Rebeca Burciaga

Rebeca Burciaga is an Associate Professor at San José State University in the Department of Educational Leadership in the Connie L. Lurie College of Education. Dr. Burciaga has worked and conducted research with students, schools, and families for over twenty years, focusing on understanding and challenging educational practices and structures that produce and reproduce racial, ethnic, gender, and class inequalities, specifically with respect to Latina/o communities. She specializes the study of qualitative research methodologies including testimonio and ethnography. Her current research and teaching is focused on cultivating asset-based mindsets in teachers and administrators that work with youth of color.  Dr. Burciaga is a co-founder and co-director of the Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice. She 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.  Her research has been supported and recognized by the Spencer Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the National Institute of Health, and the American Association of University Women. Her most recent scholarship can be found in Equity & Excellence in Education, the Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, and the Educational Administration Quarterly. Rebeca’s work is strongly influenced by a dual understanding of education – one that recognizes the importance of education (schooling) and educación (values).Educación is a word in Spanish that extends the definition of education beyond schooling to include a way of acting with values such as respect, integrity, and community responsibility. The Mexican proverb, “la educación nace en la cuna” (education begins in the cradle), celebrates and legitimizes the important roles community and culture play in developing una persona educada and a well-educated person. I embrace both understandings of education and educación, thereby honoring what all students bring to educational settings.

Rebeca Burciaga

Rebeca Burciaga