Assistant Superintendent of Bilingual Education

Phone:815.801.0138

Email: rocio.delcastillo@fsd145.org

Biographical Information

Dr. del Castillo began her career as a school psychologist in Peru and has dedicated her professional career to being an advocate for educational equity and social justice. Her diverse experience includes serving for over 23 years in both public and private school systems. She completed training as a clinical and school psychologist at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia before beginning her career in the American education system. She holds a master's degree in special education from Quincy University, a master's degree in educational administration from Concordia University-Chicago, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Aurora University.

Dr. del Castillo currently teaches as an adjunct professor at Northern Illinois University and St. Francis University. She has co-authored her first book in 2022, Teaching Reading in Spanish: A Linguistically Authentic Framework for Emerging Multilinguals by Rowland and Littefield and was a contributing author in The New Teacher’s Guide to Ten Common Challenges, Curated Advice from Award-Winning Teachers by Routledge. 

Rocio is proud to be a third-generation teacher in her family and to promote the power of education to transform lives. She is also proud of her Peruvian roots and her immigration story from Lima, Peru. Rocio lives with her husband Joel, kids Nicolas, 21, Isabella, 19, and dogs Canelo and Bruno in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Work Information

In her role, Dr. del Castillo provides leadership to the district in its commitment to provide equal educational opportunities for all students, focusing on providing high-quality instructional programming for multilingual learners and celebrating and embracing multilingualism, multiliteracy, and sociocultural competence.