Heather Macías

Dr. Macías (she/they/ella) started her career as a secondary English/Language Arts (ELA) teacher and coach in Southern California's San Fernando Valley and LAUSD. While teaching, she developed teaching practices to integrate and explore different literacies in 21st century and interdisciplinary contexts, while also drawing from Critical Pedagogy and Culturally Responsive Pedagogical teaching practices. The connections she made with classroom students helped Dr. Macías to better understand how content area literacy can support culturally and linguistically diverse students to feel validated, engaged, and represented in schools and curricula. Her past research examined the role of professional development in supporting secondary ELA teachers to better serve multilingual students; explored the language ideologies and language socialization practices of bilingual Latina mothers; and examined STEM literacy practices with the South Coast Writing Project, a California Writing Project site. 

Dr. Macías' current research utilizes qualitative research methods and draws from Critical Discourse Analysis, Indigenous ontologies of learning, and Drag Pedagogy to examine topics related to preservice teachers, assets-based teaching, and the educational experiences of marginalized students, including:

  • Integrating Culturally Responsive Pedagogy into higher ed. STEM courses to close racial equity gaps
  • Exploring how teacher education programs and professional development can support the development of effective and highly qualified secondary Ethnic Studies teachers
  • Enhancing preservice teachers' understanding and integration of students' funds of knowledge into their teaching, including how complex funds of knowledge dismantle deficit perspectives of marginalized students, families, and communities
  • Supporting the social-emotional and professional development and challenges of Queer and/or Trans preservice teachers

In her free time, Dr. Macías enjoys traveling, the theatre, all things drag, watching Bluey, disrupting the heteronormative capitalist patriarchy, and managing the expensive lifestyle of her dog.

“The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy.” ― bell hooks

“We're not young. We're just gay. That's all we have!”  ― Trixie Mattel

  • Ph.D. Education (University of California, Santa Barbara)
  • M.A. Education (University of California, Santa Barbara)
  • M.A.T. Secondary Teaching/Single Subject Teaching Credential (University of Southern California)
  • B.A. Fine Arts (University of Southern California)

  • Content area literacy
  • Teacher education and preservice teachers
  • Inservice professional development and teacher learning
  • Funds of knowledge theory and complex funds of knowledge
  • Culturally Responsive/Relevant/Sustaining Pedagogy and teaching
  • Emergent bilinguals and multilingual education
  • Secondary Ethnic Studies programs
  • Queer preservice teachers
  • Drag Pedagogy

Macías, H. (2023). Being straight and white is “right”: What I learned as a Queer Latina in K-12 US education and what I fight to dismantle in higher education. In R. Hernandez (Ed.), Diverse Experiences of Latinas in Higher Education: Chingonas on their Own Terms (ch.12). Routledge.

Macías, H. (2022). Why I tell pre-service teachers to stop teaching To Kill a Mockingbird: The significance of representation and affirmation in diverse texts. California English, 2(28), 23-27.

Macías, H. (2022). Culture and commodity: How Latina mothers use language to battle against language loss and assimilation in their children. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies. DOI: 10.1080/15427587. 2022.2102010

Macías, H. (2021). Valuing Students’ Funds of Knowledge. California English, 27(2), 12-14.

Macías, H. (2021). Being an ally through podcast instruction. English Journal, 10(4), 115-117.

Macías, H. (2021). A letter to students (and myself): A reminder for transparency and reflection. California English 26(3), 23-25.

Macías, H. (2020). Investigating students' strengths: Using funds of knowledge and Ethnic Studies principles to engage all students. California English, 25(4), 25-17.

Macías, H. (2018). A threshold concept in grading: How I learned to create meaningful opportunities for collaborative peer editing in the classroom. California English, 24(1), 14-16.

  • 2023-2027: National Science Foundation: Scholarships in STEM, Collaborative Research: ENGAGE – Engineering Neighbors: Gaining Access, Growing Engineers (Award #2322436); funded: $79,790 (PI: Yunfei Hou, CSUSB), Evaluator.
  • 2022-2025: National Science Foundation: Improving Undergraduate STEM Education, Collaborative Research: Broadening Inclusive Participation in Artificial Intelligence Undergraduate Education for Social Good Using a Situated Learning Approach (Award #2142490); funded: $600,000 (PI: Yu Chen, SJSU), Co-PI.
  • 2022-2024: National Science Foundation: Advanced Informal STEM Learning, Collaborative Research: Broad Implementation of Mobile Making: A University-Based, STEM Maker Education Ecosystem for Engaging Underserved Communities (Award #2215654); funded: $505,000 (PI: Edward Price, CSUSM), Collaborator.
  • 2022-2023: U.S. Department of Education: Assistance for Arts Education, STEAM Ecosystem Expansion Demonstration Project; funded: $1.9 million, PI.
  • 2020-2023: California Educational Learning Lab, Equitable Calculus for Life Sciences; funded: $1.2 million (PI: Alexander Alekseenko, CSUN), Grant Writer.
  • 2020-2022: CSU Chancellor’s Office, Center to Close the Achievement Gap; funded: $3 Million (PIs: Corinne Martinez & Cara Richards-Tutor, CSULB), Researcher.
  • 2020-2023: California Educational Learning Lab, Rebalancing the Equity Gap in Chemistry Education with Individualized Adaptive Learning; funded: $1 million (PI: Delmar Larsen, UC Davis), Consultant.

  • 2024-2025: Fellowship, Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice (Nationally Competitive)
  • 2023-2024: University Early Academic Career Excellence Award, California State University, Long Beach (Institutionally Competitive)
  • 2023-2024: Fellowship, Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice (Nationally Competitive)
  • 2022-2024: La Academia Liderazgo Fellowship, Hispanic Association of College and Universities (Nationally Competitive)
  • 2021-2023: Emerging Research Fellowship, Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (Nationally Competitive, $5,000)
  • 2019-2020: Fellowship, University of California: California Teacher Education Research and Improvement Network (Statewide Competitive)
  • 2018: Summer Fellowship, University of California Santa Barbara South Coast Writing Project (Regionally Competitive, $500)

  • Macías, H. (2024, April 11-14). “If you don't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”: Teachers’ perceptions of the social-emotional learning embedded in drag [vice-presidential session]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
  • Chen, Y., Graco, G., Hou, Y., Macías, H., & Gomez, F. (2024, March 25-27). AI for Social Good Education at Hispanic Serving Institutions [paper presentation]. Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence 2024 Spring Symposium, Stanford, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2024, March 1-3). Using Project-based Learning to Tap into Community Cultural Capital [paper presentation]. California Association for Teachers of English Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA, United States. 
  • Chen, Y., Albert., L., & Macías, H. (2023, December 10-13). Prototyping AI-Powered Social Innovation in an Undergraduate MIS course. [paper presentation]. 2023 International Conference on Information Systems, Hyderabad, India.
  • Macías, H. (2023, November 6-8). So long and thanks for all the systemic trauma: Healing through an Indigenous perspective on community assets and funds of knowledge [paper presentation]. Critical Questions in Education Fall 2023 Conference, Chicago, IL, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2023, April 13-16). Affirming Historically Marginalized Students’ Backgrounds: Exploring How Preservice Teachers Understand AND Integrate Funds of Knowledge [roundtable session]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2023, March 16). Inclusive and culturally responsive teaching [invited presentation]. STEM-NET Annual Conference, Pomona, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2023, March 3-5). "Why do I need to learn this?" Using project-based learning assessments to connect to students' community funds of knowledge [paper presentation]. California Association for Teachers of English Annual Conference, Monterey, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2023, January 3-6). Affirming students’ complex life experiences and knowledge: Helping preservice teachers to expand their understanding of the diversity of students’ funds of knowledge [paper presentation]. 2023 Hawai'i International Conference on Education, Waikiki, HI, United States.
  • Golden, N., Hsieh, B., Macías, H., Hall, K., & Hume, S. (2022, November 17-20). Amplifying the light of strength-based pedagogy: Deepening our funds of knowledge work in a teacher education literacy course [paper presentation]. 2022 National Conference for Teachers of English, Anaheim, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2002, October 24-26). Affirming culturally and linguistically diverse students’ lives and backgrounds: How can we better prepare preservice teachers to access AND integrate historically marginalized students’ funds of knowledge? [paper presentation]. Critical Questions in Education Fall 2022 Conference, Denver, CO, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2022, October 20-22). Complex funds of knowledge: Integrating ALL types of students’ knowledge and skills into classroom learning [paper presentation]. California Council on Teacher Education, San Diego, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2022, April 9-12). Funds of knowledge: Preparing culturally-aware educators to reframe and integrate historically marginalized students’ “dark” knowledge [paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2022, February 25-27). Shifting our perspectives to talk about and value students’ (dark) funds of knowledge [paper presentation]. California Association for Teachers of English Annual Conference, Long Beach, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2022, January 3-6). Supporting teachers during changes in educational policy: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the ideologies of different stakeholders towards the education of California’s emergent bilinguals [paper presentation]. 2022 Hawai'i International Conference on Education, Waikoloa, HI, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2021, October 11-13). Funds of knowledge: Preparing culturally competent educators to access, integrate, and reframe historically marginalized students’ knowledge and skills [paper presentation]. Critical Questions in Education Fall 2021 Conference, Cleveland, OH, United States.
  • Macías, H., Popescu, M., Allen, G., Lopatinsky, G., & Lundy, D. (2021, July 26-29). Using value sensitive design to rebalance the equity gap: Culturally responsive design for personalized learning in STEM [Conference session]. Cal State Tech Connect 2021 Virtual Conference.
  • Macías, H. (2021, April 9-12). Rethinking teacher expertise: Using meaningful collaboration to effectively support teacher learning across careers and policy changes [paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, United States (virtual).
  • Macías, H. (2020, February 21-23). How to use California’s new guidelines for Ethnic Studies in the ELA classroom: Golden lines and funds of knowledge [paper presentation]. California Association for Teachers of English Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2020, February 17-19). From novice to expert teachers: Using collaboration to effectively support teacher learning across careers and during times of policy change [paper presentation]. Critical Questions in Education Spring 2020 Conference, Seattle, WA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2019, June 20-22). From good policy to good teaching: A Critical Discourse Analysis of California’s teachers and multilingual students [paper presentation]. International Society for Language Studies Annual Conference, Hong Kong, China.
  • Macías, H. (2019, April 4-9). The role of professional development: A Critical Discourse Analysis of California’s English Learners [roundtable session]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada.
  • Macías, H. (2018, June 28-30). Culture and commodity: How Latina mothers use language to battle against language loss and assimilation in their children [paper presentation]. International Society for Language Studies Annual Conference, Waterloo, Canada.
  • Loria, T. & Macías, H. (2018, March 8-11). On Wednesdays we wear pink: Using writing to help students see beyond their clique [paper presentation].  California Association for Teachers of English Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2017, June 5-8). The language ideologies of Latina mothers regarding Spanish-English code-switching [paper presentation]. International Society for Language Studies Annual Conference, Honolulu, HI, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2017, May 4-6). The practice and pedagogy of secondary science (and writing) teachers [poster presentation]. California STEM 2017 Conference, Anaheim, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. & Nation, J. (2017). Making with a purpose: Exploring reading, writing, presenting, and making connections [paper presentation]. California Association for Teachers of English Annual Conference, Santa Clara, CA, United States.
  • Macías, H. (2016, April 8-12). The influence of others’ language use and language ideologies on bilingual, Latina mothers [paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., United States.

  • Co-organizer, CSULB Black Lives Matter at School’s Week of Action, campus events, Spring 2024
  • Invited Panelist, “Phenomenal Women in Higher Education: Know Them, Be Them, Raise Them,” Mojave Community College, 8 March 2023
  • Co-organizer, CSULB Black Lives Matter at School’s Week of Action, campus events, Fall/Spring 2023
  • Invited Speaker, “Teaching STEM through a Culturally Responsive Lens: A Primer," CSU San Bernardino: Teaching Academy, online event, 20 Nov. 2022
  • Invited Panelist, “Ethnic Studies in K-12 Contexts,” California Council on Teacher Education Annual Conference, 22 October 2022
  • Co-Program Chair, Queer Studies SIG, American Educational Research Association, AY2022-2024
  • Speaker, "STEM Program Assessment and Evaluation Webcast," STEM-NET [webcast], 29 June 2022
  • Speaker, "Race and Ethnicity from a Global Perspective Series," California Global Education Project, online event, 5 May 2022
  • Speaker, “Culturally Sensitive Teaching in STEM Webcast,” STEM-NET [webcast], 10 March 2021
  • Invited Guest, “Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in STEM Fields,” All Things STEM [podcast], 11 February 2021
  • Co-organizer, CSULB Black Lives Matter at School’s Week of Action, online events, Spring 2021, Spring 2022
  • Speaker, Critical Questions in Education Symposium, Seattle, WA; 17 February 2020
  • Speaker, Southern California Teachers of English Fall Symposium, Long Beach, CA; 26 October 2019