Socorro Shiels

Former Superintendent,

Sonoma Valley Unified School District

Socorro Shiels is the former superintendent of Sonoma Valley Unified School District, where she led initiatives focused on educational equity, restorative practices, and community engagement. She previously served as superintendent of Santa Rosa City Schools and director of education at the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, supporting district capacity-building and policy advocacy. Earlier in her career, she was assistant superintendent of educational services for Morgan Hill Unified School District and director of multicultural education and secondary curriculum for Grant Joint Union School District. Shiels earned her MS in educational leadership from California State University, East Bay and is pursuing a PhD in educational psychology and policy at the University of California, Davis.

updated 2024

Contributing topics

Education finance

Educational governance & policy

Educator workforce & effectiveness

Supporting students’ social-emotional, mental & physical health

Understanding, measuring & improving student outcomes

Contributing initiatives

COVID-19 Recovery

Publications by Socorro Shiels

May 2021

Restorative Restart

The Path Towards Reimagining and Rebuilding Schools

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all students; however, its impact has been particularly devastating for students of color, students from low-income families, English learners, and other marginalized children and youth. As transmission rates…