Below is a list of College of Education faculty whose research specifically focuses on equity, inclusion, social justice, and diversity topics. Note that as stated in our commitment, the College of Education aspires that all research, teaching, and service embrace social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion tenets.
Curriculum and Instruction
 Paty Abril-GonzalezAssistant ProfessorStudies long-term relationships with Latinx bilingual students and teachers using arts-based biliteracy approaches to affirm and amplify silenced perspectives. |
 Jennifer K. AdairProfessorResearch interests focus on inequities in early schooling and the intersection of immigration, race and early childhood. |
 Anthony L. BrownProfessorFocuses on historical and contemporary issues and discourses concerning African American students in schools and society. |
 Keffrelyn BrownProfessorSuzanne B. and John L. Adams Professor in Education Creates scholarship based around teacher education, especially relating to race and culture. |
 Sylvia Celedón-PattichisProfessorFocuses on language and cultural influences on teaching and learning mathematics, particularly equity issues involving Latinx students’ mathematical thinking, the simultaneous learning of English as a second language and math and preparing teachers to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students. |
 Denise DavilaAssistant ProfessorStudies children’s literature and researches the home literacy practices of families with young children in under-resourced communities. |
 Noah De LissovoyProfessorExamines effects of race, class and capital in schools and society; investigates and extends traditions of critical pedagogy and philosophy. |
 Tracey FloresAssistant ProfessorInterests include family literacy, specifically family writing and practices for Latina mothers and daughters, as a springboard for advocacy and empowerment of families and teachers. |
 María FránquizProfessorExamines ethnographic language and literacy practices in K-12 classrooms, specifically focusing on how Latinx critical race theory explains the relationship between heritage language and culture and the evolving identities of future teachers. |
 Emma GargroetziAssistant Professor of InstructionExplores the intersection of the sociopolitical and mathematical lives of children with a focus on identity and learning. |
 Carlos Nicolas GomezAssistant ProfessorInvestigates intersections of race, language and mathematics through the experiences of Latinx students learning and doing mathematics. |
 María González-HowardAssistant ProfessorResearch explores the intersections of multilingualism, scientific sensemaking, and teacher education, with a specific focus on the ways multilingual students engage in science practices through translanguaging. |
 Grace MyHyun KimAssistant ProfessorStudies literacy, language, and multicultural education, especially involving new media and globalization. |
 Tia MadkinsAssistant ProfessorEngages humanizing research approaches to examine equity-focused PK-16 STEM teaching and learning across urban contexts with a focus on Black girls. |
 Katherina A. PayneAssociate ProfessorResearches civic education, early childhood/elementary education, and teacher education to examine the role of relationships, community, and justice to make classrooms democratic and equitable spaces. |
 Catherine Riegle-CrumbProfessorFocuses on gender and racial/ethnic inequality in educational experiences and student achievement in STEM fields. |
 Cinthia SalinasProfessorRuben E. Hinojosa Regents Professor in Education Research focuses on inclusive citizenship narratives in diverse, bilingual and/or ESL K-12 social studies classroom settings. |
 Allison SkerrettProfessorFocuses on secondary English and literacy education in urban contexts, including among transnational youth. |
 Luis Urrieta, Jr.Professor, Program CoordinatorCharles H. Spence, Sr. Centennial Professor in Education Follows trends around cultural and racial identities, agency, migration, and social movements in education. |
 Melissa WetzelProfessor & Department ChairFocuses on how preservice teachers integrate critical literacy and culturally relevant practices into field-based literacy teaching. |
 Cathery YehAssistant ProfessorExamines the role race, class, gender and language plays in the constructions of ability in mathematics classrooms. |
Educational Psychology
 Ricardo AinslieProfessorM. K. Hage Centennial Professorship in Education Explores the intersection of psychology and culture through such topics as the psychological experience of immigration, ethnic conflicts and the impact of violence within communities, and the relationship between individual and collective identity. |
 Stephanie CawthonProfessor, Graduate AdvisorElizabeth Glenadine Gibb Teaching Fellowship in Education Explores individual, school, community, and system level factors that affect education, employment, and quality of life outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. |
 Michael ParentAssociate Professor, Counseling Psychology Area ChairFocuses on the intersections of gender, sexuality, and behavioral health in topics of men’s health, gender roles, and muscularity; conducts outreach with gender and sexual minority communities. |
 Erin RodriguezAssociate ProfessorStudies family, linguistic, and sociocultural influences on children’s adaptation to stress, to better understand how family coping, language and communication, and sociocultural context impact children’s mental and physical health outcomes. |
 Marie-Anne SuizzoAssociate Professor, HDCLS Area ChairResearch interests are centered around how parent-child relationships, parental involvement, and child socialization shape children's and adolescents' development and learning across cultures and ethnic groups. |
Educational Leadership and Policy
 Aileen BumphusAssistant Professor of PracticeAssociate Vice President for Academic Diversity Initiatives in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement Research interests include educational leadership, emotional intelligence, and resiliency. |
 Norma Cantú, J.D.Ken McIntyre Professor for Excellence in School LeadershipWith a background as assistant secretary of education for Civil Rights in the Clinton Administration, she teaches topics in civil rights and the intersection of law and policy in education. |
 Joshua ChildsAssistant ProfessorExamines collaborative approaches involving community organizations and stakeholders that improve academic achievement and reduce opportunity gaps for students. |
 Gerardo De Los SantosSenior Fellow, Civitas Learning |
 Stella FloresAssociate ProfessorExamines the effects of state and federal policies on college access and completion outcomes for low-income and underrepresented populations including immigrant and English Learner students. |
 Denisa GándaraAssistant ProfessorExplores higher education policy and finance, focusing on college access and success for populations historically underserved in higher education. |
 Carrie Lou GarberoglioAssistant Professor of PracticeServes as Co-Director of the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes, focused on dismantling systemic barriers in the transition period through high school and beyond that prevent deaf people from reaching their goals. |
 Liliana GarcesProfessorStudies educational inequality, higher education equity and access policies for underrepresented populations, use and influence of research in Supreme Court cases. |
 Michael Anthony GoodmanAssistant Professor of PracticeFocuses on student governance and involvement in the areas of college student government, the student body presidency, sorority/fraternity life, equity and justice issues, queer students and issues in higher education, and educational crises and emergencies. |
 Terrance GreenAssociate ProfessorExamines principals and school-community engagement/community development, and issues of educational equity and opportunity. |
 Jennifer Jellison HolmeProfessor, Graduate AdvisorFocuses on the politics and implementation of educational policy with an emphasis on school reform, equity and diversity in schools. |
 Huriya JabbarAssociate Professor, EPP Doctoral Program CoordinatorExamines the social and political dimensions of market-based reforms and privatization in education, including school choice and decision-making in K-12 and higher education contexts. |
 Michael NavaAssociate Professor of Practice, Faculty DirectorWorks in support of first-generation, low-income and underserved populations in the areas of student development, retention, academic support, assessment and advising. |
 Colette Pierce BurnetteProfessor of Practice |
 Soncia Reagins-LillyProfessor of Practice, Vice President for Student AffairsShares her expertise in higher education policy, administration and finance, strategic planning, and leadership development as the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. |
 Richard J. ReddickProfessorExamines the experiences of faculty of color at predominantly White institutions; mentoring relationships between faculty and Black students; and work-life balance in academia. |
 Pedro ReyesAshbel Smith Professor of Education PolicyFocuses on school conditions that foster high academic success for children of poverty, stratification of learning opportunities for children of color, and on state policy that facilitates student success across the education pipeline. |
 Victor B. SáenzProfessor & Department ChairW. K. Kellogg Professor of Community College Leadership Leads the Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success Initiative focused on Latino males in education; seeks to advance research-informed policy solutions that enhance educational outcomes for underserved students in secondary and post-secondary education. |
 Lauren SchuddeAssociate ProfessorStudies the impact of educational policies and practices on college student outcomes using quantitative methods. |
 Patricia SomersAssociate ProfessorServes as a faculty affiliate in Women’s and Gender Studies and Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies. Researches topics such as campus safety, higher education law, academic freedom, and higher education in Brazil. |
 Betty Jeanne TaylorAssistant Professor of PracticeAssistant Vice President, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement Focuses on university-wide campus climate initiatives including bias incident reporting and response as well as implementing best practices for inclusive classroom climates and faculty recruitment and retention. |
 Angela ValenzuelaProfessorSpecializes in urban education from a sociological and multicultural perspective, with a focus on minority youth in schools, particularly at the K-12 level. |
 Aaron VoylesAssistant Professor of PracticeServes as the Associate Director for Student Learning and Development and researches post-qualitative and post-structuralist methodologies, discourse analysis, and gender performance. |
Kinesiology and Health Education
 Darren KellyAssistant Professor of InstructionAssociate Vice President, Div. of Diversity & Community Engagement Research focuses on race and sport, leadership, and community building via sport. |
 Lara LatimerAssistant Professor of InstructionTeaches from a holistic health perspective with a focus on personal health, including mental health, meditation and other stress management techniques. |
 Liesl NydeggerAssistant ProfessorFocuses research on reducing sexual health risk behaviors in women with multiple vulnerabilities, ethnic minorities, and illicit drug users. |
 Miguel PinedoAssistant ProfessorFocuses on how migration-related factors contribute to health disparities related to substance abuse, HIV risk, and related harms among Latino populations in the United States and Mexico. |
Special Education
 Doris BakerAssociate ProfessorDevelops and evaluates interventions and assessments using technology to support the academic success of Latinx students and other students whose home language is not English. |
 North CoocAssociate ProfessorExplores how family background, culture, and school contextual factors influence decisions and trajectory outcomes within special education. |
 Natasha StrassfeldAssistant ProfessorExamines how law and policy shape special education service delivery, how racialized minority and ethnic students are (mis)identified for special education placements, and how special education is provided in the juvenile justice system. |