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Faculty Bio

Dr. Calderón is principal investigator of a 5-year study in middle and high schools in New York City called Expediting Reading Comprehension for English Language Learners (ExC-ELL), funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The study focuses on designing and testing (a) a professional development program for science, math, social studies and language arts teachers with English-language learners; (b) a lesson template for integrating vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing development strategies into core content instruction; (c) a technology-based coaching and observation protocol to record teacher effectiveness and impact on students.

She is Co-PI with Robert Slavin on the 5-year randomized evaluation of English immersion, transitional, and two-way bilingual elementary programs funded by the Institute for Education Sciences/U.S. Dept. of Education. Other research has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Labor, National Institutes of Health, and Texas Education Agency. She has over 100 publications. Three recent publications are: The MacGraw-Wright Group Series - Science Essentials for ELLs; Teaching Reading to English Language Learners, Grades 6-12: A Framework for Improving Achievement in the Content Areas, and Reading Instructional Goals for Older Readers (RIGOR), a reading series for students with interrupted formal education (SIFE) and long-term ELLs. RIGOR has just won the 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award from The Association of Educational Publishers.

Faculty CV

Positions

• 1966-1968 Translator, RTAC/AID, American Embassy, Mexico City
• 1968-1974 English, French and ESL high school teacher, Lydia Patterson Institute, El Paso
• 1975-1977 Information Specialist, ERIC Clearinghouse, New Mexico State University
• 1977-1983 Professional Development Coordinator, San Diego State University
• 1984-1990 Bilingual Director/Faculty, University of California, Santa Barbara
• 1990-1994 Associate Professor, Educational Leadership, University of Texas, El Paso
• 1985 -Present Visiting lecturer at University of Hawaii at Kauai, Hilo, Maui, Manoa, and U. of Guam
• 1994-Present Senior Research Scientist / Professor, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University

Honors

• 1998 Woman of the Year, International Business and Professional Women
• 1994 Outstanding Contribution to Educational Leadership, University of Texas, El Paso
• 1993 Outstanding Contribution to the Community, U.T. El Paso
• 1990 Outstanding Accomplishments in Excellence in Education by President George Bush.
• 1986 Gold Nugget Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Education, U.T. El Paso
• 1985 Outstanding Hispanic Alumnus, U. T. El Paso
• 1985 Outstanding Alumnus, Lydia Patterson Institute

2003-08 Honors/Professional Appointments

• The National Research Council’s Panel on Teacher Preparation
• Professional Advisory Board of the National Center for Learning Disabilities
• The American Educational Research Association’s Committee on Ethics and Standards
• The National Carnegie Panel on Literacy for Adolescent English Language Learners
• The National IRA Panel on Literacy for English Language Learners
• Reading is Fundamental Multicultural Advisory Group
• ETS Visiting Panel on Research
• The National Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth, by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, and the National Institutes of Health
• The Reading Expert Advisory Group for the Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory
• The National Council of La Raza Latino Charter Schools’ Advisory Board
• The George Washington University’s Advisory Board Preparing All Administrators, Counselors, and Teachers to Work with Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students
• Advisory Board member of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education
• Texas Senator Eliot Shapleigh’s Adult Education committee.