CLS Affiliate Faculty member Diego Román (Principal Investigator), along with Co-Investigators Dr. Lisa Barker (PLACE) and Dr. Patrick Robinson (Division of Extension), will lead an interdisciplinary study that will bring together Latinx students and families as well as their science and social studies teachers to examine how local environmental topics (e.g., water quality) impact Latinx communities in rural areas of the state. The study seeks to understand whether participating in this professional learning initiative influences teachers’ instruction and understanding of (1) the differential impact local environmental issues have on Latinx communities, (2) asset-based perspectives on their Latinx students and communities, and (3) strategies to facilitate classroom discussion about socio-scientific topics in respectful and culturally relevant ways. The project is one of fifteen to be funded through a UW-Madison initiative to study and mitigate social inequality.