Hi, I’m Dr. Elise Castillo:
I am an Assistant Professor of Educational Studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. I am also a 2023-2024 National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow.
I conduct qualitative research on school choice policies, focusing on their possibilities for, and limitations to, advancing racially integrated, equitable, and democratic public education. As an interdisciplinary scholar, I employ concepts from political science, sociology, and critical policy analysis.
I have a particular interest in understanding how diverse Asian American students and families experience and make sense of school choice and integration policies. My work examines this topic in Greater Hartford, Connecticut, and New York City.
Related work examines the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on school integration organizing in New York City, where school choice has exacerbated segregation over the last two decades; and how progressive and community-based charter schools can advance or hinder racial equity and integration.
My work has been published in various academic journals, including American Journal of Education; Education Policy Analysis Archives; and Race, Ethnicity, and Education. In addition, I have shared my work with broader audiences in The Connecticut Mirror and the Have You Heard podcast.
Prior to my academic career, I taught middle and high school English in New York City public schools.
Ph.D in Education Policy
University of California, Berkeley
MA in Education Policy
University of California, Berkeley
MS in Teaching (Adolescent English)
Pace University
BA in English and Creative Writing
Barnard College
Castillo, E. (2025). Making Sense of Segregation: Asian American Youth Perspectives. AERA Open, 11.
Castillo, E., & Debs, M. (2025). Asian Americans, the model minority narrative, and perspectives on school integration. The Urban Review.
Castillo, E. (2022). “More of the diversity aspect and less of the desegregation aspect”: Asian Americans and desegregation in metropolitan Hartford. Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 27(6), 913–931.
Debs, M., Makris, M. V., Castillo, E., Rodriguez, A., Smith, A., & Ingall, J. S. (2022). Building civic capacity: The history and landscape of NYC integration activism, 2012–2021. Teachers College Record. 124(6), 118–150.
Castillo, E., Makris, M. V., & Debs, M. (2021). Integration versus meritocracy? Competing educational goals during the Covid-19 pandemic. AERA Open.
Castillo, E. (2020). “Doing what it takes to keep the school open”: The philanthropic networks of progressive charter schools. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 28(121), 1-26.
Castillo, E. (2020). A neoliberal grammar of schooling? How a progressive charter school moved toward market values. American Journal of Education, 26(4), 519-547.
Castillo, E., La Londe, P. G., Owens, S., Scott, J., DeBray, E., & Lubienski, C. (2020). E-Advocacy among intermediary organizations: Brokering knowledge through blogs. Urban Education.
Hernández, L. E., & Castillo, E. (2020). Citizenship development and the market’s impact: Examining democratic learning in charter schools in two regions. Educational Policy.
Scott, J., DeBray, E., Lubienski, C., La Londe, P. G., Castillo, E., & Owens, S. (2017). Urban regimes, intermediary organization networks, and research use: Patterns across three school districts. Peabody Journal of Education, 92(1), 16–28.
Castillo, E. (2022, February 15). In expanding school choice, let’s not lose sight of Asian American students. CT Viewpoints. The Connecticut Mirror.
Castillo, E. (2019). Progressive charter schools v. the educational marketplace. [Audio podcast episode]. In Have You Heard.
At Trinity College, I teach courses on education policy, politics, and school reform. I also teach a first-year seminar and the Educational Studies senior thesis seminar. Please see my Trinity faculty profile for more information.
*Adapted, with thanks, from Dr. Jack Dougherty’s advice to students.
For students whom I have gotten to know as their professor and/or advisor, I am usually very willing to serve as a reference or to write a letter of recommendation for employment opportunities and graduate school. (If you are interested in the latter, I encourage you to read Dr. Jack Dougherty’s excellent advice on graduate school.)
That said, please think carefully about what I can and cannot address as your reference or in a recommendation letter. For example, if a potential employer wants specific information about your ability to work with young children, and I have never observed you doing so, I am probably not the best choice for you.
To request a reference or recommendation letter, here is how to proceed:
To request listing me as a reference:
Send me an email stating that you wish to list me as a reference. This usually means that you will provide my name and contact information, and someone from an organization will contact me.
In your email, include the name of the person or organization that might contact me, and a description and/or website about the position or program.
To request a recommendation letter:
Writing a recommendation letter requires more work from both me and you. Please give me at least two weeks’ advance notice. I also encourage you to come to my office hours to discuss your plans with me.
Email me your request, and include either:
A 1–2 paragraph response addressing the question, “Why are you and this program a good match for one another?” or
A draft of your personal statement for the application. Reading your words helps me to tailor my letter for your audience.
Please also send me your resume.
Include clear instructions about the deadline and where to send my letter. Some programs request that I email it directly to them, whereas others require you to complete an online form that automatically sends me a link to upload your letter.
Finally, please keep me posted on the outcome of your application!