Conversation with Dean Frances Contreras

Advancing magazine sits down with Frances Contreras, dean and professor at the UCI School of Education, to discuss her vision and five-year plan, what sets the School apart, building on the School’s Top 10 momentum and more.

Dr. Frances Contreras, whose appointment as the UCI School of Education dean began on January 1, 2022, is the first Chicana/Latina dean to head a school of education in the University of California system and the third dean in the School’s history. A first-generation college student, Contreras is widely acclaimed for her research on academic diversity and access from preschool to the Ph.D. and her leadership in equity and diversity. Prior to her tenure as dean, she was most recently associate vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion at UC San Diego. She earned her bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley, a master’s degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in education from Stanford University.

Advancing: What is your overall vision for the UCI School of Education under your leadership?

Dean Contreras: I plan to engage a community of scholars and stakeholders in an era of tremendous societal change to further the School’s reach and impact through our programs, courses and pedagogy, and research projects, while also translating our key findings to inform and improve education at all levels. The School of Education is already one of the best schools in the nation. To me, the role of a dean is to facilitate the conditions for excellence and to improve the infrastructure for all of us to thrive. This includes supporting progress, strategic growth, equity at all levels, and expanding our efforts in areas that the faculty and our stakeholders deem to be priorities.

Now that you’ve had time to get to know the School and its community, what would you say are the qualities that set the School of Education apart?

The School of Education is comprised of a dynamic, innovative and impressive group of scholars committed to equity. Our faculty interests span prekindergarten through postsecondary education pathways, motivation, policy, and learning in multiple contexts. This team of scholars cares deeply about education transformation. What sets the School of Education apart from many of the institutions I have been engaged in is the tenacity to not only produce cutting-edge research, but to ensure that the work we are collectively engaged in is timely, relevant and answering the challenges facing education today.

What excites you the most about your tenure as dean of the School of Education?

The possibilities that lie ahead to propel the School as a resource for the Orange County region, state and nation on critical issues across the P-20+ (prekindergarten to higher education and beyond) education continuum. We are collectively working to impact not only the field of education, but also the policy and practice landscape to improve equity and access in education for all children and students.

What are the biggest opportunities for the UCI School of Education in the next few years?

We remain poised to grow the faculty, which presents a tremendous opportunity to strategically grow in areas that complement our faculty research efforts and programs. It is also critical that we examine how we serve our students and key stakeholders, as well as support staff and their pathways to professional advancement and growth. Another key opportunity relates to supporting K-12 teachers. We have and will continue to witness unparalleled turnover from an overly taxed group of professionals. How we support, engage and respond to the needs of teachers in California is a critical investment for our School of Education. Finally, the higher education landscape is changing. We are witnessing the prevalence of online courses, hybrid work and management, and overall national declines in enrollment. If we are to remain among the top schools of education, our academic programs must continue to examine how we serve our students, so that we can continue to lead by example.

Speaking of the changing higher education landscape, you worked with a committee to create a five-year strategic plan to build on the School’s successes. Could you share about the plan and what it means for the School as it looks toward the future?

A 15-member strategic planning committee comprised of all stakeholders (faculty, staff, students, alumni and key donors) engaged in a strategic plan “refresh” in Spring and Summer 2022. This process resulted in 10 strategic priorities that build upon our core strengths, which the School will continue to invest in as we build upon a solid foundation of engaging in impactful research, authentic partnerships and leaders in educational innovation.

What is the greatest challenges facing education today and how is the School planning to address these issues under the new plan?

There are several areas of the strategic plan, as noted in the 10 key priorities, that the School will prioritize moving forward. These elements of the plan reflect the strong research areas within the faculty – including early learning, language, bilingualism and multilingualism, out of school learning, motivation, digital learning and leading in a data science revolution.

Areas we see education systems struggling with relates to high teacher turnover. Our efforts to strengthen and build upon the Teacher Academy’s work will enable the School of Education and the Center for Educational Partnerships (CFEP) to further expand professional development opportunities for current and future teachers. We want the School of Education to be an academic and professional home where these individuals can come back to, engage with, and utilize as a source of ongoing support and innovation, as they navigate their careers as teachers and leaders.

We also see the challenge for many universities in sustaining their partnerships with the local community. Here, our Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) serves as a model for how a school of education can engage in co-designing program interventions and research as true partners in the inquiry process.

Finally, CFEP remains a key component of the School of Education, as it works to provide programs and opportunities for first-generation and low-income students through long-standing programs such as GEAR UP, TRIO and Upward Bound; but also its emerging programs and efforts, such as the SSTI program geared toward onboarding future community college transfers to UCI.

The School of Education reached Top 10 graduate schools of education within 10 years of becoming a school. How do you hope to continue that momentum?

This is an incredible group of faculty, staff, students and alumni that deeply care about education equity, access and moving the needle on education transformation. To this end, as the School of Education celebrates its 10-year anniversary, it is critical to reflect on the impressive rise to this national standing, while also staying true to our collective mission to leave a lasting imprint on education rooted in equity and justice. That the work we engage through our initiatives, labs and centers moves policy, practice and mindsets to go beyond accepting what is or what was; that we work to push for content, pedagogy, technological access, empowered educators, and services for all youth and learners of all ages.

Looking to the future, it will also be important to step forward to lead in areas that are evolving rapidly, such as environmental education, and serving as a hub for educational innovation, culturally and linguistically responsive approaches to pedagogy, data science, and artificial intelligence in education across P-20+ systems.