Educational Leadership Program Faculty

The Ed.D. Leadership Program faculty are composed of scholars and researchers from across SJSU who are committed to preparing collaborative, transformative leaders capable of building school systems free from oppression, injustice, and inequality as well as to closing the opportunity gap resulting in educational disparities and social inequalities.

Program Director

Ferdie Rivera, Ph.D. (Interim) ferdinand.rivera@sjsu.edu Sweeney Hall 402

• Dr. Rivera's Bio

  • Ferdie Rivera is Professor in the Department of Mathematics and
    Statistics and currently Interim Director of the Ed.D. Leadership
    Program at the Connie L. Lurie College of Education at San José
    State University. He was a STEM Education Administrator (Program
    Director) for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and managed
    foundational and applied research projects in STEM education (in
    particular, mathematics education). At NSF he also helped establish a
    structure for understanding core federal investments in STEM
    education research and development for the country (i.e., learning,
    learning environments, broadening participation, and workforce
    development). At SJSU, he managed the Department of Teacher
    Education, coordinated the mathematics education program, and was a core faculty member of the Ed.D. Program. He also led the
    development and implementation of SJSU's first undergraduate
    teacher preparation program - the B.A. Mathematics Integrated
    Teacher Education Program - that enables undergraduate
    mathematics majors to pursue a subject matter-driven single subject
    credential in mathematics and an education specialist minor that also
    leads to a combined special education credential and M.A. in Special
    Education in mild to moderate disabilities. This program has recently
    received a NSF Noyce award for its innovative and potentially
    transformative model of teacher preparation.

    Dr. Rivera was a recipient of the prestigious NSF Career award that
    enabled him to conduct empirical research on the nature of structural
    thinking in mathematics among K-8 students. His basic area of
    research expertise is school-based mathematics cognition. His
    research studies and publications from the NSF Career grant helped
    advance the field of Early Algebra in the country. Dr. Rivera was also
    a recipient of several improvement science/implementation research
    grants from the U.S./California Department of Education that trained
    K-12 inservice teachers in several districts in the Bay Area to (i)
    effectively integrate English Learner strategies in teaching
    mathematics and (ii) improve their teaching practice through
    professional learning.

    Dr. Rivera is an expert in the cultural studies in education. At The Ohio State University, he was a member of the first cohort of doctoral
    students that explored poststructural and postmodern theories and
    research in education. He is a trained scholar in Foucauldian,
    Derridean, and Deleuze-and-Guattarian analysis.

    Dr. Rivera's current research interests involves investigating virtual
    reality (VR)-mediated representational tools for learning and teaching mathematics, which draws on an enactive and action-oriented view of cognition, and developing scaling-for-equity models in math teacher preparation, in which case deep change in teaching practice is seen as a multidimensional, systemic concept. Dr. Rivera sees issues in teacher education, educational leadership, and institutional restructuring from the lens of student learning and
    thinking. For more information about his NSF-supported VR research project, please go to: https://sites.google.com/sjsu.edu/ferdierivera/home 

    Dr. Rivera has published in top-tier journals such as the Educational
    Studies in Mathematics, Journal of Mathematical Behavior,
    Contemporary Educational Psychology, Journal of Numerical
    Cognition, and Perspectives on Psychological Science and the NCTM professional journals. He also authored several academic and
    professional books and book chapters related to his NSF-funded
    research and co-edited special issues for academic journals (e.g.,
    ZDM) and books (e.g, Springer). He continues to review for journals in math education, teacher education, educational research, and
    developmental psychology, and is a consultant on several innovative
    STEM education research projects.

    

                                  .  

Core Faculty

Rebeca Burciaga, Ph.D. | Professor, Educational Leadership & Chicana and Chicano Studies, Program Founder and Coordinator, Emancipatory Leadership MA Program

Liliana Castrellón, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership

Arnold Danzig, Ph.D. | Professor, Educational Leadership

Veneice Guillory-Lacy, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership

María Ledesma, Ph.D. | Department Chair & Professor, Educational Leadership

Affiliated Faculty

Roxanne Fuentes, Ed.D. | Lecturer, Ed.D. Leadership Program and Superintendent, Berryessa Union School District

John Pappalardo, Ed.D. | Lecturer, Ed.D. Leadership Program and Chief Financial Officer, Cambrian School District

Robert Gliner, Ed.D. | Lecturer, Ed.D. Leadership Program

Jabagchourian John, EDLD | Lecturer, Educational Leadership Department

Core Faculty Directory, Bios, and Highlights

Rebeca Burciaga, Ph.D. Professor, Educational Leadership & Chicana and Chicano Studies, Program founder and Coordinator, Emancipatory Leadership MA Program rebeca.burciaga@sjsu.edu  (408) 924-3644 Twitter: @qvo

• Dr. Burciaga's Bio

  • Dr. Rebeca Burciaga is the Founding Executive Director of the Institute for Emancipatory Education in the Connie L. Lurie College of Education at San José State University and a Professor of Educational Leadership & Chicana and Chicano Studies. Her research is nested in the nepantla (borderlands) of Education and Chicana/o Studies and focuses on the schooling experiences of Chicano and Latino students, families, communities, educators, and leaders from preschool through profession. Her current work focuses on emancipatory and culturally sustaining approaches to school leadership with SJSU's Emancipatory School Leadership MA Program that she founded. Her research in schools and communities spans over 20 years and includes mixed-methods research on pathways from preschool to the professoriate, the experiences of students who leave high school before graduation, and the ways in which geographic regions structure inequalities. She specializes in the study of qualitative methodologies, critical theories (e.g. critical race theory & Chicana feminist theories), and critical pedagogies (e.g. testimonio). 

    Dr. Burciaga has an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz, a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of California at Los Angeles. She is a co-founder of the Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice and her research has been supported by highly competitive funding including the Spencer Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. Her most recent scholarship can be found in Educational Administration Quarterly, Equity & Excellence in Education, Race, Ethnicity and Education, Multicultural Perspectives, and the Association of Mexican American Educators Journal.

• Dr. Burciaga's Recent Publications & Presentations

  • Presentations

    Burciaga, R., Guillory-Lacy, V., Tejada, H., Chau, C., King, E., & Hawkins-McCray, S. (2022, November) Reimagining DEI Initiatives: An Emancipatory Perspective of Equity Work in K-12 Schools. University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA), Seattle, WA.

    Burciaga, R. (chair), Buenavista, T. L. (discussant) Dones, C. M., Nhung Phu, C., Otaky-Ramirez, Z., Aguirre, P. (2020, April). First-Generation Women of Color Professionals: An Examination of the intersectional experiences in higher education. Panel at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), San Francisco, CA.

    Burciaga, R., Delgado Bernal, D., Elenes. C. E., Flores Carmona, J. (2019, May). Educación en Nepantla, Paths of Conocimiento. Paper presented at the International Conference of the Life and Work of Gloria Anzaldúa, Paris, France.

    Publication

    Kohli, R., Burciaga, R., & Pizarro, M. (2022). Retained and empowered: A case of teacher of color critical professional development. In C.D. Gist, T.J. Bristol (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color.

    Covarrubias, A., Lara, A., Nava, P., Burciaga, R. (2022). Critical Race Quantitative Intersectionality: A Toiling Movement-Building Paradigm that Refuses to “Let the Numbers Speak for Themselves.” In M. Lynn, A.D. Dixson (Eds.), Handbook of Critical Race Theory in Education.

    Burciaga, R. & Tavares, A. (2021). Coraje y Amor: Bilingual Bicoastal Leadership from Preschool to the Professoriate. In M. A. Martinez, & S. Méndez – Morse (Eds.), Latinas Leading Schools.

Arnold Danzig, Ph.D. Professor, Educational Leadership arnold.danzig@sjsu.edu  (408) 924-3722

• Dr. Danzig's Bio

  • Arnold Danzig is professor and former founding director of the Ed.D. program in Educational Leadership in the Connie L. Lurie College of Education at San José State University. Prior to that he served as professor and associate director, School of Public Affairs/College of Public Programs at Arizona State University. In 2009-2010, he served as Professor and Director of the Division of Advanced Studies in Policy, Leadership, and Curriculum and Professor of Education Leadership and Policy Studies in the Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education. He has served as Associate Dean and Director of the D.E.L.T.A. Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership. His research offers a humanistic vision of leadership for schools and democratic institutions, with deep and practical commitment to the betterment of individual and institutional lives. He has extensive international experience related to globalization and education policy, and has led groups for international study in Europe, Mexico, and South America. Dr. Danzig has published numerous books and articles on educational leadership and education policy including Learner-Centered Leadership: Research, Policy, and Practice (2007), and School Leadership Internship (3rd edition, 2012). His newest book (edited with Liz Hollingworth) is Research in Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership (2014), a volume in the University Council for Educational Administration Leadership Series. He is also an author and editor of the American Educational Research Association's Journal Review of Research in Education, which released the 2012 volume "Education, Democracy, and the Public Good," and the forthcoming 2014 volume titled "Language Policy, Diversity, and Politics in Education." His published articles on educational leadership and school administration, professional development, and school-to-work transition, have appeared in multiple journals including International Studies in Educational Administration, Education Policy, Journal of Educational Administration, Educational Leadership and Administration, Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation.

• Dr. Danzig's Recent Publications & Presentations

  • Book

    Martin, G. E., Danzig, A. B., Flanary, R. A., & Orr, M. T. (2021). School leader internship: Developing, monitoring, and evaluating your leadership experience (Fifth). Routledge.

    Danzig, A. & Black, W. (Eds). (2019). Who controls the preparation of school administrators? Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

    Book Chapters

    Danzig, A., Black, W., & Aravamudhan, R. (2019). Introduction to volume: Academic drift and institutional production. In A. Danzig & W. Black,. (Eds). Who controls the preparation of school administrators? (pp. 3-25). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

    Black, W., & Danzig, A. (2019). Principal preparation or leadership education? Examining administrative licensure production and graduate employment in three state contexts. In A. Danzig & W. Black,. (Eds). Who controls the preparation of school administrators? (pp. 53-80). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

    Conference Papers and Participation

    International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership (ICPEL) (2021). Symposia Organizer and Session Participant. Symposium 1: Who Decides: Power, Dis/ability and Leadership: Focus on Ontology, Epistemology, Intersectionality, and Advocacy; Symposium 2: Who Decides: Power, Dis/ability and Leadership: Policy and Practice

    World Education Leadership Symposium (2019). Symposium Organizer and Session Participant. Who Controls the Preparation of Education Administrators: Institutional Production, Academic Drift, and Epistemic Drift. Zug, Switzerland, September 22 - 27, 2019.

    University Council for Education Administration (2019). Faculty Mentor. Graduate Student Symposium. New Orleans, LA: November 20, 2019.

    University Council for Education Administration (2019). Ignite Session, Organizer and Participant. Who Controls Education Administration? New Orleans, LA: November 20-24, 2019.

María Ledesma, Ph.D. Department Chair & Professor, Educational Leadership maria.ledesma@sjsu.edu

• Dr. Ledesma's Bio

  • Dr. María C. Ledesma grew up in Oakland, California. As a first-generation college student, María earned a B.A. from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. in education from UCLA. She has previous experience as an undergraduate admissions reader for her undergraduate alma mater, UC Berkeley, and sat as the graduate student representative for the University of California’s faculty senate committee on undergraduate admissions—The Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools. As a doctoral student María was selected to sit as the 32nd Student Regent for the University of California, the first Latina to hold this post. Her research interests include equity oriented critical policy analysis, including contextualizing and historicizing the history and application of race-conscious social policy in higher education and the examination of leadership for social justice. She is also interested in exploring the experiences of faculty of color who identify as first-generation. Her work has appeared in the Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, Equity and Excellence in Education, Review of Higher Education, and Qualitative Inquiry.

Current Faculty Resources

• Working with Ed.D. Dissertation Writers [pdf]
• Ed.D. and the IRB [pdf]