Publication Date

Spring 2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

Advisor

Luis Poza; Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz; Ellen Middaugh; Martina Ayala

Abstract

This study addresses the persistent inequities in access to quality arts education for Latino immigrant and linguistically diverse communities in California. Despite progressive initiatives such as Proposition 28 (The Arts and Music in Schools Act) and the California Arts Council's Racial Equity Statement, systemic barriers prevent Latino and immigrant students from benefiting equitably from the arts. The central objective of this project is to understand how an exploratory, culturally sustaining theater curriculum can serve as a transformative and healing vehicle for adult immigrant Latino students, providing emotional protection, cultural affirmation, and language preservation within a U.S. educational context. This qualitative descriptive case study was conducted at a public charter high school in the San Francisco Bay Area, which offers evening classes for adult Latino students. I gathered data across three sequential theater labs (2024–2025) through participant observation of acting workshops, individual and group interviews, students' reflective journals and artifacts, and field notes. The analysis of the data utilized thematic coding in NVivo, focusing on themes from the literature as well as emerging from the data. Findings showed important themes such as identity, belonging, and safety, cultural background, and the role of theater as social change as descriptors of the experience within the theater program. Including layers of policymaking and negotiating arts education policy at the local level.

Download

Share

COinS