Dr. Adriana Chavarín-López

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Join date: Jun 11, 2024

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Dr. Adriana Chavarín-López is the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents that always stressed to her the value of an education. Inspired by her teachers and principal, Adriana knew from an early age that she wanted to be an educator. She has been a teaching assistant, bilingual teacher, principal, and district leader for the past thirty-two years. She has attended the University of Southern California, Stanford University, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her doctoral dissertation, Transformation by Design: Leading and (Un)Learning at the Logan Memorial Educational Campus and the San Diego Unified School District, focused on designing and implementing systems and structures for transforming prenatal-12th grade education in school districts. Adriana is a breast cancer survivor and firmly believes in the power of hope. She is currently "sabbaticalizing" in order to fully heal while working on projects that are innovative and seek to truly transform outcomes for children. This blog will follow her year-long journey of sabbaticalizing.

Posts (21)

Jul 3, 2026 ∙ 1 min

Framework Thursday: Leadership is a Journey, Not a Destination

Leadership isn't a straight line. It's a continuous journey of learning, adapting, and growing. Over the years, as a principal, district leader, leadership coach, and facilitator, I've learned that meaningful growth doesn't happen by simply pushing harder. It happens when we intentionally create space to pause, reflect, and make thoughtful choices about how we move forward. That's why I developed the Sabbaticalize Framework. Rather than viewing renewal as something we earn after burnout, the...

Apr 9, 2026 ∙ 4 min

On One Side of the Freeway, We Save Children. On the Other, We Fail Them.

What a children’s hospital can teach us about everything we’re getting wrong in education As I drive home along a major highway in my hometown, there’s a moment, easy to miss, where two buildings sit side by side on a hillside. One is a children’s hospital.The other is a juvenile detention facility. From the highway, they almost blur together.Concrete. Structure. Containment. And yet inside, two entirely different stories are unfolding. In one building, children are fighting for their lives,...

Nov 10, 2025 ∙ 3 min

Career Pathways for Students of Color: Opportunity or Shortcut to Inequity?

Across the country, there’s excitement in schools, districts, and policy circles about career pathways. Students are being offered internships, technical certifications, and “work-ready” programs that promise immediate employability. At first glance, it seems like progress—preparing students for the real world, meeting labor market demands, and giving young people skills they can use right after graduation. But I can’t help but feel uneasy. I can’t help but wonder if this focus is strategic...