Purpose This chapter presents the Ethnic Studies-Heritage Spanish (ES-HS) project, a university–school partnership designed to address California’s mandate for Ethnic Studies as a high school graduation requirement. The research explores how integrating Ethnic Studies content into Spanish for Heritage Speakers courses can create sustainable curricular ecosystems and provide viable entry points for ES implementation. Through collaboration between Stanford University and a local district, the project demonstrates how World Language classrooms can serve as natural sites for Ethnic Studies work, leveraging existing teacher expertise and student cultural assets to overcome implementation challenges while creating interdisciplinary connections that support equity-oriented, transformative education. Design/methodology/approach The ES-HS project employed an engaged partnership research design grounded in raciolinguistics theory and culturally sustaining pedagogies. Three Spanish heritage language teachers developed instructional units addressing Ethnic Studies' four pivotal themes: identity, history and movement, systems of power and social movements and equity. The research examined outcomes at student, teacher and institutional levels through classroom observations, teacher interviews and partnership reflection sessions. The collaborative approach involved 232 students across 9 sections of Heritage Spanish courses. Data collection focused on student engagement, Spanish language production, teacher professional growth and institutional dynamics, while navigating political sensitivities through careful framing and boundary work within the school–university partnership structure. Findings The ES-HS project findings demonstrated significant positive outcomes across multiple levels. Students showed high engagement and Spanish language production that exceeded typical classroom participation, critically examining immigration narratives, linguistic discrimination and racialized identities while developing academic Spanish literacy. Teachers experienced validation of existing culturally responsive practices and significant professional growth in designing justice-oriented curriculum, despite concerns about potential backlash. At the institutional level, the partnership successfully navigated political sensitivities while strengthening university-district relationships and producing transferable curricular materials. The study provides empirical evidence that World Language classrooms can serve as natural sites for Ethnic Studies work, creating “ideological and implementational spaces” that overcome policy ambiguities and resource constraints through collaborative, assets-based implementation strategies. Research limitations/implications The ES-HS project had several inherent limitations. The study was conducted in a single district with preexisting university partnerships, potentially limiting generalizability to other contexts. The research focused exclusively on Spanish Heritage Speakers courses, leaving questions about applicability to other World Languages or nonheritage learners. Political sensitivities required careful framing and boundary work, potentially constraining the full implementation of Ethnic Studies content. The project involved only three teachers and 232 students, representing a limited sample size. Additionally, concerns about potential backlash from polarized stakeholders may have influenced teacher implementation and authentic assessment of outcomes, while the short-term nature of the partnership limits understanding of long-term sustainability and impact. Practical implications The ES-HS project offers several practical implications for educational leaders and policymakers. The study demonstrates that World Language teachers possess existing cultural assets and pedagogical expertise that can support Ethnic Studies implementation, suggesting districts should leverage cross-curricular approaches rather than isolating ES within single departments. School–university partnerships provide essential support structures for navigating political sensitivities while developing quality curricular materials. The project's success indicates that Heritage Language courses can serve as strategic entry points for ES implementation, creating sustainable “curricular ecologies” that maximize existing resources. For districts facing ES mandates with limited certified teachers and funding constraints, this interdisciplinary model offers a viable pathway that builds on teacher strengths while fostering collaborative professional development and institutional capacity-building. Social implications The ES-HS project reveals significant social implications for educational equity and cultural representation. By integrating Ethnic Studies into World Language instruction, the approach validates marginalized students’ linguistic and cultural identities while fostering critical consciousness about systemic inequities. The project challenges traditional educational silos that compartmentalize diversity work, instead creating inclusive learning environments where students examine immigration, racism and linguistic discrimination through their heritage languages. This model promotes empathy and cross-cultural understanding among all students while affirming BIPOC experiences often excluded from mainstream curricula. The approach demonstrates how schools can become sites of cultural healing and resistance, preparing students to navigate and reshape an inequitable society through multilingual, multicultural competence and critical awareness of power structures. Originality/value The ES-HS project’s originality lies in its innovative intersection of Ethnic Studies and World Language education, challenging traditional curricular compartmentalization. The research introduces the novel concept of creating “curricular ecologies” rather than isolated subject implementation, leveraging existing World Language teacher expertise as an overlooked resource for ES implementation. The study's unique application of raciolinguistics theory to Heritage Spanish instruction represents groundbreaking theoretical integration. The project's strategic use of “ideological and implementational spaces” within politically sensitive contexts demonstrates innovative navigation of policy ambiguities. This research provides the first empirical evidence that World Language classrooms can serve as natural sites for Ethnic Studies work, offering a replicable model for districts facing ES mandates while maximizing existing institutional assets and fostering sustainable, equity-oriented transformation.
Muñoz-Muñoz et al. (Mon,) studied this question.