Oscar Navarro

Oscar Navarro Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education and Liberal Studies at California State University, Long Beach. His experience as a high school teacher in South Central Los Angeles informs his teaching, scholarship, and activism on developing, sustaining, and enhancing social justice teaching in and out of K-12 schools. Dr. Navarro was previously an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Recent research has been published in Teachers College Record, Curriculum Inquiry, and Urban Education. He was also the recipient of the Transformative Teacher-Educator Fellowship, the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Faculty Fellowship, and the President’s Faculty Diversity Award at Cal Poly.  Dr. Navarro has held leadership roles in AERA Special Interest Group – Critical Educators for Social Justice, the Central Coast Coalition for Undocumented Student Success, and the People’s Education Movement, Los Angeles.

Ph.D., Urban Schooling, University of California, Los Angeles

M.Ed., Teacher Education, University of California, Los Angeles

Single Subject Teaching Credential, Social Science, University of California, Los Angeles

B.A., Major in Sociology and Minor in Education, University of California, Los Angeles

A.A., Rio Hondo Community College

Navarro, O., & Woodward, B. (in press). Using a Critical Race Theory & Social Studies Approach to Center the Histories, Experiences, and Narratives of Communities of Color in Secondary Classrooms. In D.A. Cook (Ed.), Teach Truth: Critical Race Possibilities in Classrooms. Routledge.

Pour-Khorshid, F., Navarro, O., Nyachae, T., & Pham, J. (2022).  Engaging Intersectional Praxis: A Catalyst for Critical Collective Vulnerability and Liberatory Learning. In C. Gist & T.J. Bristol (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers, 601-615. Washington, D.C.: American Educational Research Association.

Navarro, O., Ronan, B., & Reyes Patron, I. (2022). Teacher Candidates of Color Experiences and Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Teaching within Teacher Education: "They hit the target, not the bullseye." Journal for Multicultural Education, Early Release (Issue Pending).

Hsieh, B., Achola, E.O., Keirn, T., Reese, L., Davis, S., Navarro, O., & Moreno, J. (2021). Transforming Educator Practice Through a Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Pedagogies Rubric: Co-Construction, Implementation, and Reflection. In E. Cain, R.A. Filback, & J. Crawford (Eds.), Cases on Academic Program Redesign for Greater Racial and Social Justice, 191-211. Pennsylvania: IGI Global

Navarro, O. (2020). Fugitive Learning through a Teacher Inquiry Group: Urban Educators Humanizing their Classrooms & themselves. The High School Journal, 103 (3), 157-175.

Navarro, O. (2020). Centering Wellness & Fostering Interconnectedness with Future Educators of Color During A Global Pandemic & Racial Justice Uprising. Issues in Teacher Education, 29 (1-2), 54-64.

Navarro, O., Shah, J.K., Valdez, C., Dover, A.G., & Henning, N. (2020). Fighting on All Fronts: The Push, Pull, & Persistence of Social Justice Educators and the Move to Reimagine Teacher Education. Teacher Education Quarterly, 47(3), 9-31.

Navarro, O., Quince, C.L., Deckman, S.L., & Hsieh, B. (2019). Transforming Teacher Education by Integrating the Funds of Knowledge of Teachers of Color. Review of Education, Pedagogy, & Cultural Studies, 41 (4-5), 282-316.

Howard, T.C., Woodward, B., Navarro, O., Huerta, A., Haro, B., & Watson, K. (2019). Renaming the narrative, reclaiming their humanity: Black and Latino males’ descriptions of success. Teachers College Record, 121(5), 1-32.

Navarro, O. (2018). We Can’t Do This Alone: Validating and Inspiring Social Justice Teaching through a Community of Transformative Praxis. Curriculum Inquiry, 3, 335-358.

Navarro, O., & Howard, T.C. (2017). A Critical Race Theory Analysis of Social Studies: Research, Theory, & Practice. In M.M Manfra & C.M. Bolick (Eds.), The Wiley Handbook of Social Studies Research, 206-229. Malden, MA: Wiley & Sons.

Howard, T.C., & Navarro, O. (2016). Critical Race Theory: 20 years later. What Have We Learned? Urban Education, 1, 1-21.

2020                American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education. Faculty Fellowship

2018                Transformative Teacher-Educator Fellowship & Summer Institute

2018                Cal Poly President’s Faculty Diversity Award

2011                Most Exciting Teacher Award at Locke High School

2009                Gang Prevention Certificate for the City of Los Angeles, Summer Night Lights 

2009                Teacher of the Year Award for EARTH SLC at Fremont High School

2009                Most Cheerful Teacher Award for EARTH SLC at Fremont High School

2008                Most Motivating Teacher Award at Fremont High School

2008                Most Understanding Teacher Award at Fremont High School