Classes Taught:
Dr. Cruz English teaches in the Advanced Professional Programs within the National College of Education.
CIC 511: Designing Curriculum for 21st Century Skills
CIC 521: Developing Content Area Curriculum
CIC 531: Implementing and Assessing Content Area Curriculum
EDU 510: Social Justice Perspectives on History and Philosophy of American Education
Research and Interests:
Dr. Cruz English’s expertise is in curriculum studies. Her research focus includes educational policy and school reform, neoliberalism in education, and the Latino/a/x experience within education.
Biography:
Dr. Alexandra Cruz English joined the faculty at National Louis University as an Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction in the National College of Education in 2025. She is an NLU alumni, where she received her M.A.T. in secondary education. She has 17 years of experience as a scholar-practitioner that spans K–12 and higher education. She hold a Ph.D. from DePaul University with a focus in Curriculum Studies. At NLU, she teaches graduate-level courses on curriculum design, content area instruction, and the philosophical and historical foundations of American education. Previously, she taught at DePaul University's College of Education where she worked with both master's and doctoral students in their teacher education and curriculum studies programs.
Dr. Cruz English’s research focuses on educational policy and school reform, the negative impact of neoliberalism on student outcomes, and the Latino/a/x experience within education. Her overall lived experience of growing up, attending, and teaching in educational institutions within the Chicagoland area undoubtedly contributes to her research which aims to address systemic inequities in education.
Her work extends beyond the classroom and into different areas of the surrounding Chicago community, such as the National Museum of Mexican Art, where she is able to further support the museum’s mission of stimulating knowledge and preserving Mexican art and culture. Dr. Cruz English is honored and excited to return back to NLU as an assistant professor and colleague among dedicated faculty, staff, and students within the National College of Education
Education:
Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies, DePaul University
M.A.T. in Secondary Education, National Louis University
B.A. in Psychology and Anthropology, Northeastern Illinois University
Contact Information:
National Louis University
18 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603
Acruz7@nl.edu
