Summer Institute 2024 for K-12 Teachers: Exploring Dominican Heritage in America

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From July 8-18, 2024, thirty K-12 teachers from the New York City Department of Education participated in the first Summer Institute for K-12 Teachers: Exploring Dominican Heritage in America, organized by CUNY DSI in collaboration with the New York City Public School Division of Multilingual Learners. These teachers, who come from numerous school districts throughout the five boroughs and were selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, work with students of Dominican heritage and other multilingual students interested in learning about Dominican culture and history in the United States.

During the Summer Institute, they met in-person with distinguished specialists in Dominican studies to enhance their cultural awareness and historical knowledge of Dominican peoples in the US and created new pedagogical tools and resources to be used in the classroom. Speakers included children's book author Elizabeth Balaguer, playwrights, Guadalís del Carmen and Marco Antonio Rodriguez, CUNY DSI Associate Researcher, Edward de Jesus, music and culture critic Isabelia Herrera, Professor Emeritus of Economics and Education at Columbia University, Dr. Francisco L. Rivera-Batiz, contemporary artist Julia Santos Solomon, Manhattan Borough Historian and Professor Emeritus of Journalism and American Studies at Rutgers University, Dr. Robert W. Snyder, and professor of English at Syracuse University and co-founder of CUNY DSI, Dr. Silvio Torres-Saillant. The participants also heared from CUNY digital librarian Robin Miller, City College archivist, Renae Rapp, and CUNY DSI Librarians, Professor Sarah Aponte and Jhensen Ortiz. The full program of the Summer Institute is available here.

Second day of the Summer Institute — *The teachers met with contemporary artist Julia Santos Solomon.*

The Summer Institute for K-12 Teachers was organized by Prof. Sarah Aponte, Chief Librarian at CUNY DSI Library in collaboration with Maria Oliveira-Friedland, Senior Director of Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction for Multilingual and English Learners (MLs/ELLs). Director Oliveira-Friedland’s extensive experience and continued input were instrumental in the preparation and implementation of the Summer Institute.

The Summer Institute for K-12 Teachers is part of CUNY DSI’s long-term goal of preserving and disseminating Dominican cultural and historical legacies through tangible means that are practical for engaging different population segments. The Summer Institute took place as part of the “City University of New York’s Cultural/Historical Legacy Initiative (CUNY CHLI),” an initiative supported by a generous congressional grant unanimously backed by Representative Adriano Espaillat and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer. The congressional grant is managed through the U.S. Department of Education.