Victoria Ruffin, Ed.D.

 

Dr. Victoria M. Ruffin is an urban educational expert whose interest centers alternative learning environments, special education, K-12 policy/ governance, foster youth, civic advocacy, community engagement, and mentorship.  Raised in both—South Central Los Angeles and the South, Victoria brings a valued lens to the work of dismantling oppressive systems.  As a former emancipated foster youth she credits her village in shaping her purpose. Ruffin believes her integrity and passion to improve public school culture that disenfranchises students is civil rights work nestled in the pursuit of social justice.  

Inspired by gang violence that caused her brother’s untimely death— her 2016 research focused on the ways in which urban African-American adolescent males perceive implicit and explicit messages from their home, neighborhood, and community to influence how they navigate their reality and place value on school. Ruffin is particularly interested in how the intersectionality of the role the bioecological framework and her theory, the cycle of promise, affect the paths of minoritized youth.

The past 25 years she has served as a nonprofit foster care advisor, teacher, counselor, special education coordinator, school psychologist, school-site administrator, adjunct professor teaching cultural diversity, district administrator, board trustee, and current educational consultant. 

Victoria holds a bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of California at Davis (minor in African-American Studies), master’s in Educational Counseling from National University, and doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership with emphasis on K-12 Policy from the University of Southern California.  Her other credentials include Administrative Tier 1 and Pupil Personnel Service credentials in School Psychology, Counseling and Child Welfare and Attendance.

Dr. Ruffin has the heart of a warrior, the vision of justice, and the enthusiasm to serve. Victoria is intentional about moving the educational equity needle in our significantly disproportionality work—aiming to improve the learning communities of the students we serve. 

Areas of Particular Interest/Expertise:

Step 1: Gather and Inquire

• Leadership Meetings
• Educational Partners’ Meetings
• Gathering Quantitative Data
• Gathering Qualitative Data
• Programmatic Self-Assessment
• Infrastructure Analysis
• Policies, Practices, and Procedures Review
• Consolidation of Step 1

Step 2: Data and Root Cause Analysis

• Root Cause Analysis
• Prioritizing Factors Contributing to Significant Disproportionality
• Initiative Inventory
• Identification of Target Population
• Development of a Theory of Action 
• Consolidation of Step 2

Step 3: Plan for Improvement

• Development of a CIM for CCEIS Action Plan
• Budget Development
• CIM for CCEIS Action Plan Review

Step 4: Implementing and Monitoring

• Support data collection for evaluating effectiveness of interventions
• Support implementation monitoring
• Provide guidance around student tracking requirements
• Assist with development of Progress Reports
• Assist in identifying successful activities to continue once CCEIS funds have been expended