Ph.D. Candidate
School of Education
University of California, Irvine
Daniel Garcia is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. As the son of undocumented Mexican parents and a first-generation college student, his research is informed by firsthand experiences with the rich cultural and practical knowledge that minoritized families cultivate but that often goes unrecognized in educational settings. His scholarship examines how educational institutions can learn from and build upon this knowledge to affirm families as central partners in their children’s personal and academic success. In partnership with Latine families, educators, a community organization, and a school district, his dissertation* advances the Family Knowledge Circulation Model, an iterative process of surfacing family expertise, building learning experiences from what families already know and do, and returning that learning in ways that strengthen family agency.
*University of California President's Dissertation Year Fellow
Research and Teaching Interests: Early Childhood Learning and Development; Early STEM Education; Funds of Knowledge; Family-Teacher Collaboration, Family-Community-School Partnerships
In this invited talk at UC Irvine's OCEAN Research-Practice Partnership Talks, Daniel shares how partnerships between families, educators, and community organizations support teachers in designing early STEM activities from families’ everyday and cultural knowledge, helping children see their home lives in the classroom.
Dr. Andres Bustamante & Daniel Garcia
CSU Northridge Masters Graduation Ceremony
Dr. Gabriela Chavira (left) & Daniel Garcia (right)
UC San Diego Graduation Ceremony
