University
Robles Among 100 Most Influential Hispanics for Second Time
- USC Rossier School of Education professor Darline Robles
By Andrea Bennett on November 4, 2011 1:40 PM
Darline Robles PhD ’94, professor of clinical education at the USC Rossier School of Education, was named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics of 2011 by Hispanic Business magazine in an issue focusing on diversity and inclusion.
In 2009, she also made the list, which highlighted the influence of Hispanics on President Barack Obama’s administration.
Robles serves on the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, a post in which she and a group of education leaders develop, implement and coordinate education programs and initiatives to improve opportunities and outcomes for Hispanics of all ages.
The commission aims to increase the participation of the Hispanic community in programs; engage in dialogue with philanthropic, business, nonprofit and education communities; and establish partnerships with public, private, philanthropic and nonprofit stakeholders.
At USC Rossier, Robles has led the development of a new hybrid master's degree program in K-12 leadership. The program intends to prepare educators for the role of school principals.
Robles recently co-authored A Culturally Proficient Society Begins in School: Leadership for Equity, a new book written with colleagues Carmela Franco and Maria Ott. The book offers the perspectives and experiences of three Latina education leaders with more than 56 years of top-level leadership.
As the first Hispanic and first woman to serve as a Los Angeles County superintendent of schools, Robles led the nation’s largest regional education service agency from 2002 to 2010. During her eight-year tenure, Robles focused on at-risk and special-needs students. She also directed services to cash-strapped districts, particularly those with low-performing schools, and led a reorganization of the office’s Head Start preschool program.
"I believe my most satisfying contribution to education has been my commitment to mentoring young women and men to aspire to their highest dreams," Robles said in an interview with the magazine. She noted that many of her protégés "did not have access to mentors and would have not pushed forward without support."
Robles formerly served as superintendent of schools for the Salt Lake City School District, where she was successful in closing the achievement gap and significantly reducing the dropout rate from 1995 to 2002. From 1991-95, she was superintendent for the Montebello Unified School District.
TAGS: education
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