Tomas de Rezende Rocha

Tomas de Rezende Rocha is Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Education, Justice, and Equity at the UW College of Education. He received his PhD in Philosophy and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Rocha studies education through a philosophical lens, often by critically examining how ethical and political concepts—especially justice, equity, solidarity, and human flourishing—collide with the everyday practices, structures, and contradictions of educational life. He is currently writing on the ethics and politics of teacher strikes, testimonio in qualitative research, and character education in the context of climate change. He has published work on the topics of climate change education, Ancient Greek and Buddhist-based contemplative education, open educational practices, social justice education, and issues of translation in Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

Rocha is co-editor of Teachers and Philosophy: Essays from the Contact Zone (2025, with Cara Furman). From 2014-2024, he served as an associate editor of LÁPIZ, the journal of the Latin American Philosophy of Education Society (LAPES). He teaches courses on educational ethics, the philosophy of education, and the philosophical foundations of educational research. He advises master's students in the Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Policy program, doctoral students in the Social & Cultural Foundations program, and supervises independent study projects in educational philosophy for undergraduate and graduate students. He is an Affiliate Faculty member of The Banks Center for Educational Justice and has served on the UW Faculty Senate and Senate Executive Committee.