A Framework for Teaching Central American Studies in K–12
By Cindy Mata and Enrique C. Ochoa
The field of Central American Studies (CAS) is as diverse as Central Americans on the isthmus and in the diaspora. This framework and approach from the UCI Central American Studies in K–12 Curriculum Project has ideas and strategies for teaching Central American Studies in K–12 that highlights the right histories of Central Americans that can provide a working structure that educators should consider when developing courses, units, and projects.
From “Grounded in Resistance and Revolution: Central American Studies in K–12 Schools and Communities,” in Miguel Zavala ed. Ethnic Studies Teacher Handbook (In Press, 2025).
Enrique Ochoa, Ph.D. (They/ Them) received their B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in History from UCLA. Since 1995, Enrique has taught about Central America and Mexico at California State University, Los Angeles in a critical Latin American Studies program that has focused on Central America since the 1960s. Enrique works to link his classes and research to social justice movements and to draw on the rich experiences of their students and Los Angeles communities. He is currently working with local school districts to implement an intersectional ethnic studies curriculum for K–12 classes.
Cindy Mata, M.Ed., M.A. (She/Ella) is a proud Guanaca (Salvadoran), who was born in El Salvador and moved to the United States as a young child. She is a former high school and middle school history teacher and is currently the director of the University of California, Irvine (UCI) History Project. Her current work involves providing high-quality professional development for history and Ethnic Studies educators in California. A particular area of focus of her work and academic pursuits focuses on how to best infuse Central American Studies in K–12 classrooms.