In California, the K–12 student population is primarily Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), but the educator workforce (e.g., teachers, social workers and counselors) remains predominantly white. To contribute to increasing efforts to diversify the educator workforce, the CSUN Ethnic Studies Education Pathways Project (ESEPP) is an ethnic studies and education, cross-departmental initiative intended to increase CSUN BIPOC student retention through student-faculty-practitioner mentorship and meaningful community engagement; and pipeline students into education careers, particularly in ethnic studies.
At the core of ESEPP is the opportunity for CSUN students (mentees) to be partnered with K–12 practitioners (mentors) to engage in academic and career mentorship, co-develop ethnic studies lessons and projects and engage in anti-racist/social justice events and learning spaces. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from the expertise of faculty in Ethnic Studies, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Deaf Studies, and Social Work; and community partners that include the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (LESMC) Consortium, Parent Pioneers, CSUN Project Rebound, the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, and more.