Luis F. Cruz

Watch Luis F. Cruz share his experience of responding to resistors.

Luis F. Cruz, PhD, is a sought-after presenter, coach, thought leader, and accomplished author in the field of education. His over 30 years of practical experience as a teacher and an administrator at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, coupled with his ability to effectively communicate research-based approaches focused on the need to ensure high levels of learning for all students, has earned him acknowledgment and praise from an array of education communities around the country.

Born to immigrant parents from South America, Dr. Cruz blends his experience as an English Learner raised in a low-income community in Los Angeles with his professional experience and insight to advocate the need for public school educators to acknowledge that there is a disconnect between our inherited and antiquated public school system and the diverse student population we aim to serve today. He, therefore, advocates that public school educators learn and commit to redesigning a school system never designed to ensure high levels of learning for all the students in schools and classrooms across our country.

In addition to being an accomplished and highly desired keynote speaker, Dr. Cruz has established a skilled and effective manner for helping audiences, both small and large, learn about the Professional Learning Community at Work® and Response to Intervention at Work™ processes, transformational leadership, school culture, the role of a guiding coalition, and creating environments conducive to the success of students learning English as an additional language—to name a few of the themes for which he is contacted.

Dr. Cruz is the best-selling author of Time for Change: Four Essential Skills for Transformational School and District Leaders, which he co-authored with Dr. Anthony Muhammad, and is currently working on several books focused on strengthening multitiered systems of support for student intervention and enhancing learning outcomes for emergent bilingual students.

Certifications

PLC at Work^®

PLC at Work® experts have proven success in leading the PLC at Work process in a school or district. Work with them to implement a focus on learning, build a collaborative culture, and create a results orientation that leads to sustained, substantive school improvement.

Learn more

RTI at Work™

RTI at Work experts focus on learning for all students and will empower you to build your own timely, targeted, and systematic intervention program. Work with them to implement a results-driven program that provides targeted instruction at all tiers of intervention.

Learn more

Transforming School Culture

Transforming School Culture experts will help you examine the assumptions, beliefs, expectations, and habits that comprise your school’s culture, to ensure a productive and functional environment. Work with our experts to develop the ability to properly respond to challenges and adversity.

Learn more

Presentation Titles

Presentations by Luis F. Cruz

Implementing PLCs: A Principal Shares How the Knowing-Doing Gap Was Closed
Transforming School Culture: Exploring Effective Principal Leadership
Saving Student Lives: Why We Are in This Business!
PLCs and a Low-Income Latino Community: A Success Story
Discovering the Potential of Low-Income Parents
How I Can Be a Partner in My Child’s Education (English and Spanish)
How a 21st Century Father Can Ensure a Fulfilling Life for His Child (English and Spanish)
PLCs and the Role of Common Formative Assessments: A True Story of Implementation and Success

Reviews

“Dr. Cruz did an excellent job. He was honest with us about where he felt our school was at. He gave us tools and advice on how to improve and take our school to the next level.”

Melissa Lopez, teacher, Los Lunas Schools, New Mexico

“On behalf of the Federal Programs Conference Committee, I wanted thank you for being a part of our 2017 Federal Programs Conference! We are honored that you were able to come to Idaho to share your message, and attendees have told me that your keynote session was the perfect way to start off the conference. They felt invigorated and wanted to take what they gained from you and apply it right away in their districts and classrooms. Your keynote and breakout session were a great source of inspiration for our attendees!

Your message also carried through to the second day of our conference, when our superintendent referenced your keynote in her address, and so did one of our schools that was receiving an award from the State Department of Education.

We loved having you at our conference and hope that you will be able to come back to Idaho again in the future!”

Michelle Perreira, Idaho Department of Education, Idaho

Events