Andrene J. Castro, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership

Andrene J. Castro, Ph.D.

Education

  • Ph.D. in educational policy and planning, concentration in race and gender studies, University of Texas at Austin
  • M.S. in urban education; African diaspora studies, Florida International University
  • B.S. in English education, University of South Florida

Research interests

Cultural politics of race in schools; education policy; teacher labor markets; school leadership on teacher recruitment and retention; school-community intersections

Recent publications

  • Castro, A.J. (2023). NEPC review: Integrating housing and education solutions to reduce segregation and drive school equity and When good parents go to jail: The criminalization of address sharing in public education. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center. http://nepc.colorado.edu/review/boundaries
  • Castro, A., Edmondson, E., & Santoro, D. (2023) Shifting the gaze: Examining contextual factors influencing teacher morale in suburban schools. American Journal of Education.130(1). https://doi.org/10.1086/727008
  • Castro, A., Siegel-Hawley, G., Bridges, K., & Williams, S. (2023). Drawn Into Policy: A Systematic Review of School Rezoning Rationales, Processes, and Outcomes. Review of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543231195816
  • Green, T. L. & Castro, A., Germain, E., Latham Sikes, C., & Horne, J. (2023). “They don’t feel like this is their place anymore:” School leaders’ understanding of the impacts of gentrification on schools. American Education Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312231191704
  • Apugo, D., Castro, A., & Dougherty, S.* (2022). A review of Black girls’ urban schooling experiences: Power, policies, and practices. Review of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543221125476
  • Castro, A. (2022). Managing competing demands in a teacher shortage context: The impact of teacher shortages on principal leadership practices. Educational Administration Quarterly. DOI: 10.1177/0013161X221140849
  • Castro, A. (2022). Teachers of color and precarious work: The inequality of job security. Labor Studies Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/0160449X221128050
  • Castro, A., & Jabbar, H., & Nunez*, S. (2022). School choice, teachers’ work, and professional identity. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 30 (104). https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.30.6122
  • Castro, A., Siegel-Hawley, G., Bridges, K., & Williams*, S. (2022). Narratives of school rezoning: How racial storylines shape belonging, leadership decisions, and school boundary lines. AERA Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584221091274

Bio

Andrene J. Castro is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and research faculty at the Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry, and Innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University. She also serves as a research fellow for the Minority Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Equity Center (MERREC) at Virginia Commonwealth University and holds visiting affiliate status at New York University. Castro’s research broadly explores the cultural politics of race in education policy. Her current work focuses on two educational policy areas: 1) the intersection of policies and leadership practices impacting teacher recruitment and retention with a particular focus on teachers of color; and 2) school reform policies influencing neighborhood-communities. She is a former teacher, school district leader, and policy fellow at the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans at the U.S. Department of Education.

Curriculum Vitae

(804) 828-1940