PÍA CASTILLEJA

Senior Program Associate

​

Pía Castilleja is a Senior Program Associate in the Quality Teaching for English Learners initiative at WestEd. She is responsible for designing and conducting learning opportunities for teachers and instructional coaches, with a special emphasis on English Language Arts and Spanish language development in dual and bilingual programs. Her research interests include teacher learning and the education of English minority students. As a coach and professional developer Castilleja supports teachers’ growth through rigorous implementation of Qtel approaches, and instructional coaches’ practice through sustained apprenticeship focused on designing and implementing powerful professional development for teachers of linguistic minority students.

​

Castilleja has worked at Stanford University’s Teacher Education Program (STEP) supervising and mentoring Spanish teachers, and as researcher for the Understanding Language Initiative. She has also designed and conducted learning opportunities in Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua and Haiti. In addition to her research and work in the classroom, Castilleja has worked for the Mexican Foreign Service, the World Bank and other organizations bringing theory and practice together to enhance program design and implementation.

​

A native of Mexico, Castilleja received a B.A. in Comparative Religion and an M.A. in Economic and Political Development both from Columbia University, and is currently completing her Ph.D. in Organization Studies at Stanford University Graduate School of Education.

Email:  ecastil@wested.org