James J Hernandez, Ph.D.
CEO, Paragon Praxis Education Consulting | EISD Board President | Researcher
Dr. James Hernandez is a scholar-practitioner and systemic strategist dedicated to building bridges between academic theory and institutional praxis. As the CEO of Paragon Praxis Education Consulting, he serves as a lead facilitator in reducing friction within educational ecosystems. His work centers on teaching educational professionals how to synchronize classroom-level innovation with district-level governance, ensuring that systemic change is both sustainable and human-centered.
A specialist in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) for both adults and children, Dr. Hernandez explores the intersection of digital innovation, institutional governance, and community health. His consultancy and research focus on how immersive technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and game-based learning can serve as scalable interventions for community resilience. He is a prominent voice in the movement to treat school district governance as a primary social determinant of health.
Dr. Hernandez’s leadership is defined by his role as the President of the Edgewood ISD Board of Trustees and his service as Chair of the Advanced Technologies & Applied Sciences Committee for Harlandale ISD. His professional history includes a deep-rooted tenure in the classroom, most recently as the Robotics Mechanisms and Engineering teacher at Kingsborough Middle School, where he received the 2025 Ron Moore Outstanding STEM Educator Award.
He holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching from the University of Texas at San Antonio. A frequent speaker at national and international venues such as AERA and SITE, he recently presented on educator entrepreneurship and summer research at the 17th Annual Breaking Through STEM Conference at St. Philip's College. He is a member of the Leadership TASB 2026 cohort, working toward the designation of Master Trustee.
Dr. Hernandez is also the CEO of the Hoi Jeon Martial Arts Institute. A 3rd Degree Black Belt, he integrates the principles of discipline and emotional resilience into his advocacy for underserved communities, empowering both educators and students to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.
Selected Publications and Presentations
Hernandez, J. & Lee, Hyejeong (2026, April 8-12, Accepted). Designing AI for Social Good: Critical AI Literacy in a Culturally Grounded Youth Curriculum [Paper Presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting Los Angeles, CA, United States. https://www.aera.net/AERA2026
Hernandez, J. & Lee, Hyejeong (2026, March 23-27, Accepted). From Players to Creators: Enhancing Middle School Students’ Learning and Motivation Through VR Game Design [Poster Presentation]. Society for Information Technology and Computer Education(SITE) Annual Meeting, Pennsylvania, PA, United States. https://site.aace.org/conf/
Hernandez, J. (2026, March 20). Empowering Educators: Entrepreneurship, Funding, and Summer Research [Live session]. 17th Annual Breaking Through STEM Conference. St. Philip's College, San Antonio, TX.
Hernandez, J. (2026, Feb 7). Robots, Relationships, and Resilience: Integrating SEL and Engineering in Middle School STEM [Conference Session]. Alamo STEM Ecosystem Annual Conference. San Antonio, TX.
Hernandez, J., Lee, H., Bandela, S. (2026). From players to creators: Enhancing middle school students’ learning and motivation through VR game design. In Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). (in press)
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