Jimenez-Castellanos named executive director of UGA’s Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education

Oscar Jimenez-Castellanos, a nationally renowned scholar and researcher with more than 20 years in education, has been named the executive director of the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education (CLASE) in the University of Georgia’s Mary Frances Early College of Education.

Jimenez-Castellanos most recently served as a senior research fellow at Claremont Graduate University in California. His appointment at UGA is effective July 1.

“I am honored and eager to lead the work of CLASE,” said Jimenez-Castellanos. “I hope to build upon the high-quality work previously done in the outreach and professional development areas and expand and deepen the evidence-based and data-driven research that will help inform policymakers, civil and community leaders, educators, and the general public.”

Jimenez-Castellanos will also join the College’s faculty as the Goizueta Foundation Endowed Chair of Latino Teacher Education in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, pending a vote from the Board of Regents.

Prior to UGA, Jimenez-Castellanos served in various positions, including director of P-12 research at The Education Trust in Washington D.C.; a visiting scholar at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education; an endowed professor at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas; and associate professor at Santa Clara University (SCU) and Arizona State University.

During his time at SCU, Jimenez-Castellanos founded the Latinx Education Research Center, an intellectual hub for faculty and students to focus on ensuring the well-being of the Latinx community in California and beyond.

“I hope to positively impact the educational trajectory of the Latinx community from pre-K to college, including native-born and migrant communities,” he said. “I am also looking forward to working with UGA faculty, staff, and students to conduct high-impact and consequential research to inform the policy and practice for Latinx students. This includes interdisciplinary scholarship and research that examines the intersection of class, race, ethnicity, language, gender, and immigration.”

Jimenez-Castellanos received his doctoral degree in education jointly from Claremont Graduate University and San Diego State University in 2008 and began his professional career as a dual language teacher.

He specializes in education policy, language policy, and education finance policy for traditionally marginalized populations, including Latinx and multilingual learners.

Jimenez-Castellanos is the author or co-author of more than 70 publications and is the recipient of $8 million in grants, as well as several national awards, including the Ford Foundation’s Postdoctoral Fellowship, the American Education Research Association’s Early Career Award, and the Association of Educational Service Association’s Book Critics Choice Award.

As the director of CLASE, Jimenez-Castellanos will work with stakeholders to re-envision a strategic plan to form partnerships with other organizations to support the academic success of Latinx communities statewide, regionally across the Southeast, nationally across the United States, and internationally across the Americas.

“We want to be a trusted entity for evidence and data-based policy, research, and practice for Latinx education,” he said. “I am grateful to the Goizueta Foundation, UGA, the Mary Frances Early College of Education, and school district partners who support the work of CLASE. There is no better time than now to make sure Latinx students receive high-quality educational experiences to support their academic success. There are no limits on what we can achieve collectively.”

About the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education (CLASE)

CLASE, housed in the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education, is an educational research and development center that engages in research, professional development, and outreach initiatives to prepare teachers and school personnel to effectively work with Latinx students and families.

Through professional learning offerings, CLASE has developed a teacher community of practice that now includes more than 2,000 educators of Latinx and other culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

Additionally, CLASE actively works to create collaborative partnerships with a range of stakeholders at the local, state, national, and international levels to conduct research and support the educational outcomes of Latinx students.

Leveraging the expertise and experience of the center’s interdisciplinary cohort of Goizueta Foundation Scholars, staff, and partners, CLASE will also conduct impactful cross-disciplinary research and provide strategic outreach to P-12 students regarding post-secondary goals and pathways.