Bio: Dr. Daniel Soodjinda holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern California (USC) where he completed an empirical study that investigated the “Model Minority Thesis” and its role with Southeast Asian American students, a minority group that has been underprivileged and misunderstood in the United States.  He is extremely versed in teacher education.  As a current full time Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) in Washington DC, he has taught the subsequent variety of courses: graduate, undergraduate, traditional, online, and hybrid courses in educational foundations, curriculum development, instructional technology, and research methods.  Each listed course focuses on educational trends within the K-12 environment, preparing teacher candidates to develop effective instructional styles that promote equity through access and social justice. His appointment at UDC extends outside of his regular teaching duties as he functions both as the undergraduate elementary education program coordinator, NCATE assessment director, and as a field supervisor for student teachers.  Among his more recent accomplishments, was his assistance in successfully leading his department to become fully reaccredited with NCATE this past November. 

Previously, Dr. Soodjinda was employed as a mathematics teacher for a continuation high school in Fontana, CA, and as a science and mathematics junior high school teacher in South Central Los Angeles.  Each of these K-12 teaching experiences involved instructing students from mostly low income, ethnically diverse backgrounds, and taught him the importance of applying theory to practical pedagogical practices.  Additionally, working with this population sparked his interest in promoting educational reform and change within urban institutional environments, and prompted him to focus his research agenda in instructional technology within urban education environments.

With this commitment, Dr. Soodjinda is fully engaged in research and scholarly activities relating to urban education. He has presented at several professional workshops and successfully competed for prestigious fellowships leading to his appointment as a Sloan-C Minority Scholar for Educational Technology (2009) and a Visiting Research Fellow, at the Educational Testing Service (2010).  His current grant funded study, Generation YouTube: Supporting Urban Learners in the Mathematics Classroom with Integrated Web-Based Video Resources, explores the use of free online mathematics video resources as learning tools among inner-city urban K-12 students and their parents. 

Education

• Ed. D.; Doctor of Education in Higher Education and Public Policy Analysis; University of Southern California, (2009).
• M. Ed.; Masters of Education in Multicultural Education and Teaching; National University, (2003)
• B.A.  Bachelors of Arts in Social Science;  University of California Irvine, (2001)

Employment History

• Assistant Professor; University of the District of Columbia; Department of Education; Mathematics and Elementary Education; (2007-Present)
• Academic Advisor and Adjunct Faculty member; University of Southern California; (2005-2007)
• Mathematics and Science Teacher Middle School Teacher; Los Angeles Unified School District (2002-2005)