Dr. Daniel Russell entered the education profession through Teach for America (TFA) in 1994, teaching 3rd through 5th grade at 99th St. Elementary School in the Watts community of Los Angeles. While there, he also served as a teacher-facilitator with the Academic English Mastery Program (AEMP), as well as an EL Coordinator. In 2002, his 5th-grade class was featured in a segment about African American Language (AAL) in the PBS documentary called Do You Speak American? As a National Board Certified educator, Daniel went on to serve as a founding teacher at the Culture and Language Academy of Success (CLAS) where he taught 6th-8th grade History and Cultural Studies, as well as a Humanities teacher and Dean of Culture and Climate for a charter school in the South L.A. region,
Daniel earned his doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC’s Rossier School of Education; his dissertation was focused on the problem of the persistence of racial disproportionality in exclusionary discipline in schools, despite their implementation of the PBIS framework. Specifically, he examined how knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors help or hinder the implementation of PBIS in a culturally responsive manner. Daniel credits his experience with and passion for CLR in attaining this capstone achievement. Currently, he serves as a Program Specialist for the CCRTL, focusing on research and development, instructional advising, and professional learning. Lastly, he is also the co-author of Supporting Underserved Students: How to Make PBIS Culturally and Linguistically Responsive.
