Karla Sanchez

Biography

Dr. Karla R. Sánchez is an educational leader, scholar, and practitioner with over a decade of experience advancing inclusive, equitable, and humanizing educational systems for students with disabilities and other historically marginalized learners. She has served in district and charter leadership roles overseeing special education and student support services across K–12 settings, with responsibilities that include assessment, IEP development, compliance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and leadership of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Her work emphasizes collaboration, capacity-building, and systems alignment to ensure students receive a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.

Dr. Sánchez holds a PhD in Education for Social Justice and brings a strong practitioner-scholar lens to her professional and academic work. Her research and professional interests center on humanizing pedagogy, Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), and the intersections of race, disability, power, and policy in K–12 educational systems. Her doctoral research focused on at-promise youth receiving special education services and examined how culturally sustaining and justice-oriented approaches can disrupt deficit-based narratives and promote belonging, self-determination, and social-emotional justice.

In addition to her K–12 leadership and research work, Dr. Sánchez serves as an adjunct professor in higher education, where she prepares future educators and leaders through equity-centered teaching, mentoring, and supervision. She is also an educational consultant, partnering with schools and organizations to support systems change, professional learning, and inclusive practices grounded in equity and access.

Professional Interests

• Practitioner inquiry, action research, and preparation of equity-minded educators and leaders
• Inclusive special education systems grounded in equity, social justice, and humanizing pedagogy
• Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) and the intersection of race, disability, and power in K–12 education
• Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and inclusive instructional practices
• IEP development, assessment, and legally defensible practices under IDEA
• Educational leadership and systems-level change for students with disabilities and other historically marginalized learners

Education and Certifications

Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Master of Science in Special Education, Education Specialist (Mild/Mod) disabilities, California Administrative credential, Doctor of Philosophy in Education for Social Justice

Courses

• Clinical Practice III: Assessment
• Research In Action: Communities of Practice
• Clinical Practice III: Assessment Education Specialist
• Clinical Practice IV: Reflection and Professional Responsibility