About

I am Professor of Education at the University of Glasgow and Joint Director of the Centre for Transformative Change in Schools (CenTCS). I came to academia as a classroom teacher myself. I attended UCLA’s Teacher Education Program, where I received a California multiple subject teaching credential with a Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development (CLAD) Certificate (still current) and master’s in education. Then, I taught middle school in the Los Angeles Unified School District for seven years. I worked with students whose families had immigrated to the United States and who were learning English as a foreign language.  I also taught students who had been expelled from school for disciplinary infractions. I experienced firsthand the power of the teacher, the challenges of classroom life, and the potential and limits of certain policies and practices to address students’ holistic needs.

I returned to graduate school in 2005 with the desire to investigate how to better support the historically and currently underserved and marginalized students from communities like the one in which I taught and lived. I received my PhD in Urban Education from the University of Southern California in 2009 and have worked as a researcher and teacher in higher education ever since. Prior to my appointment at the University of Glasgow, I held appointments at Utrecht University and the University of Florida.

I have benefitted from living in these culturally, linguistically, geographically, and politically diverse locations and apply my lived experience to my work related to cultural diversity and cultural relevance. What I like most about working as an academic is the freedom to explore, learn deeply about, and investigate highly relevant social justice issues in education. I prioritize bridging the gap that often exists between research and practice, and value collaboration with educators. I really enjoy being in schools and staying grounded in the daily experiences of students and educators.