Dr. Felicia Castro-Villarreal
Currently accepting doctoral students

Research Interests & Projects

Developing Culturally Responsive Practices

Providing training on and participating in activities and exercises to promote and develop cultural consciousness and responsiveness. Dr. Castro-Villarreal is currently examining the impact of these trainings on responsive practice, cultural identity, and competency. The feeling and perception of inclusion is important within culturally responsive practice and therefore she is currently studying what this means to individuals with disabilities. Relatedly, she is also currently reviewing the inclusion research to better understand current measures used to measure inclusion.

Implementing Evidence-Based Practices

The implementation of evidence-based interventions is supported via consultation with teachers. Dr. Castro-Villarreal works with teachers to identify socially valid, appropriate, and function-based interventions to implement in classrooms to improve student outcomes. Ongoing projects include small group and single case research with area teachers to build capacity, enhance fidelity, and have a positive impact on student behavior.

Intervention Fidelity and Effectiveness

In order to grow culturally responsive practices, it is important that we study the impact of our work with diverse populations and in diverse settings. Thus, Dr. Castro-Villarreal is also working with staff at the Morgan’s Wonderland MAC to better understand adults with disabilities feelings and perceptions of inclusion and the effectiveness of skill-based interventions. Ongoing projects include BST to develop vocational skills and feelings of inclusion.

Representative Publications

Castro-Villarreal, F., & Rodriguez, B.J., (2023) Best practices in teacher consultation for implementing culturally responsive practices in classrooms. In P. L. Harrison, S. L., Proctor, & A. Thomas (Eds.), Best Practices in School Psychology (7th ed., pp.). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

Castro-Villarreal, F. (2022) Best practices in School-based Multicultural Assessment: A Primer for Assessment Personnel. Pathways to Research in Education. Retrieved on 2/01/2022, https://pathways2research.com

Castro-Villarreal, F., Sullivan, J., & Villarreal, V. (2021). Social justice training in school psychology through a university-school service learning partnership. School Psychology Training and Pedagogy, 38(1), 11-23.

Lane, C. J., Neely, L., Castro-Villarreal, F., & Villarreal, V. (2020). Using coaching with video analysis to improve teachers’ classroom management practices: Methods to increase implementation fidelity. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 28(3), 61-87.

Neely, L., Gann, C., Castro-Villarreal, F., & Villarreal, V. (2020). Preliminary Findings of Culturally Responsive Consultation with Educators. Behavior Analysis in Practice (13), 270-281.