Sanchez Devotes Career as Mayan Educational Advocate

Academia in Mexico has the moral obligation to fight against inequity, discrimination, and the lack of opportunities that are sometimes part of life in many rural areas of our country,” said Pedro Sanchez (PhD ‘92), now a professor in the College of Education at the Autonomous University of Yucatan.

Sanchez is currently working with gifted Mayan children in distant and isolated areas of the Yucatan peninsula. To better understand ways of identifying and supporting such students, he is working with Professor Nicholas Colangelo, director of the UI Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.

“Many gifted students in Mayan communities fail to reach higher education and fully develop their potential,” Sanchez said. “These children live in economic and social disadvantage and need to be identified to receive adequate support and encouragement.”

Sanchez’s other projects involving Mayan children seek to improve school attendance and emphasize to their parents the importance of obtaining an education.

A major problem in Mexican rural areas is student absenteeism, particularly at the primary school level, Sanchez said, with reports showing students attend an average of only 106 of 200 days in the school year. Also, students are only in the classroom about three and a half hours a day, he said.

“Children, particularly girls, are often sent to work in the fields or are given various home chores, or they are expected to take care of younger siblings instead of going to school,” Sanchez said.

Absenteeism is mainly due to difficulties teachers have in accessing or staying in isolated communities; traditions and beliefs that result in numerous holidays, religious celebrations, and social activities; and parents who don’t see school attendance as their children’s priority, he said.

Sanchez and his associates conducted a field study in which parents, children, and teachers were asked about their major concerns regarding school attendance. The research team developed a calendar for the school year that stresses the importance of school attendance and fosters readiness for learning.

Sanchez is especially adept at identifying areas of educational need then developing materials to fill those gaps, said Professor Dennis R. Maki, chair of the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation, and Student Development where Sanchez earned his doctorate.

“Pedro saw a need, and implemented an innovative idea to explore giftedness in the Mayan people,” Maki said. “His work is putting Mayans in a new light in Mexico and opening new opportunities for people from indigenous backgrounds.”

Dr. Susana Guzman was a student of Sanchez’s and has worked with him for the last five years. She describes him as an exceptional teacher and a valuable asset to education in Mexico.

“His research experience and willingness to help students learn have contributed significantly to the successful educational outcomes of many Mexican students,” Guzman said.

Sanchez teaches in the field of Educational Psychology and is also in charge of the standardization of Mexico’s main intelligence test for children. He is part of the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, a national roster of researchers across Mexico who are supported with federal funds to develop top-level research.

Sanchez also authored two important textbooks. Compendio de educación especial, the first Mexican textbook on special education, focuses on the diagnosis, intervention, and integration of children with disabilities. Teoría y práctica de la orientación en la escuela, the first textbook for Mexican practitioners, examines the theory and practice of counseling as a profession, since in Mexico, professional counseling is just emerging as a formal activity in education and health fields.

“Promoting early identification and intervention for children at risk has been the most rewarding part of my career,” Sanchez said.

–by Joe Nugent