Student Information
Graduate StudentEducational Policy and Evaluation
MaryLouFulton College for Teac
Jaxinta Shaffer, LCSW, is a doctoral student in Educational Policy and Evaluation at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Certified School Social Worker in Arizona with more than 20 years of experience in community social work. Her professional experience spans Title I schools, community mental health, nonprofits, medical and geriatric settings. Her research interests center on school mental health policy, with a focus on how educational policies and systems can better support the mental health and well-being of students and school communities.
PhD Student, Educational Policy and Evaluation
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Arizona State University
Master of Social Work (MSW)
Arizona State University
School-based mental health systems
School mental health policies
Student well-being
Community-school partnerships
Trauma-informed educational environments
Youth participatory research and student voice
Policy solutions addressing disparities in educational outcomes
Title 1 schools
Past Board Member — School Social Work Association of Arizona (2020–2024)
Past Board Member — Association for Play Therapy (2019–2020)
Past Board Member- Just Schools (formerly GLSEN Arizona) (2022-2025)
Leadership Fellow — ALL in Education LISTO Program, (Cohort 2, 2023)
Catalyze Class 6- Valley Leadership (current cohort, 2026)
Member- Mujeres Activasen Letrasy Cambio Social (MALCS) (2026-current)
Member- American Association for Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) (2026-current)
Member- School Social Work Association of Arizona (2020-current)
Member- From Practice to PhD, ASU Community Advocates Peer Mentor Program (2026-current)
Member- American Educational Research Research Association (AERA) (2026-current)
Member- Storytelling Collective LFC (2026-current)
Assembly Member- ASU Graduate Student Government (2026-current)
Liaison- AERA Graduate Student Campus Liaison (2026-current)
Youth Mental Health in Education & Policy Advisory Engagement
- Advisory Member — Arizona Luminaria Education Solutions Advisory Group (2025)
- Appointed Member — Phoenix Union High School District Governing Board Budget Advisory Committee (2025–Present)
- Member — Phoenix Union High School District Educational Assessment Coalition (2025–2026)
- Volunteer — Latinx Therapist Action Network, Bienestar (2019–Present)
- Youth Mental Health Consultant — Rising Youth Theatre (2021)
- Youth Mental Health Consultant — Arizona Latino Leaders in Education (ALL in Education, 2021)