Laura Chávez-Moreno

Laura Chávez-Moreno is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Departments of Chicana/o & Central American Studies and Education. She earned her PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, with additional graduate training at Boston College and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and a BS in Spanish Secondary Education from Northern Arizona University.

• PhD, Curriculum & Instruction, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Graduate Certificate, Curriculum & Instruction, Boston College
• MA, Literacy, Language, & Culture, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
• BS, Spanish, Secondary-level Education & Latin American Studies, Northern Arizona University

Her research focuses on Chicanx/Latinx education, critical race and ethnic studies in education, relational racialization, and the intersection of race, language, and literacy in urban schooling. She critiques whiteness in bilingual education, explores raciolinguistics, and develops frameworks for racial literacy and decolonizing pedagogy.

Recent publications analyze Latinx critical race theory (LatCrit), raciolinguistic frameworks in dual-language programs, and teacher ideologies in bilingual education. Articles highlight systemic inequities in bilingual education, imperial privilege, and the racialization of Latinidad through colonial lenses.

• AERA Division G Social Contexts in Education Award
• AERA Latinx Research Issues SIG Award
• NCTE Research Foundation’s Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color Fellow (2020–2022)
• 2022 National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2023 Alan C. Purves Award

Dr. Chávez-Moreno mentors students from underrepresented backgrounds, particularly those focused on social justice. She has served as a high school Spanish teacher in the School District of Philadelphia, developed district curriculum, and advised community organizations, integrating practitioner experience into her academic work.