Daniel Russell Jr.

Daniel Russell, Ed.D., graduated from San Diego State University in 1994 with his B.A. in U.S. History and began his career in public education through Teach For America (TFA). He earned his elementary teaching credential by completing LAUSD’s district intern program, for which he received the Golden Apple Award in 1996. He first taught third through fifth grade at 99th Street Elementary School, where he also served as a teacher-facilitator for the Language Development Program for African American Students (LDPAAS), which later became the Academic English Mastery Program (AEMP). He also served as a BTSA mentor, an SDAIE (Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English) trainer, and an EL coordinator. It was through LDPAAS/AEMP and the guidance of its then-director, Dr. Noma LeMoine, that Dr. Russell was introduced to culturally and linguistically responsive (CLR) teaching. In 2002, his 5th-grade class was featured in a segment about African American Language (AAL) in the PBS documentary called Do You Speak American? While at 99th St., he earned his National Board credential in the middle childhood, generalist category in 2003, a credential he credits to his exposure to CLR, which helped him attain it. He was also acknowledged as an outstanding AEMP teacher and facilitator while at the AEMP model school, 99th St. Elementary.

In addition to working at 99th St., Dr. Russell served as a founding teacher of the Culture and Language Academy of Success (CLAS), where he taught fifth through eighth grade from 2003 to 2013. CLAS served as a laboratory school for culturally and linguistically responsive practices. After his time at CLAS, he served as a sixth-grade humanities teacher for a charter school in South Los Angeles. After 21 years in the classroom, he took on the role of Dean of Culture and Climate, where he first implemented a culturally and linguistically responsive version of PBIS. For over twenty years, he also served as an Instructional Coach and Program Specialist for the Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning (CCRTL), where he facilitated professional learning sessions on cultural and linguistic responsiveness (CLR) and CLR-PBIS/MTSS, provided one-on-one instructional development and support in CLR to educators, conducted research, and analyzed data related to implementation of CLR practices.

In 2021, Dr. Russell earned his doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC’s Rossier School of Education. His dissertation, entitled KMO Factors Influencing the Culturally Responsive Implementation of PBIS: A Mixed-Methods Study, was nominated for the Dissertation of Distinction award and examined the persistence of racial disproportionality in school exclusionary discipline despite the implementation of PBIS with fidelity. Specifically, he examined how knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors facilitate or hinder the culturally responsive implementation of PBIS. As with earning his National Board credential, Dr. Russell credits his experience with and passion for CLR in achieving this capstone. Building on his dissertation research and their collective knowledge of CLR and culturally responsive classroom management, Dr. Russell co-wrote Supporting Underserved Students: How to Make PBIS Culturally and Linguistically Responsive with Dr. Sharokky Hollie, which was published in February of 2022.

In August 2025, he launched his own organization, Advocates for Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness for Underserved Students, to support schools, districts, and education agencies with tiered support to infuse PBIS (and MTSS) with cultural and linguistic responsiveness. Dr. Russell has presented at several conferences, such as the New England Positive Behavior Forum, the Maine PBIS Conference, and the National PBIS Leadership Forum on the following topics: How to Make PBIS Culturally and Linguistically Responsive, Supplementing the Tiered Fidelity Inventory with a Culturally & Linguistically Responsive Walkthrough Tool, and Aligning CLR with PBIS: Enhancing Your PBIS with Validation and Affirmation.