initiative transitions to its second year of development, partnerships like these with community members and NYCPS educators and leaders will continue to be crucial in shaping the curriculum’s future. As Beltrán Alvarado stated, “This meaningful workshop kicked off a long-standing partnership that will entail different rounds of piloting, feedback, and curriculum co-creation that aims to keep the project grounded in the city's classrooms and close to the youth at the center of these efforts.” The Latinidad Curriculum Initiative team looks forward to future collaborations as they continue to shape this innovative curriculum for and with Latino communities in New York City Public Schools.

Read more about the Latinidad Curriculum Initiative here. 

Written by Kendal Peterman and Sara Pan Algarra, research assistants of the Latinidad Curriculum Initiative.