About Sal Castro
Sal Castro was a distinguished teacher, mentor, advocate, and community organizer, remembered for his role in the 1968 East Los Angeles Blowouts – a series of historic protests led by Mexican American high school and college students to demand an equitable education. Throughout his career, Sal Castro inspired countless students to succeed in college and serve their community.
Modeled after Sal Castro’s storied Chicano Youth Leadership Conference, the Sal Castro Academy for Urban Teacher Leaders will inspire a new generation of teacher-activists through a transformative and empowering curriculum.
Program Description
In the legacy of distinguished educator and alumnus Sal Castro, the Academy for Urban Teacher Leaders will train teachers to be student-centered advocates in their work educating the next generation.
Participants in the Sal Castro Academy for Urban Teacher Leaders will learn alongside other educators, community leaders, and advocates in a year-long professional development course. The overarching aim is to affect systemic change in education and their communities, through a transformative and empowering curriculum interweaving Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), Ethnic Studies, and Community-Based Activism.
Based on outreach to educators in several districts in the Los Angeles area, a current concern is building the capacity of their Ethnic Studies programs. This year’s academy aims to meet that need while also staying true to the vision and work of Sal Castro to train student leaders.
To that end, The curriculum of the Academy will encompass a few key areas. These are general areas of focus, and the depth of exploration will be tailored, as much as possible, to meet the specific needs and questions of inquiry of participants, as well as the expertise of the presenters. We will focus on:
- Building the capacity of your Ethnic Studies teaching team
- Advocacy and leadership in the current policy and political context
- Civic and community engagement and youth participatory action research
- Overview of Ethnic Studies pedagogies and current research in the discipline
Program Benefits/Goals
- Examine the legacy of Sal Castro and the relevance of his work for teacher activism
- Identify advocacy strategies for equity and justice within the education system
- Analyze the transformative potential of education projects using YPAR, Ethnic Studies, and Community-Based Activism
- Engage in critical self-reflection and strategies of self-care
- Join a community of transformative urban educators oriented toward social activism and advocacy.
- Learn alongside colleagues and other like-minded educators to develop their own knowledge and expertise and proactively address a problem of practice
- Explore and develop civic engagement and student activism projects that meet the criteria of the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
The 2024-2025 programs will conclude on April 24th (Secondary) and May 15th (TK-8). If you have any questions and/or would like to register for the 2025-26 programs for TK-8 educators or 9-12 educators, please contact Jason Kim-Seda ([email protected]).
Dates and location to be determined. As with previous programs, we will meet at a district host site in the Cal State LA area, and sessions occur once a month during the school year.
The course is intended for “teaching teams” (classroom educators, administration, district level, counselors, TOSAs, etc.) who are involved in the development of their district’s Ethnic Studies program and/or the development of student leaders committed to civic and community engagement and activism. In the spirit of building capacity and community, we encourage districts and schools to send a team.
While registration has passed for this academic year, you can register for the '25-'26 school year in the Spring of 2025. Registration will remain open until the cohort is filled. The participation fee is currently $1000 per person, but this may rise next year as needs require.
Latest News
Sal Castro Academy encourages collaboration in training educators to be student-centered advocates
"In its third year of existence, the Sal Castro Academy for Urban Teacher Leaders has expanded to include 128 participants from five Los Angeles area school districts. The College of Education program trains teachers and other educators to be student-centered advocates in a year-long program that encourages them to collaborate and learn from each other."
Contact information
For more information about the academy and to register, you can contact the College of Education at (323) 343-4300, or email [email protected].