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LERC - In the News

Renowned Latinx Scholar Named Director of Latinx Education Research Center

April 8, 2018

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Oscar Jiménez-Castellanos was appointed the inaugural director of the new Latinx Education Research Center (LERC) at Santa Clara University’s School of Education and Counseling Psychology, where he will lead a multipronged effort to improve the education and well-being of Latino and Latina (Latinx) children, families and communities at the regional, state, and national level. In his role as Director of LERC, Jiménez-Castellanos’ first agenda items will be to form a national Advisory Board and to expand the impact of Santa Clara University’s current Latinx educational programs in the region and beyond. Jiménez-Castellanos will also serve as associate professor and director of Educational Leadership, where he will lead a redesign of the program to focus on the role that educational leadership can play in addressing pressing educational issues related to equity, access, and effectiveness with English Language Learner populations. 

“I am impressed by Dr. Jiménez-Castellanos’ scholarship and his tremendous capacity to form connections to students and faculty,” said Sabrina Zirkel, dean of the School of Education and Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University. “He brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion to ensuring that schools address the needs of English Language Learner, immigrant, and Latinx students and families. His areas of research and teaching complement and expand our existing strengths in these areas.” 

Jiménez-Castellanos comes to Santa Clara from Arizona State University, where he developed an outstanding record of scholarship into the impact of school-finance policy on Latinx English-language-learner students and families.  His work examining the impact of fiscal and educational policy on bilingual education has provided tremendous insight into ways to improve educational experiences and outcomes for U.S. Latinx and other immigrant students. 

His writing has received numerous awards and recognition, including the American Educational Studies Association Critics’ Choice Book Award for a book he co-edited in 2012, Bicultural Parent Engagement: Advocacy and Empowerment (Teachers College Press). 

The Latinx Education Research Center will build on a long history of expertise in issues of Latinx education and counseling at Santa Clara University’s School of Education and Counseling Psychology. 

“Our goal is for LERC to serve as an intellectual ‘hub’ for faculty and students interested in issues of Latinx education and well-being. Our aim is for the Center to become a recognized national leader in highlighting and addressing issues in Latinx education and well-being,” said Zirkel. “We consider it our mission to prepare educational leaders to serve all of the children and families in our community.”