Degrees:
Ph.D., Univ. of California, Berkeley
M.A., Univ. of California, Berkeley
M.S., Pace Univ.
B.A., Barnard College
Dr. Elise Castillo conducts qualitative research on school choice policies, focusing on their possibilities for, and limitations to, advancing racially integrated, equitable, and democratic public education. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she employs concepts from political science, sociology, and critical policy analysis.
Dr. Castillo has a particular interest in understanding how diverse Asian American students and families experience and make sense of school choice and integration policies, and has been examining this topic in Greater Hartford, Connecticut, and New York City. Related work investigates the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on school integration organizing in New York City, where school choice has exacerbated segregation over the last two decades; and how progressive and community-based charter schools can advance or hinder racial equity and integration.
As an educator, Dr. Castillo is committed to supporting her students’ capacities to critically engage with issues related to equity, democracy, and the public good. A former middle and high school English teacher, Dr. Castillo holds an MA and PhD in Education Policy from the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, an MS in Secondary Teaching from Pace University, and a BA in English and Creative Writing from Barnard College. |