Statement of Research and Goals
Local fishing boats off the pacific coast of southern chile
Current Research, Scholarship, and International Initiatives
I currently have two distinct lines of research and scholarship – special education in México and Latin America and promoting student engagement for students with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Recently, I have also begun to collaborate with a colleague in general education whose specific expertise, as a social (educational) psychologist, is in the area of co-operative and holistic education. These initiatives include work measuring the Psychology concept of “Risk and Resiliency” of Mexican Origin and Mexican American students attending Charter Schools in the Rio Grande Valley and another site in a large Urban Setting in Texas. This work is ongoing are reflected in our joint presentations at the American Education Research Association annual meetings. We have submitted one (reflected in my vitae) and are working to submit the remaining presentations for publication in national peer reviewed journals. I will now describe my research followed by a description of my International Initiatives and Opportunities below.
I am extending my ethnographic case study at a special education school and surrounding community in Cuernavaca, México. This research was conducted during the 2005-2006 school year. The focus of the study is the culture of Mexico and special education, and preparing students with disabilities for the future. I conducted interviews in Spanish with teachers, parents and community members to discern their meaning of disability. I conducted interviews in the fall of 2008 to track changes as part of a longitudinal study. While this study will continue to have a fruitful line of inquiry for the foreseeable future, my intention is to replicate this line of investigation within the context of Mexican American and Spanish speaking communities in the United States. It should be noted that I have published a solo-authored piece (International Journal of Special Education) from this work and am revising another manuscript with a colleague for another journal – Multiple Voices.
Furthermore, I am conducting research with a high school special education teacher and a St. Norbert College colleague in the area of high incidence disabilities with a population of students at the secondary level that is both culturally and linguistically diverse (Native American, African American, and Latino/a) in a medium-sized city in the upper Midwest. The study is looking at the effects of reading and literacy scores on standardized exams and the promotion of student engagement. We are currently in the manuscript preparation stage of the project and plan to submit the results to Teaching Exceptional Children for publication.
International initiatives
Being bilingual (Spanish/English) and having spent time researching and studying abroad, an emerging focus of my work is in the area of international special education. Many opportunities have presented themselves to me as I have continued to be very involved in the Division of International Special Education and Services (DISES), part of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). These opportunities include research, faculty exchanges, and faculty-led student immersion experiences in such places as Spain, Chile, Kuwait, Qatar, and México, to name a few. Recently, I have held meetings with colleagues at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. We plan to conduct research looking at special education and inclusive education policies in the US, UK, and Chile. This will give us an interesting perspective that spans three continents.
Finally, I have established a connection with and am currently seeking funding for a case study research project with a First Nation (indigenous) group in the south of Chile. The purpose of this project is to determine the extent to which the Chilean government has provided the resources it has promised to provide for inclusive educational opportunities for this particular demographic. In the past I have also been able to collaborate with colleagues from other academic divisions. Namely, the Spanish department, where I had the opportunity to design and co-lead an immersion program for education majors at St. Norbert in Cuernavaca, México. I am currently working with a colleague in the Curriculum and Instruction Department at UW Oshkosh regarding the possibility of leading a group to Chile. These programs blend both, on-campus language instruction, with total cultural immersion in the host country. While immersed, students visit public and private schools, both general and special education, they also continue to study Spanish and develop a deeper understanding of the population.
This is a brief overview of the research that is ongoing and some of the ideas I have for future inquiry. Feedback always welcome!
I currently have two distinct lines of research and scholarship – special education in México and Latin America and promoting student engagement for students with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Recently, I have also begun to collaborate with a colleague in general education whose specific expertise, as a social (educational) psychologist, is in the area of co-operative and holistic education. These initiatives include work measuring the Psychology concept of “Risk and Resiliency” of Mexican Origin and Mexican American students attending Charter Schools in the Rio Grande Valley and another site in a large Urban Setting in Texas. This work is ongoing are reflected in our joint presentations at the American Education Research Association annual meetings. We have submitted one (reflected in my vitae) and are working to submit the remaining presentations for publication in national peer reviewed journals. I will now describe my research followed by a description of my International Initiatives and Opportunities below.
I am extending my ethnographic case study at a special education school and surrounding community in Cuernavaca, México. This research was conducted during the 2005-2006 school year. The focus of the study is the culture of Mexico and special education, and preparing students with disabilities for the future. I conducted interviews in Spanish with teachers, parents and community members to discern their meaning of disability. I conducted interviews in the fall of 2008 to track changes as part of a longitudinal study. While this study will continue to have a fruitful line of inquiry for the foreseeable future, my intention is to replicate this line of investigation within the context of Mexican American and Spanish speaking communities in the United States. It should be noted that I have published a solo-authored piece (International Journal of Special Education) from this work and am revising another manuscript with a colleague for another journal – Multiple Voices.
Furthermore, I am conducting research with a high school special education teacher and a St. Norbert College colleague in the area of high incidence disabilities with a population of students at the secondary level that is both culturally and linguistically diverse (Native American, African American, and Latino/a) in a medium-sized city in the upper Midwest. The study is looking at the effects of reading and literacy scores on standardized exams and the promotion of student engagement. We are currently in the manuscript preparation stage of the project and plan to submit the results to Teaching Exceptional Children for publication.
International initiatives
Being bilingual (Spanish/English) and having spent time researching and studying abroad, an emerging focus of my work is in the area of international special education. Many opportunities have presented themselves to me as I have continued to be very involved in the Division of International Special Education and Services (DISES), part of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). These opportunities include research, faculty exchanges, and faculty-led student immersion experiences in such places as Spain, Chile, Kuwait, Qatar, and México, to name a few. Recently, I have held meetings with colleagues at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. We plan to conduct research looking at special education and inclusive education policies in the US, UK, and Chile. This will give us an interesting perspective that spans three continents.
Finally, I have established a connection with and am currently seeking funding for a case study research project with a First Nation (indigenous) group in the south of Chile. The purpose of this project is to determine the extent to which the Chilean government has provided the resources it has promised to provide for inclusive educational opportunities for this particular demographic. In the past I have also been able to collaborate with colleagues from other academic divisions. Namely, the Spanish department, where I had the opportunity to design and co-lead an immersion program for education majors at St. Norbert in Cuernavaca, México. I am currently working with a colleague in the Curriculum and Instruction Department at UW Oshkosh regarding the possibility of leading a group to Chile. These programs blend both, on-campus language instruction, with total cultural immersion in the host country. While immersed, students visit public and private schools, both general and special education, they also continue to study Spanish and develop a deeper understanding of the population.
This is a brief overview of the research that is ongoing and some of the ideas I have for future inquiry. Feedback always welcome!