Dr. Patricia Halagao
Co-Director of the Center for Philippine Studies
Professor and Chair, Department of Curriculum Studies
Dr. Patricia Espiritu Halagao was born in Manila Philippines, grew up in Stockton, California, and has had the privilege of living in Hawaiʻi for over 20 years. She is Professor and Chair of the Department of Curriculum Studies in the College of Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Program Director for their Multilingual Multicultural Professional Practice Graduate Certificate.
Dr. Halagao’s experience in public education spans nearly three decades, and her scholarship focuses on multicultural education pedagogy and policy. As a Filipina American scholar and former elementary teacher, Dr. Halagao is a staunch advocate of K-12 Filipino education. She co-developed Filipino American programs entitled Pinoy Teach, the Smithsonian’s Filipino American Story iJeepney, and Sistan Alhambra Filipino American Education Institute. She is co-founder of UHM Tinalak Filipino Education Council, Trustee of Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), and Co-Editor of the FANHS Journal newly published by UH Press. She received the UH Medal for Excellence in Teaching and Filipina Women’s Network 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World Award.
Appointed to the Hawai‘i State Board of Education, Dr. Halagao spearheaded the adoption of two policies: The Seal of Biliteracy and Multilingualism for Equitable Education. Her greatest joy is empowering youth to be architects of their own education. She serves as Advisor to Filipino Curriculum Project, a student-driven high school collaboration that successfully advocated for the nation’s first statewide Filipino history culture social studies course to be implemented in Hawaiʻi public and private schools.
PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, University of Washington
MEd, Multicultural Education, University of Washington
BA, Anthropology, Occidental College
Email: phalagao@hawaii.edu
Phone: (808) 956-9295
Website: filameducation.com