TLESSS: Filling the Ethnic Studies Gap in Bilingual Teacher Education in the Midwest

Blanca Caldas Chumbes is a transnational Latina scholar of Quechuan descent and an Associate Professor in Multilingual and Elementary Education programs at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She holds a faculty affiliate status at the Chicano and Latino Studies Department and the Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender & Sexuality Studies. Her research interests focus on working-class bilingual education, bilingual teacher education (pre- and in-service teachers), minoritized language practices, language ideologies/identities, and critical pedagogies. She is the co-editor of the book Critical Ethnography: Bi/Multilingualism, Race(ism) and Education (Multilingual Matters, 2022) and her work has been published multilingually.

Corina Pastrana is a proud first-generation Mexican American from a line of three generations of family immigrants, including her abuelito Jesús, a bracero worker. Her bilingual journey has not only shaped her professional career but also profoundly impacted her personal growth, enriching her understanding of the world. With three decades of experience as an educator, she draws from her own language learning experiences to guide and support students. Through continuous learning and dedication to bilingual education, including obtaining a Master of Education in Dual Language and Immersion Education, she advocates for inclusive pedagogies. Serving as a coordinator of Bilingual Programs and a board member of the Minnesota State Reading Association, she champions diversity and inclusion in education, grateful for the transformative power of bilingualism.