Associate Professor Erin Castro and Team Secure Funding for First Center of Its Kind in the Nation
Erin L. Castro, associate professor of educational leadership and policy, received an $8 million award from Ascendium Education Group to launch the first national center dedicated to prison education research and leadership in the College of Education at the University of Utah.
A team led by Castro will use the grant to establish the Prison Education Action Research Lab, or PEARL, to advance educational justice for people and communities impacted by incarceration. The lab will serve as a vital resource in a growing field in need of the next generation of researchers, leaders and practitioners focused on prison education.
“As educators and educational scholars, our team brings a unique approach to addressing these challenges and providing leadership to the field,” said Castro, who also serves as the associate dean for community engagement and access in the Office of Undergraduate Studies.
