Featured Speakers
Virginia Collier
In their collaborative work, Drs. Thomas and Collier have contributed new theoretical perspectives for the field of bilingual/multicultural education. They are well known for developing the Prism Model, a theory and guide to empirical research. This model makes predictions about program effectiveness, from a theoretical perspective. Drs. Thomas and Collier have tested the Prism Model by collecting and analyzing program effectiveness data, and they have refined the model based on empirical findings. They have also developed unique theoretical perspectives on analyses of longitudinal student data, to demonstrate the importance of following English learners’ achievement over long periods of time, with school policy implications. By following individual student progress over 5-6 years at minimum (instead of the typical 1-2 years), they have shown that the typical short-term finding of “no significant difference across programs” has misled the field and policy makers; whereas, long-term findings yield extremely significant differences among school programs. They have found with consistency in each of their research studies that only high quality bilingual schooling has the potential to close the academic achievement gap. By introducing degree of gap closure as the primary measure of program success, rather than pre-post score differences among groups, they have shown that English-only and transitional bilingual programs of short duration only close about half of the achievement gap, while high quality long-term bilingual programs close all of the gap after 5-6 years of schooling through two languages. Wayne ThomasDr. Wayne Thomas is Professor Emeritus of Evaluation & Research Methodology in the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. His Ph.D. training and primary professional experience are in program evaluation methodology and social science research methods. He also has extensive experience in designing large-scale databases and developing computer software for purposes of student testing, program evaluation, and educational data management. His research and publications focus on the evaluation of school effectiveness for language minority and Title I students and the evaluation of educational technology applications. He is a former computer programmer & analyst, high school math & physics teacher, and school system central office administrator in school planning, testing, and program evaluation. He teaches doctoral courses in program evaluation, advanced quantitative research methods, and instructional technology; he advises doctoral students on program evaluation and research methods issues; and directs doctoral dissertations. He has formerly served as director of the university's Center for Interactive Educational Technology and as head of the graduate program in Instructional Technology. Since 1985, he has collaborated with Dr. Virginia Collier in work on school effectiveness for linguistically and culturally diverse students. Currently, he is senior author (with Dr. Collier) of the largest study ever conducted to investigate the long-term school success of English learners. Their award-winning joint research has been utilized by many school systems in the U.S. and abroad to reform the education of language minority students and to promote school improvement for both native-English speakers and English learners. [To download Thomas & Collier publications on the Internet, go to the website www.ThomasandCollier.com and click on “Research Links.”] |
Dr. Virginia Collier is Professor Emerita of Bilingual/Multicultural/ESL Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, located in the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C. She is best known for her work with senior researcher, Dr. Wayne Thomas, on school effectiveness for linguistically and culturally diverse students, working with many school districts in all regions of the U.S. over the past 22 years. Spotlighted by the national and international media, their award-winning national research studies have had a substantial impact on school policies throughout the world. Since 1988, Drs. Thomas and Collier have been regularly interviewed by the popular media, with 153 published newspaper articles and interviews on television and radio in the U.S. and abroad, reporting on their continuing research findings. A popular speaker, Dr. Collier has given 180 keynote speeches and 365 invited and refereed presentations to international, national, state, and local conferences over the past 27 years. She and Dr. Thomas have also conducted educational leadership training for superintendents, principals, and education policy makers in 29 U.S. states and 15 countries. She is co-author with Carlos Ovando and Mary Carol Combs of the professional reference book, Bilingual and ESL Classrooms: Teaching in Multicultural Contexts, with the fourth edition published by McGraw-Hill in 2006. This book is a well-known, comprehensive reference on research, policy, and effective practices in U.S. schools for students of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. In addition, Dr. Collier has over 70 other publications in the field of language education. In 1989, she received the Distinguished Faculty Award from George Mason University for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Proficient in Spanish and English, having lived in Central America five years of her childhood, she has served the field of bilingual/ESL education for 38 years as parent, teacher, researcher, teacher educator, and doctoral mentor. As a retired emeritus professor, she is currently working with Dr. Wayne Thomas on continuing longitudinal research with school districts and writing books. In 2005-2006, they served as visiting scholars at the University of Texas-El Paso, the University of Texas-Pan American, and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Dr. Janet Zadina is an experienced high school and community college instructor and reading specialist now engaged in neuroscience research. She received her doctorate in the College of Education at the University of New Orleans, conducting her award-winning dissertation research on the neuroanatomy of dyslexia through collaboration with Tulane University School of Medicine. She continued her postdoctoral education with a Fellowship in Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at Tulane University School of Medicine where she researched neuroanatomical risk factors for developmental language disorders through MRI brain scans.
Stanley A. Lucero, a Manito from New Mexico, was born in Leadville, Colorado and attended more than twenty-five schools in Colorado and New Mexico as a child. Mr. Lucero has been teaching since 1974 in the San Joaquin Valley in California. He has an Elementary Teaching Credential in Music and Spanish, a Bilingual Certificate of Competence in Spanish, a Learning Handicapped Credential and a Masters in Bilingual Education. He is well known for his soft voice and artistic musical presentations.
Yolanda M. Lucero, a Tejana, was born in Donna, Texas. She attended schools in Parlier, California. Mrs. Lucero has been teaching since 1988 in the San Joaquin Valley in California. She has a Bilingual Cross-Cultural Specialist Credential with a Spanish Emphasis and a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and is currently working on her Master's in Reading. Yolanda is an excellent bilingual storyteller who has written many of the songs found in our newest CD Mas Cuentos y Cantos including Gallinita Roja, and Hombrecito de Jengibre.
Dr. Barbara Flores is currently President of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) and a professor at California State University San Bernardino in the Department of Language, Literacy, and Culture. She is a nationally recognized speaker in the areas of Biliteracy, Bilingual Education, and Dual Language Immersion.
José-Luis Orozco was born in Mexico City, José-Luis Orozco grew fond of music at a young age, learning many songs from his paternal grandmother. At age 8, José-Luis became a member of the Mexico City Boy’s Choir, and traveled the world visiting 32 countries in Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America. It was from his tour around the world that he gained the cultural knowledge he now shares with children through his books and recordings.
Nancy Commins has worked with linguistically diverse students as a classroom teacher in TESOL and bilingual programs, university professor, program director, and school district administrator. Presently she is a consultant and author. Her latest work “Linguistic Diversity and Teaching” was written with colleague and friend Ofelia Miramontes. Nancy is a member of the Bilingual ESL Network at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Kathy Escamilla is a professor of education in the division of social, bilingual and multicultural foundations. Dr. Escamilla's research centers on educational issues related to Spanish speaking language minority students in U.S. schools. She is specifically interested in issues related to the development of bilingualism and biliteracy in early elementary grades for this Spanish speaking population. Her recent research has also examined assessment practices and the impact of high stakes testing on these children.