Educating teachers toward immigrant empowerment and liberation in the United States and Chile: A funds of knowledge perspective

Abstract

This article examines how university-based teacher education programs in diverse historical, sociocultural, and political settings in the U.S. and in Chile, served to foster immigrant empowerment and liberation. Using a Funds of Knowledge approach, the study analyzed the educational practices of migrant families and their integration into early childhood teacher education curricula in both countries. Ethnographic methods, including teacher interviews, household visits, and case studies, revealed that engaging with immigrant families fostered critical thinking among teachers, deepened their respect for the families' values and aspirations, and highlighted the rich educational resources within immigrant households. The study underscores the importance of recognizing and incorporating these practices to support young immigrant children's development. However, it also stresses the urgent need to address systemic oppression and entrenched colonial-racial ideologies that persist in educational systems in both contexts.