Dr.+Georgia+Earnest+Garcia+2

= [|Dr. Georgia Earnest Garcia]   = Submitted By: Esperanza Lopez-Barba
 * __ NLP Member Profile __**

Dr. Garcia is currently a Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Garcia has focused on the literacy instruction, assessment, and development of students (preschool – 8) from diverse linguistics and cultural backgrounds, with a special interest in bilingual students’ reading. Her current research interests include investigating cross-linguistics transfer in bilingual students’ reading and writing, the literacy engagement and motivation of bilingual students, and the use of new forms of literacy assessments with students from diverse backgrounds. She is also interested in studying how assessment and instructional reform efforts affect the reading instruction and performance of students from diverse backgrounds.
 * __ Degrees __**
 * Ph.D., Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1988
 * M.S., Education, State University of New York, Cortland , 1977
 * A.B., Sociology, Occidental College, Los Angeles , 1968
 * __ Timeline of Professional/Scholarly Background __**
 * 1988 - 1994 - Dr. Garcia was a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for the Study of Reading.
 * 1993 - Dr. Garcia was awarded the Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, Advising, and Research by the Council of Graduate Students in Education.
 * 1993 – 1996 - Dr. Garcia was a Fellow in the Bureau of Educational Research.
 * 1996 – Dr. Garcia was the Co-Principal Investigator of the Teachers for the 21st Century: Recruiting, Mentoring & Placing Culturally Diverse Teachers, U.S. Department of Education
 * 1997 – Dr. Garcia was appointed Faculty Affiliate of Latino/a Studies
 * 1997 – Dr. Garcia was named a College of Education Distinguished Scholar.
 * 1998 – 2000 - Dr. Garcia was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Reading Conference.
 * 2000 - Dr. Garcia was a member of a Reading Study Group on Skillful Reading, RAND.
 * 2002 – 2004 - Dr. Garcia was a member of the National Literacy Panel on language minority students, Institute of Education Sciences.
 * 2003 – Dr. Garcia was Principal Investigator for Instruction of Reading Comprehension: Cognitive Strategies or Cognitive Engagement, Institute of Education Sciences.
 * 2007 – Dr. Garcia was Principal Investigator of A Comprehensive Approach to Improve the Preparation of University Faculty, Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers to Effectively Teach Limited English Proficient Students for the U.S. Department of Education.

** //Major Study: English Language Learners’ Writing Practices and Attitudes// **
Source: Written Communication Journal; v22n1 p36-75, Jan. 2005 This study of English Language Learners revealed that students engaged in a variety of writing practices both at home and at school. This study observed six Mandarin-speaking and five Spanish-speaking elementary students. A continuum of attitudes, from positive to negative, characterized students’ attitudes toward writing in English and in their native languages. Students writing practices and attitudes toward writing were influenced by home backgrounds and classroom contexts. Home background influences included parents’ educational backgrounds and income levels, plans for staying in the United States, support for writing at home and cultural expectations. School and classroom factors included frequency and quality of opportunities for writing and teachers’ expectations for writing tasks. Implications of the study include the necessity to provide multiple opportunities for students to write for purposeful audiences in their native language as well as in English. Garcia, G. E., Bray, T. M., Mora, R. A., Primeaux, J., Ricklef, M. A., Engel, L. C., et al. (2005). Working with teachers to change the literacy instruction of Latino students in urban sschools. //National// // Reading //// Conference Yearbook //, 55, 155 – 1702 Bauer, E. B., Garcia, G.E., (2002). Lessons from a Classroom Teacher’s Use of Alternative Literacy Assessment. // Research in the Teaching of English; // v36 n4, p462-94. Fitsgerald, J., Garcia, G.E., Jimenez, R. T., Barrera, R., (2000). How will Bilingual/ESL Programs in Literacy Change in the Next Millenium? // Reading Research Quarterly; // v35 n4, p520-23 (Oct-Dec). Tsai, M. L., Garcia, G.E., (2000). Who’s the Boss? How Communicative Competence is Defined in a Multilingual Preschool Classroom. // Anthropology & Education Quarterly; // v31 n2, p230-52. Garcia, G.E., (1998). Mexican-Amercan bilingual students' metacognitive reading strategies: what's transferred, unique, probematic? // National // // Reading //// Conference Yearbook, // v47, p253-63.
 * __ Other Research Studies: __**

Garcia, G.E., (1994). Equity challenges in authentically assessing students from diverse backgrounds//. Educational Forum //, v59, n1, p64-73. Garcia, G.E., Godina, H., (1994). Bilingual preschool children's participation in classroom literacy activities: "once upon a time" and its alternatives. // Report: ED381770, //14pp. Web-based links: [|http://www.cal.org/projects/archive/natlitpanelmembers.html

** Contact: **
Professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Curriculum & Instruction 396 Education Building 1310 S. 6th MC 708 217-333-7048 gegarcia@uiuc.edu