Dr. James Martínez Portrait

Dr. James Martínez

Professor of Education and Coordinator

  • Ph.D. in Education and Sociology
    University of Missouri-Kansas City (2009)
  • M.A. in Secondary Education
    University of South Dakota
  • B.S. in Elementary Education
    University of South Dakota

Teaching Fields: Teacher education, elementary education, middle school and secondary education, sports coach

Dr. James Martínez is a professor and program coordinator in the Department of Teacher Education at Valdosta State University. With over a decade of experience as a teacher and sports coach in rural, inner city, and urban profile public schools, he brings a practitioner’s insight into his academic work. Dr. Martínez supervises student teachers and teaches undergraduate courses in classroom management and differentiated instruction. At the graduate level, his courses focus on educational law, and research methodology. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Urban Review and has published research on urban and rural schooling, middle grades education, youth gang risk factors, and educational innovation. Outside the classroom, Dr. Martínez enjoys traveling with his family, playing basketball, and attending VSU and professional sporting events

Recent Publications:  
Martínez, J. (2026). Mi Casa Es Tu Casa: Belongingness, Cultural Responsiveness, and Latinx            Students Across the P-12 Pipeline. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies.
Martínez, J. (July, 2026). Foreword. In J. Ríos Vega & Y. Medina (Eds.), LatCrit and education:                Dismantling the norm while creating visibility in higher education (Vol. 1). Peter Lang.
Martínez, R. C., Martínez, J., & Parker, F. (2026). Empowering CAMP scholars: The CAMP experience     at a USA Deep South university. LatCrit and education: Dismantling the norm while creating              visibility in higher education (Vol. 2). Peter Lang.
Razzaque, R., & Martínez, J. (Accepted). The mindful pause: Interrupting implicit bias and cultivating     culturally responsive pedagogy in urban classrooms. The Urban Review.
Suriel, R. L., Martínez, J., González Gonzales, J., Laguna, A., & Restrepo, A. F. (2026). Developing     critical consciousness in Latinx doctoral candidates: Testimonios of three novice Latinx scholars,     LatCrit and education: Dismantling the norm while creating visibility in higher education (Vol. 2).
Troutman, S., Martínez, J., & Gunn, N.P. (July, 2026). Power and Persistence: Black Women                            Technology Leaders Navigating Race, Gender, and Space in P-12 Education. The Urban Review,              58, 41.
Martínez, R.C., & Martínez, J. (2025). The Valdosta State University (VSU) College Assistance                      Migrant Program (CAMP) Handbook. GATEways to Teacher Education, 34(2), 119-153.

Martínez, J., Suriel, R. L., Gabriel, M. L., Ríos Vega, J. A., Díaz-Cruz, N., & González Gonzales, J.            (2025). A LatCircle: Supporting academic and social well-being through effective virtual mentoring     of Latinx scholars. Mentoring for wellbeing across the professions and disciplines (pp. 311–335).     Emerald.

Horne, J. T., Suriel, R. L., Martínez, J., & Lennon, S. M. (2024). Privilege and access: Latinx families            navigating the United States Tax Credit Scholarship for school choice. Understanding and                        Dismantling Privilege, 13(1), 22–46.

Martínez, J., Suriel, R. L., Martínez, R., Arrastia-Chisholm, M., Allemanne, N., & Lennon, S.                          (2024). Preparing critically conscious teachers for the 21st-century hybrid/online classroom. Faculty     learning communities: Working towards a more equitable, just, and antiracist future in higher              education (pp. 233–262). Information Age.

Suriel, R. L., Martínez, J., Bello Escobar, C., & Workman, J. (2024). From lived experiences to social     activism: Latino fraternity brothers critical service to the Latinx community. Georgia. Journal of     College Student Affairs, 40(1), 1-31.
Edited Books:
Easton-Brooks, D., Martínez, J., & Young, J. (2022). Editors, The impact of teachers of color on school     belonging. In C. D. Gist & T. J. Bristol (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and     Indigenous Teachers (pp. 629–810). American Educational Research Association.                                      https://www.aera.net/Publications/Handbook-of-Research-on-Teachers-of-Color-and-Indigenous-Teachers
Martínez, J. (2020). Stripped of my mother tongue. In N.J. Thorsos, J. Martínez, & M. L. Gabriel (Eds.).     Losing the mother tongue in the USA: Implications for adult Latinxs in the 21st century, (pp. 223–            244). Nova Science. https://novapublishers.com/shop/losing-the-mother-tongue-in-the-usa-implications-for-adult-latinxs-in-the-21st-century/
Martínez, J. (2016). Motivations of a growing Latino scholar in U.S. higher education. In F. E. Obiakor,     & J. Martínez (Eds.). Latin@ voices in multicultural education: From invisibility to visibility in     higher education (pp. 1–14). Nova Science. https://novapublishers.com/shop/latin-voices-in-multicultural-education-from-invisibility-to-visibility-in-higher-education/

    229.333.5611

    jammartinez@valdosta.edu

    Education Building 1174