Dr. Christina Chavez-Reyes
Biography
Dr. Christina Chavez-Reyes has had a varied career in education. In her
undergraduate years, she worked in early childhood education as a teaching
assistant at a private pre-school. More >>
She has taught English as a second language in Japan, Mexico, and in adult education programs. She has also taught undergraduate composition at Northern Arizona University, remedial composition courses at San Jose State University and sociolinguistics and second language acquisition courses in teacher credential programs. She received her doctorate in 2002 from Stanford’s School of Education under the advisement of Dr. Guadalupe Valdes, a renowned scholar in bilingual education. She worked with Dr. Valdes on a five-year project identifying young interpreters as gifted through a grant from the Center of Gifted and Talented. She has also worked on freelance projects with a few educational software companies and worked with university residential programs for first-generation college youth (Upward Bound) and international students. Dr. Chavez-Reyes currently is an Associate Professor in and Associate Chair of the Liberal Studies Department.
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Areas of Interests
Dr. Chavez-Reyes is most passionate about dealing with racial, ethnic and
linguistic diversity in public education, especially in how schools, families and
communities engage to help children academically succeed. More >>
She is one of a handful of scholars that studies later-generation Mexican Americans, and overlooked student population in educational studies. Additionally, Dr. Chavez-Reyes’ current interest is to delineate appropriate and effective curriculum for undergraduate teacher candidates to teach effectively in California’s socially diverse schools. Chief among her interest is an emphasis on civic engagement and social justice as experienced through service learning. Her commitment to community involvement in the San Gabriel area has included three years as board member for a non-profit organization that academically and economically assisted teen parents.
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Personal Statement
Educational leaders today need to be extremely well educated on the lives
and histories of the varying racial, ethnic, and linguistic communities they serve.
This enables them to make informed and effective decisions that will respect
their human right to an education and human dignity to adjust their lives to
school expectations and not the other way around. Leaders need to outreach and
collaborate with community organizations, formal and informal, to assist students
and their families to find the road to participating with school personnel and on
school campuses. To address the varying social discords and differences that exist
between groups of all kinds, educational leaders have to advocate for students and
families of underrepresented groups as well as to create a sense of civic community
between all groups so that schools become part of community development. They
must be great negotiators, collaborators s and advocates, and above all else, great
human beings.
Education
- Ph.D., Stanford University
- Masters of English, Northern Arizona University
