Danny C. Martinez
Professor and Chancellor’s Fellow
Danny C. Martinez is a Professor in the Language, Literacy, and Culture program area in the School of Education. His research explores the cultural and linguistic practices of Black and Latinx youth in literacy learning contexts, and teacher learning as it relates to leveraging youths’ rich communicative resources. His research is inspired by his experience as a literacy teacher in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He teaches graduate courses on qualitative methods and ethnography, teacher education courses on literacy and language, and undergraduate courses that explore the languaging experiences of Chicanx and Latinx communities in educational contexts. Dr. Martinez is from South Gate, California.
Education
Ph.D. Education, University of California, Los Angeles, 2012
M.A. Education, University of California, Berkeley, 2002
B.A. English & Chicana/o Studies, Minor in Educational Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, 2000
Professional Appointments
2024-present, Professor, UC Davis School of Education
2019-2024, Associate Professor, UC Davis – School of Education
2013-2019, Assistant Professor, UC Davis – School of Education
2012-2013, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois at Chicago
Publications
Patterson, A. & Martinez, D. C. (2023). Diversity in languaging: The under-representation of minorities voices in academic language research. In E. Ortlieb, K. Britnie & E. Cheek (Eds.), Unpacking disciplinary literacies: From research to practice.
Martínez, R. A. & Martinez, D. C. (2022). Learning in dialogue with Latinx children of immigrants: Reflections on the co-emergence of collaborative linguistic inquiry and critical pedagogical praxis. Urban Education.
Souto-Manning, M, Martinez, D. C., & Musser, A. (2022). ELA as English language abolition: Toward a pedagogy of communicative belonging. Reading Research Quarterly.
Martínez, R. A., Martinez, D. C. & Morales, P. Z. (2022). Black Lives Matter vs. Castañeda v. Pickard: A Utopian Vision of Who Counts as Bilingual (and Who Matters in Bilingual Education). Language Policy.
Avineri, N. & Martinez, D. C. (2021). What can applied linguistics do for social justice? Collaboration and critical engagement for liberation. Applied Linguistics
Higgs, J., Athanases, S., Patterson, A., Martinez, D. C. & Sanchez, S. (2021). Amplifying Historically Marginalized Voices Through Text Choice and Play With Digital Tools: Toward Decentering Whiteness in English Teacher Education. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education.
Montaño, E. & Martinez, D. C. (2021). Parenting through pandemics: Imagining and demanding justice in schools. Multicultural Perspectives, 23(3), 149-154.
Martinez, D. C., Baker-Bell, A., Lee, C. H., & Eagle Shield, A. (2021). In Dialogue: Solidarity. Research in the Teaching of English, 55(4), 442-460.
Martinez, D. C., Monea, B., Phuong, J., Rogers, C., Thakurta, A., Thomas, E. E., Stornaiuolo, A. & Campano, G. (2021) Editor’s introduction: Emerging solidarities in literacy research. Research in the Teaching of English, 55(4), 337-339.
Patterson, A. D., Athanases, S., Higgs, J. & Martinez, D. C. (2020). Developing an inner witness to notice for equity in the fleeting moments of talk for content learning. Equity and Excellence in Education, 53(4), 504-517.
Caraballo, L. & Martinez, D. C., Paris, D. & Alim, H. S. (2020). Culturally sustaining pedagogies in the current moment: A conversation with Django Paris and H. Samy Alim. Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, 63(6), 697-701.
Ononujo, I., Best-Green, B. T. & Martinez, D. C. (2019). Students developing critical language and literacy perspectives. In V. Kinloch, V., Burkhard, T. & Penn, C. Race, Justice, and Activism in Literacy Instruction (35-51). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Martinez, D. C, Montaño, E., & Rojo, J. (2019). Leveraging Classroom Data Sets for Teacher Learning. In I. Garcia-Sanchez & Orellana, M. F. (eds.) Everyday Learning: Leveraging Non-Dominant Youth Language and Culture in Schools (231-247). New York, NY: Routledge.
Martínez, R. A. & Martinez, D. C. (2019). Chicanx and Latinx students’ linguistic repertoires: Moving beyond essentialist and prescriptivist perspectives. In J. McSwan, J. & Faltis, C. (eds.) Codeswitching in the classroom: Critical perspectives on teaching, learning, policy, and ideology (pp. 225-246). New York, NY: Routledge.
de los Rios, C.V., Martinez, D. C., Musser, A., Canady, A., Camangian, P., & Quijada-Cerecer, P.D. (2019). Toward Repairing Harm: Colonial English Education in the United States. Theory into Practice, 58(4), 359-367.
Caraballo, L. & Martinez, D. C. (2019). Leveraging language(s): Reframing rhetorics of fear with narratives of agency and hope. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 63(1), 97-101
Aldana, U. S. & Martinez, D. C. (2019). Reimagining a least restrictive environment in California for emergent bilinguals: The implications of the passage of proposition 58. In Pacheco, M. and Morales, P. Z. (eds.) Transforming schooling for second language learners: Theoretical Insights, Policies, Pedagogies, and Practices (pp. 81-100). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Martinez, D. C., Rojo, J., & Gonzalez, R. (2018). Speaking Spanish in White Public Spaces: Implications for Literacy Classrooms. Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, 62(4), 451-454.
Martinez, D. C., & Caraballo, L. (2018). Sustaining multilingual literacies in classrooms and beyond. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 62(1), 101-104.
Athanases, S. Z., Banes, L. C., Wong, J. W. & Martinez, D. C. (2018). Exploring linguistic diversity from the inside out: Implications of self-reflective inquiry for teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, doi: 10.1177/0022487118778838.
Aldana, U. S. & Martinez, D. C. (2018). The Development of a Community of Practice for Educators Working with Newcomer, Spanish-speaking Students. Theory into Practice, 57(2), 137-146
Martinez, Danny C., P. Zitlali Morales & Ursula S. Aldana (2017). Leveraging students’ communicative repertoires as a tool for equitable learning. Review of Research in Education, 41(1), 477-499.
Martinez, D. C. (2017). Imagining a language of solidarity for Black and Latinx youth in English language arts classrooms. English Education, 49(2), pp. 1790-196.
Martinez, Danny C. & Ramon A. Martínez (2017). Researching the language of race and racism in education. In Stephan May (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Language and Education. New York, NY: Springerlink
Martinez, Danny C. & Ursula S. Aldana (2016). Emergent bilingual youth in US secondary schools. In Kathleen Hinchman & Deborah Appleman (Eds.), Adolescent literacy: A handbook of practice-based research (pp. 78-92). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Martinez, Danny C. (2016). Latino linguistic repertoires in an intensely-segregated Black and Latina/o high school: Is this superdiversity? International Journal for the Sociology of Language. 241, 69-95.
Martinez, Danny C. & Elizabeth Montaño (2016). Toward expanding what counts as language for Latina and Latino youth in an urban middle school classroom. Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice, Vol. 65, 200-216.
Banes, Leslie, Danny C. Martinez, Steve Athanases & Joanna Wong (2016). Self-reflexive inquiry into language use and beliefs: Toward more expansive language ideologies. International Multilingual Research Journal, 10(3), 168-187.
Martinez, Danny C. (2016). “This ain’t the projects”: A researcher’s reflections on the local appropriateness of our research tools. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 47(1), 59-77.
Martinez, Danny C. (2016). Emerging critical meta-awareness among Black and Latina/o youth during corrective feedback practices in urban English Language Arts classrooms. Urban Education, 52(5), 637-666.
Philip, Thomas, M., Danny C. Martinez, Eduardo Lopez & Antero Garcia (2016). Toward a teacher solidarity lens: Former teachers of color (re)envisioning educational research. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 19(1), 182-199.
Martinez, Danny C. (2015). Black and Latina/o Youth Communicative Repertoires in Urban English Language Arts Classrooms. In E. Morrel & L. Sherff (Eds.), New Directions in Teaching English: Reimagining Teaching, Teacher Education, and Research (pp. 59-79). New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
Martinez, Danny C. (2014). Chumpas, los bilis, y peros?: The intersection and collision of language in a middle school newcomer classroom. In J. Mahiri & S. W. Freedman (Eds.), The first year of teaching: Classroom research to increase student learning (pp. 107-119). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Orellana, Marjorie F., Danny C. Martinez, Clifford Lee & Elizabeth Montaño (2012). Language as a tool in diverse forms of learning. Linguistics and Education, 23(4), 373-387.
Martinez, Danny C. (2012). Review of Language across difference: Ethnicity, communication and youth identities in changing urban schools by Django Paris. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 7(4), 380-382.
Orellana, Marjorie F., Clifford Lee & Danny C. Martinez (2011). More than just a hammer: Building linguisstic toolkits. Issues in Applied Linguistics, 18(3), 1-7.
Orellana, Marjorie F., Jennifer Reynolds & Danny C. Martinez (2010). Cultural modeling: Building on cultural strengths as an alternative to remedial reading approaches. In R. Allington & McGill-Franzen (Eds.), Handbook of reading disabilities research. New York: Taylor & Francis.
Gutierrez, Kris D., P. Zitlali Morales, Danny C. Martinez (2009). Re-mediating literacy: Culture, difference, and learning for students from nondominant communities. Review of Research in Education. 33, 213-245.
Policy Report
Special Issue Co-Editor
Orellana, Marjorie F., Danny C. Martinez & Ramon A. Martinez (Eds.) (2014). Thoughts from the editors: Language brokering and translanguaging: Lessons on leveraging students’ linguistic competencies. Language Arts, 91(5), 311-312.
Edited Online Journal
Orellana, Marjorie F., Danny C. Martinez & Jacqueline D’warte (Eds.) (2010). What’s language got to do with it? Center X-Change Online Repository.
Fellowships and Awards
UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow, 2021-22
Janet Emig Award, English Language Arts Teacher Education, National Council for Teachers of English, 2018
Concha Delgado Gaitan Council for Anthropology and Education Presidential Fellow, 2014-2015
National Council for Teachers of English Assembly for Research (NCTEAR) Cultivating New Voices Scholar Award, 2014
Ford Foundation Dissertation Year Fellowship, 2011-2012
UC ACCORD Dissertation Year Fellowship, 2011-2012
Texas State University-San Marcos Summer Predoctoral Fellowship, 2011
NCTE Cultivating New Voices Among Scholars of Color Fellow, 2010-2012
UCLA Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Fellowship, 2008 & 2010
UC Santa Cruz-Fellowship Participant: International Consortium of Researchers of Learning through Intent Community Participation, 2009-2011
UCLA Latino Alumni Association Fellowship, 2008-2009
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education Flanders New Teacher Fellowship, 2000-2002
Courses Taught
Undergraduate Courses
Introduction to Schools-EDU 100
Languaging in Chicanx and Latinx Communities-EDU 151
Teacher Education Courses
Practitioner Action Research-UCD Teacher Education-EDU 206C&D
Literacy in the Secondary Classroom-EDU 301
Ph.D. Seminars
Youth Ethnographies of Language, Literacy, and Race-EDU 244
Ethnographic Methods in Education-EDU 204A
Professional Memberships
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
American Anthropological Association (AAA)
Council for Anthropology and Education SIG
Literacy Research Association (LRA)
National Council for Teacher’s of English (NCTE)
National Council for Teacher’s of English Assembly for Research (NCTEAR)
Danny C. Martinez Named Chancellor’s Fellow
Associate professor and noted scholar of Black and Latinx language and literacy practices Danny C. Martinez joined a select cohort of faculty as a 2021-22 Chancellor’s Fellow.
The Chancellor’s Fellow program awards $25,000 in funding to outstanding faculty who are helping to solve complex and pressing problems.
Early Career Fellowship Awarded to Danny C. Martinez
Danny C. Martinez, assistant professor of education, has been selected to be a 2014 Concha Delgado Gaitan Presidential Fellow by the Council on Anthropology and Education. This early career fellowship is intended to support professional development and mentoring in the field of educational anthropology.
Only five fellowships are awarded each year, which pairs up early career scholars with senior scholars and comes with a $500 travel award to cover the cost of presenting at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association.
