For eight years, Dr. Joanne Espejo has brought passion, purpose, and joy to the classroom — and for the last five of those years, she has done so as a dedicated 4th-grade teacher at KIPP Promesa Prep in Boyle Heights.
In addition to her years of experience, Joanne brings an impressive academic background to her work. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UC Riverside, her master’s in Educational Leadership from San José State University, and recently completed her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the USC Rossier School of Education — accomplishments that model perseverance and possibility for her students.
While in undergrad, Joanne didn’t initially see herself becoming a teacher. But when the opportunity arose to join Teach for America, she decided to try it and quickly fell in love with the heart and hustle of teaching.
Growing up, Joanne attended Title I schools before her parents decided to use her aunt’s address to gain her access to a higher-quality school. Seeing firsthand how zip codes shaped educational opportunities fueled her belief that every child deserves an equitable, high-quality education — regardless of background.
Today, she brings that commitment to life through a classroom culture built on joy, rigor, and deep care. “I love to gamify a lot of my content,” she shared, describing activities like trash-kickball math games, student-driven discussions, and intentional use of technology. “Having a fun classroom really, truly, goes a long way.”
Just as important to her is emotional intelligence. “I wanted Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) to be one of the priorities,” Joanne said. Whether she is teaching students about anger, healthy outlets, or self-reflection, she treats social-emotional learning as seriously as grade-level content.
In Spring 2025, Joanne was named a KIPP SoCal KIPPStar Teacher of the Year. She described the moment as “a mix of emotions,” sharing, “It’s one thing to recognize internally all the hard work that you do, but to be recognized by somebody else… I bawled.” Still, her greatest pride comes from seeing her students’ growth.
Joanne’s data-driven approach is core to her success. At the start of last school year, only about 30% of her students scored a 3 or 4 in ELA and 40% in math on the SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium). By the end of the school year, those numbers soared to 75% in ELA and 85% in math.
Her DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) results reflected the same growth: she began the year with 60% of students reading on grade level and finished with over 90%. Her relentless focus on progress monitoring, targeted intervention, and celebrating even the smallest gains is what she considers “the fruits of my labor” and one of the most joyful parts of teaching.
Every day, Joanne shows up with a clear purpose: “just wanting better for my kids.” As a grade-level chair, equity ambassador, and dance coach, she brings the same intentionality and heart to each role that she brings to the classroom. She is fiercely data-driven — “constantly analyzing… what could we do better to support our students” — and her students’ academic growth reflects that commitment.
Whether she’s breaking down SBAC data, leading a restorative conversation, or cheering on her dancers, Joanne pours love, leadership, and joy into the KIPP Promesa community. Her students feel it, her colleagues feel it, and her results tell a story all their own.
Her students feel it, her colleagues feel it, and her results speak for themselves.