Stanley L. Johnson, Jr.

Stanley L. Johnson Jr., Ph.D. is a Senior Project Scientist at the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools, where he leads the California Educator Diversity and Computational Thinking Equity projects. He is also an educational consultant, researcher, and practitioner with an extensive background in K-12 leadership, teacher education, and learning sciences with an emphasis in language and literacy development. He holds additional roles as a researcher at the UCLA Black Male Institute and as a board member of the Los Angeles County Board of Education, where he served as president during the 2024–25 school year.

With respect to academic research, Johnson critically examines effective secondary English teachers who implement culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogical and instructional practices in their classrooms to close literacy gaps and address their students’ academic, social, and emotional needs. Johnson is particularly interested in how Advanced Placement English teachers facilitate high levels of engagement for their high achieving boys of color (and especially African American males) by ensuring that they have access and exposure to language and literacies of power.

Johnson received his Ph.D. in Education from the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, his Master of Arts in Secondary Education along with clear teaching and administrative credentials from Loyola Marymount University, and his Bachelor of Arts in American Literature and Culture with college honors from UCLA. Johnson is the recipient of numerous academic distinctions and community service awards. He received the Randall C. Bacon Alumni Achievement Award from the Western Province of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc. and UCLA’s Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award for outstanding teaching of undergraduate students.