The Institute for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Learning and Teaching (ICLRLT) envisions equitable and thriving communities throughout New Mexico that can provide community-based research and services on best practices throughout New Mexico and the Southwest with national implications.
Based in a community-based approach, the ICLRLT is developing a Pathways to Equitable and Thriving Communities model that asks three key questions:
These questions will be answered using community-engaged research that addresses social equity concerns of heritage, tribal, Pueblo and rural northern New Mexico communities to further the goals of equity, decolonization and sovereignty within the state. Central to the Pathways model is the translation of research into action, and through our research, the ICLRLT will inform and develop public education and health policies, inform decision making, and promote the adoption of a model to build a better future.
We are committed to the principles of open access research that supports a strong communication program for developing educational materials, conducting workshops and training, and working with Institutions throughout the state to promote our latest research and successes.
The Bilingual Education Toolkit Project is a partnership and collaboration between West Las Vegas School District (WLVS) and the New Mexico Highlands University School of Education (SOE).
The Indigenous Knowledge Roadmap project, funded by the Kellogg Foundation, focuses on shared stakeholder responsibility to enhance the quality of education for Indigenous students and their communities.
The Norteños Leaders Rising program is a Graduate program hosted by New Mexico Highlands University that seeks out classroom teachers that would like to become principals, school counselors, and school social workers.
The Librarian Corps intends to help empower all libraries, regardless of patronage, to grow and utilize Open Educational Resources (OER) to meet the unique needs of New Mexico communities.
The ICLRLT enters into 5-Year Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) to establish School-University Partnerships (SUP) with School Districts across Northern New Mexico.
The Technology Connected Communities (TCC) project seeks to deliver culturally responsive curriculum to underserved populations in Northern New Mexico.
Find open educational resources (OER) created for New Mexicans with cultural relevance and a place-based focus! Also free and open access materials such as high school math curriculum, New Mexico history videos, and early childhood learning materials. Create, share, and discuss learning resources with that distinctive New Mexico flavor!
MARY EARICK, PhD
Executive Director, ICLRLT
Dean, NMHU School of Education
DOUG EARICK
Director of School/University Partnerships
RYAN TRUJILLO
Senior Administrative Assistant
CIN ULIBARRI
Admin & ‘Professional Storyteller’
Becky kappus, PhD
Professor-in-Residence
elena valdez, phd
Professor-in-Residence
marisol ruiz, ph.d
Professor-in-Residence
jeremy holloway, m.a., Ph.d.
Professor-in-Residence
MELISSA e. riley, Ph.D
Professor-in-Residence
MELISSA MORROW, MLS
Librarian, Open Educational Resources (OER) and Outreach
Ivy Alefante, M.Ed
Graduate Assistant
junior owusu ansah, MBA
Graduate Assistant, Research and Data Analyst
Lydia okojie, mba
Graduate Assistant, Research and Data Analyst
The ICLRLT offers quarterly summits focusing on Problems of Practice (PoP) in public education.These summits are completely free to attend, with lunch provided. The PoPs Summer Summit is our crowning event, taking place the first week in June for four days with lodging and food provided.
PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE - SPRING SUMMIT 2025
April 12, 2025
New Mexico Highlands University Student Union Building, 800 National Ave., Las Vegas NM
Hosted by the Institute for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Learning and Teaching, this mini-summit will be focused on Yazzie/Martinez with special guests from the New Mexico Poverty Law Center and Transform New Mexico! See the agenda
for the schedule and details for descriptions of our afternoon strands. Register and join us!
SAVE THE DATE: Summer 2025 Summit to be held at NMHU on Monday, June 2 through Thursday June 5, 2025.
This summit focused on dual language communities throughout New Mexico, with special highlights on the Bilingual Education Toolkit program and Dual Language New Mexico's Project SEMBRAR!
The ICLRLT hosted its Fall Summit on October 12th, 2024 where we introduced our five new Justice and Equity Faculty in Residence. A screening of the documentary “In the Dirt” opened the event. We were so privileged to have panelists Albert Avery and Jotham Ippel, Social Workers from the Gallup McKinley Public Schools, and Silver Stallion Founders Randy Bitue and Tanisha Bitsoi all featured in the documentary. An inspirational morning led into afternoon working groups. The ICLRLT Advisory Committee began planning the 2025 Summer Summit with School University Partnerships Director Doug Earick, and Rod Rock facilitated Norteños Leadership Rising funded by the NMPED. Rebecca Moore facilitated the Indigenous Knowledge Roadmap, and Elisabeth Valenzuela the Dual Language Toolkit both funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Special thanks to Mike Petronis and John and Julia DiRuggiero, who facilitated our GIS working group. See the attached agenda for more details about activities, special guests, and strands.
Our 2024 Summer Summit saw 150+ people attend, with 10 different strand sessions focusing on different topics such as Enacting Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Bi/Literacy Instruction: Unveiling the Implementation Gap and GIS Learning and Teaching in the K12 Classroom
On January 20, 2024, the ICLRLT summit kicked off at 9:30 a.m. with breakfast before officially starting at10 a.m. with welcome remarks by Dean Earick and NMHU President Sam Minner. The film, “The Right to Read,” a documentary that centers on strategies to support high levels of literacy in communities, was shown. There was a panel discussion with Dr. Elisabeth Valenzuela, Dr. Jodi Burshia, Dr. Susana Ibarra Johnson, Viridiana Cisneros and Loretta Trujillo.
Lunch was provided, followed by breakout sessions that focused on established educational programs, such as the Bilingual Education Toolkit that provided information on the partnership between the West Las Vegas School District and Highlands’ School of Education. This program’s aim is to help the district become a model bilingual multicultural district.
Another breakout session was the Technology Connected Communities Project. Funded by the Connecting Minority Communities grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, this program’s goal is to infuse Northern New Mexico culture into dual credit and high school credit recovery courses. Other breakout sessions will include one on the Indigenous Knowledge Roadmap and another on the Literacy in New Mexico Policy Development.
During the 2023-2024 school year, our summits addressed issues in literacy, and how we as school districts and as the Institute could best partner with state agencies to improve literacy across the state through culturally relevant curricula and professional development.