Project ACtion for Equity: Service-Learning with a Gender Equity Focus on the U.S.-Mexico Border

Project ACtion for Equity (Project ACE) is a community service-learning project for college students in teacher preparation courses of study, driven by a long-term vision and plan of action developed collaboratively by school, university, and community partners located on the U.S.-Mexico border: the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP), eight K-12 school districts, and the El Paso Chapter of the American Association for University Women (AAUW). The project and its activities are designed to enhance education and career opportunities for Hispanic girls and women who suffer multiple forms of oppression based on gender, race, ethnic origin, limited English proficiency, and socioeconomic status. ACE is also a critical component in UTEP's College of Education paradigm shift, focused on enhancing pre-service teachers; knowledge and understanding of inequities in the public school system through service-learning design. This chapter examines the evolving vision and goals of UTEP's College of Education and Department of Teacher Education as the institution integrates Project ACE and its service-learning focus into program design and delivery. This new vision for teacher preparation includes integration of a service-learning component that addresses the gender and social inequities experienced by female students in the schools and border region between Texas and Chihuahua, Mexico. (authors