UCSB Credit for Teachers, Earn Units for Career and Salary Advancement
With Dr. Victor Rios
Join Dr. Rios for an upcoming UCSB-accredited course this Spring: ED X360.1 – Empowering Students through Culturally Responsive Support and Instruction
This course is designed for educators who believe student engagement begins with dignity, belonging, and culturally responsive support.
This course is offered through the UCSB PACE Program, and participants will earn UCSB accredited graduate units that may apply toward professional development, salary advancement, or continuing education, depending on your role or district. (Please confirm eligibility with your HR department.)
📅 Course Dates: March 30, 2026 – June 5, 2026
🎓 Instructor: Dr. Victor Rios
🎓 Credit: Three UCSB PACE accredited units
Course Details
I will be drawing directly from research that Rebeca Mireles Rios and I have conducted over the past 20 years with at-promise students across California and beyond. You will learn strategies and tools for building emotionally supportive, culturally responsive classrooms that increase student engagement and achievement.
Together, we will explore the Teacher Training Trifecta framework, strengthen asset based practices, design curriculum that honors students’ cultural strengths, examine bias and mindset, and develop practical interventions you can implement immediately. By the end of the course, you will be prepared not only to transform your own classroom, but also to facilitate professional learning with colleagues and create an actionable plan for sustaining this work in your school community.
Who is this course for?
- PLC Teams
- CounselorsÂ
- District and Site Leadership
- TOSAs and Coaches
- All Educators looking to advance their careers!
About Dr. Rios
A tenured and award-winning professor at UC Santa Barbara, Dr. Rios once stood on the edge of fatalism as a high school dropout and juvenile delinquent. Defying the odds, he earned his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and became one of the nation’s leading researchers on at-promise youths, resilience, and educational transformation.
Today, Dr. Rios partners with school districts and superintendents nationwide to dismantle systemic barriers and ignite new pathways to prosperity, well-being, and academic success for at-promise students and their families.
A sought-after keynote speaker and trusted advisor, Dr. Rios equips education leaders with actionable strategies to inspire hope, build strong relationships, and create school cultures where all students thrive—especially those growing up in poverty, trauma, or marginalization.
Through compelling storytelling, research-driven insights, and a profound understanding of the challenges educators face, Dr. Rios empowers districts to reimagine discipline, increase engagement, and improve outcomes for young people growing up in struggle. Dr. Rios inspires transformation, and delivers the roadmap to achieve it.
Dr. Rios at CABE 2024!
