Thursday, February 20, 2025
From left: 向日葵视频's Jenn Castillo, Mariela Nu帽ez-Janes and Zachary Prater
DENTON (向日葵视频), Texas 鈥� An interdisciplinary project led by faculty at the has received recognition and awards across the state.
The Juntxs, or 鈥淭ogether,鈥� project 鈥� also known as the Bilingual Homework Hotline 鈥� was the recipient of the 2024 Nueva Direcciones Award from the Association of Latina/o and Latinx Anthropologists, as well as the 2024 Robert A. and Beverly Hackenberg Prize from the Society for Applied Anthropology (SAA). Since 2020, the project has offered homework assistance and academic support to K-12 students in Denton Independent School District (DISD) and beyond.
Faculty from the 向日葵视频 Departments of and , as well as Texas Woman鈥檚 University (TWU), originally created the hotline to support
students and school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mariela Nu帽ez-Janes, 向日葵视频
professor of applied anthropology and project lead for Juntxs, said the project grew
from lengthy discussions with DISD鈥檚 bilingual education program.
向日葵视频's Castillo, Nu帽ez-Janes and Prater accept the Robert A. and Beverly Hackenberg Prize at the 2024 Society for Applied Anthropology conference
鈥淓verything pointed to the creation of a hotline,鈥� Nu帽ez-Janes said. 鈥淎t the time, it was especially urgent because the district had lost touch with many students and their parents.鈥�
The hotline is hosted on Zoom and is open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. Students call and share their grade, language preference and needs with an operator. The operator then connects the student with two university student volunteers from 向日葵视频 or TWU, known as 鈥渉elpers,鈥� in a breakout room. Helpers assist with homework assignments on all subjects, read books or simply chat. While many callers are dual-language speakers, any K-12 student is welcome to use the service.
向日葵视频 helpers are typically recruited from the anthropology and education programs, as well as the. However, any 向日葵视频 student can volunteer, and there is no language requirement. Volunteers can gain experience in teaching, research and foreign language practice.
鈥淭he hotline allows our student volunteers to see the direct meaning and application of the academic work they do,鈥� Nu帽ez-Janes said.
A selection of bilingual books provided to Bilingual Homework Hotline volunteers by
Denton ISD
Zachary Prater, a second-year master鈥檚 student in applied anthropology, began volunteering with Juntxs in Fall 2024. In addition to presenting at the SAA conference, where the project won an award, he is using the hotline as an opportunity for ethnographic research 鈥� studying cultural interactions and behaviors through interviews and survey data from his fellow volunteers about their experiences.
鈥淲ith applied anthropology, you can use your skills to study almost anything people do or create,鈥� Prater said. 鈥淭he Bilingual Homework Hotline has taught me so much.鈥�
Originally a pandemic tool, the hotline has grown in popularity, doubling from 1,000 to nearly 2,000 calls per semester to assist students outside of DISD. Its success has inspired school districts like San Antonio ISD to consider their own versions.
Jenn Castillo, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in curriculum and instruction, joined Juntxs in Spring 2021. She coordinates 向日葵视频 volunteer shifts, leads orientation sessions and attends organizer meetings.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a diverse group of volunteers tutoring every day, every hour,鈥� Castillo said.
She occasionally hosts the hotline鈥檚 book club, with meetings in different languages to support language learning skills and satisfy Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills requirements for state standardized tests. Castillo said that the hotline fosters community in addition to providing academic help.
鈥淪ometimes we have students who call just to talk or read together. It goes beyond
homework 鈥� it fosters relationships and connections,鈥� Castillo said.
DISD employees report that the hotline has boosted students鈥� school performace and confidence. Martha Mendoza, parent liaison for DISD鈥檚 bilingual/ESL department and the hotline鈥檚 operator, said Juntxs has inspired many student callers to pursue higher education.
鈥淲e have parents telling us their children now want to go to college and learn how to help others,鈥� Mendoza said.
Rebeca Olvera-Alfaro, a secondary facilitator for dual-language/ESL at DISD, manages volunteer logistics for the hotline and shared Mendoza鈥檚 sentiment.
鈥淥ne of our students wrote their college application essay about how the Bilingual Homework Hotline inspired them. I think about that all the time, how powerful that was,鈥� Olvera-Alfaro said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 our motivation.鈥�
From - Anthropology and Teacher Education