Faculty Profile EMPHASIS AREA: LLC. Adolescent Language and Literacy; English Education; Linguistic Anthropology of Education; Sociocultural Approaches to Learning; Discourse Analysis; Black and Latina/o Youth Interactions; Ethnography

Danny C. Martinez

Associate Professor and Chancellor’s Fellow

Danny C. Martinez is Associate 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

2019-present, 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 schoolsMulticultural 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 learningEquity 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 AlimJournal 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 StudentsTheory 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 ideologiesInternational 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 learningLinguistics 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 ParisPedagogies: An International Journal, 7(4), 380-382.

Orellana, Marjorie F., Clifford Lee & Danny C. Martinez (2011).  More than just a hammer: Building linguisstic toolkitsIssues 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 communitiesReview of Research in Education.  33, 213-245.

Policy Report

Gandara, Patricia, Megan Hopkins, & Danny C. Martinez (2011).  An assets view of language and culture for Latino students. Latino Policy & Issues Brief.  UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center.

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)

Log in