Frances Contreras
Dean and Professor, UCI School of Education
Dean and Professor, UCI School of Education
On January 1, 2022, Dr. Frances Contreras officially began her tenure as dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Education. The third dean in school history, Contreras is the first Chicana/Latina dean to head a school of education in the University of California system.
A first-generation college student, Contreras joins the UCI School of Education from UC San Diego, where she was associate vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion and a professor in the Department of Education Studies at UC San Diego. These roles, she explained, prepared her with a foundation in which she enlists diverse viewpoints and perspectives, critically examines change and growth, and oversees processes to improve efficiency and fairness.
Contreras is a UC alumna, earning a bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley, a master’s degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Education from Stanford University.
With this in mind, Contreras, a SoCal native, looks to expand the reach and impact of the UCI School of Education for its students, UCI, and surrounding K-12 community. Entering its 10th year and already ranked No. 7 in the nation among public schools of education, Contreras calls the UCI School of Education a “diverse, vibrant and influential school.”
“Our school was founded with a mission to improve the educational equity, access and outcomes for individuals of all backgrounds, from infancy to adulthood. The research, curriculum, programs, and partnerships undertaken to achieve this aim make the UCI School of Education unlike any other school in the nation,” Contreras said. “We are working to serve as a national model for putting research into practice and for practice influencing research, while simultaneously serving as an exemplar of inclusive excellence in our programs, research, pedagogy, partnerships, centers, curriculum, admissions and hiring practices.”
Learn more about Dean Contreras, her vision for the UCI School of Education, and the impact she hopes to make on communities across the nation.
Learn more about Dean Contreras, her vision for the UCI School of Education, and the impact she hopes to make on communities across the nation.
