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While the student population in higher education has become more ethnically diverse the professoriate in universities remain predominantly of European descent. Reflecting this disparity of represen...

This article advocates for the intersectional rights of teachers and students of computer science (CS) and special education (SPE) in urban education. Using an intersectional nepantla lens, we propose that CS education be accessible to all SPE teachers and students with dis/abilities. We argue for a focus on social-emotional intersectional rights as crucial foundations for an equitable approach to teaching and learning in CS SPE. We end with implications for educational stakeholders and teacher education programs that open pathways for socioemotional and intersectional rights of underrepresented teachers and students of CS and SPE.

“Our Earth, Our Bodies: Building our future from our core existence” The chapter follows a series of reflections by some of the key participants, including myself, about the process of transformation and the ways in which further work can be cultivated. The nuances that are presented in this book follow old ways of learning, led by the inquiries of a small student group who sought to promote cultural awareness across their public high school campus.

This chapter narrates the journey of three teachers and the author, with the strong support of a nonprofit law firm and a university, as we interrupted Eurocentric learning environments and tailored curricula to fit the overall goal presented by the group of student activists by reinforcing positive collective ancestral identities toward el vivir comunitario. This chapter also details challenges that we encountered along the way.

“Germinating Critical Consciousness and Academic Success in Computer Science” The process of learning through the lens of indigenous epistemologies that Itzel and the made sense of through MEChA is described. As a leader in her computer science class, becoming more firm in her creative intellectual contributions to computer science, Itzel created pathways of ancestral computing for social change, a principal finding of this study. By doing so, computer science educators witness the process in which a female Mesoamerican-descent high school senior (of the least participating computing professions in the United States) became a leader in her classroom, an example that shows a dignified approach to learning in one of the most segregated fields in education.

“Circling Around the Fire with a Purpose: The People’s Garden on campus” returns to the collective group of students, parents, educators, and community members as cultural workers and creative intellectuals. This chapter details the ways in which an informal group committed to meeting after school to build on the collaborative vision para el vivir comunitario. They shaped practices that spoke back to Eurocentric, neoliberal public schooling practices. Community-wide themes of identity formation and agency are analyzed and connected to the meso- and micro-levels of participation among a group of students who started out by seeking: a) cultural awareness, b) connections to the community, and c) higher education. In the process, a community garden comes into being. Implications for educational researchers, high school students, educators, and university stakeholders follow.

“Internalized colonization, unearthed: Student activism for social change” uncovers the historical documentation of identities for Mesoamerican-descent peoples in the United States, under the coloniality of power and its intersections with student agency and adult support. MEChA, a student-led organization provided the community for participants to discover their strength in a critical consciousness while nurturing a collective ancestral identity. Together, they forged a path of self-discovery and collective action toward el vivir comunitario, or a healthier neighborhood.

“Uprooting Systems of Colonization: Naming Learning Ecologies as Eurocentric” demonstrates a process of uprooting systems of colonization, with a continued nurture that recognizes when unwanted weeds weaken the growth of our gardens. This deracinating introduces the audience to the coloniality of power as an historically long-seated problem plaguing urban communities today, particularly in formal and informal learning ecologies such as computer science education. We are also introduced to Itzel, a student, the protagonist of this narrative.

Building on the seminal work of Linda T. Smith in decolonizing research methodologies, this paper introduces Ancestral Knowledge Systems (AKS) as a conceptual framework for social science research methodologies. We use autoethnography and critical self-reflection throughout the article to make visible the components of AKS. First, we lay out the context in which AKS was re-created after a doctoral course on decolonizing research methodologies. We unpack internalized colonization to address the need to go beyond identity politics and towards AKS thinking as an approach to promote a multiplicity of knowledge systems. Next, we discuss family epistemologies and collective memories as methods for reconnecting accountability systems to ancestral homeland(s). Finally, we discuss our visions for AKS across learning ecologies. The scholarly significance of our research is twofold: (1) it develops a framework for critical introspection and connectivity for decolonizing research, and (2) it promotes a multiplicity of knowledge systems in the academy.

In an age when computer science largely shapes the engagement of widely diverse populations with the world, the majority of computing professions are dominated by males, primarily of European descent. This monolithic group exhibits hubris that needs to be mitigated by drawing upon diverse points of view. This chapter examines computer science production and its contribution to global climate change through e-waste, water usage, and technophilia. Examining Indigenous epistemologies and intersectional theory to address race, class, and gender issues in relation to global climate change, the chapter advocates for broadening computer science education as a culturally sustaining (Paris, D. (2012). Culturally sustaining pedagogy: A needed change in stance, terminology, and practice. Educational Researcher, 41(3), 93–97; Paris, D., & Alim, H. S. (2014). What are we seeking to sustain through culturally sustaining pedagogy? A loving critique forward. Harvard Educational Review, 84(1), 85–100) and revitalizing (McCarty & Lee, 2014) approach to nurturing a social and environmentally responsible movement in computer science education.

Despite the fact that computer science (CS) is the driver of technological innovations across all disciplines and aspects of our lives, including participatory media, high school CS too commonly fails to incorporate the perspectives and concerns of low-income students of color. This article describes a partnership program – Exploring Computer Science (ECS) – that directly counters this problem in our nation's second largest school district. With a mission of democratizing CS learning, we argue that despite the constraints of working within public schools, it is imperative to do so. We discuss the ECS program based on inquiry, culturally relevant curriculum, and equity-oriented pedagogy. We describe two ECS-affiliated projects that highlight the importance of authorship, purpose, and agency for student learning and engagement: DietSens using mobile technology to study community health, and a project in which students create video games about social issues. Our work offers a counter-narrative to those who h...