Eric D. Crowell is an AP African American Studies and United States History educator in California, an endorsed AP African American Studies consultant, and an Educational Leadership EdD doctoral candidate at Concordia University Irvine. He is a third-generation school teacher, carrying forward a family legacy rooted in public service, high expectations, and a belief that public education can be life-changing when adults build systems that consistently support student success.
Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and raised in South Los Angeles and Inglewood, Eric’s personal story is deeply connected to the history of educational opportunity and inequity in the United States. His mother integrated the school district that Eric later attended, shaping his early understanding that access is not accidental; it is built through courage, policy change, and sustained community effort. That lived connection to integration and equity has remained a throughline in his career, influencing how he teaches, supports teachers, and frames educational leadership.
Eric began teaching in 1997 and brings nearly 30 years of classroom experience across both urban and suburban school contexts. Across these settings, he has taught diverse student populations with varied academic readiness levels, lived experiences, and access to resources, and he has developed a practical approach to instruction that prioritizes clarity, structure, and student belonging. His teaching emphasizes repeatable routines that help students grow quickly, including sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, structured academic discussion, and evidence-based writing. He is known for creating classroom cultures where students feel safe to think, speak, revise, and improve, including students who are tackling AP-level tasks for the first time.
Eric’s leadership also includes college access and academic readiness work. He worked with the UCLA Center X in the UCLA School of Education, strengthening his focus on teacher development, equity-centered instructional practices, and systems that expand access to rigorous learning opportunities. He also brings experience coaching within AVID systems, supporting academic habits, mentorship structures, and college-going routines that help students persist through challenging coursework. This perspective informs how he designs AP African American Studies instruction so that students not only learn the content but also build the skills and confidence to thrive in advanced academic pathways.
In AP African American Studies, Eric has demonstrated measurable outcomes tied to strong instructional planning and feedback systems. In 2025, he led a cohort of 23 students to an average AP exam score of 3.70, with 91.3 percent earning a 3 or higher. These results reflect intentional skill spiraling, frequent formative checks, targeted feedback cycles, and revision routines that make academic expectations transparent. His work consistently centers first time AP students, ensuring they have the scaffolds, confidence, and academic language needed to navigate rigor while maintaining a strong sense of identity and belonging in the course.
