Welcome to
Language, Literacy and Culture
We are a community of dedicated teacher scholars devoted to excellence, equity and the academic achievement of all students while affirming a shared belief that language, literacy and culture constitute the essence of all teaching and learning.
Our department is committed to preparing distinguished educators that respect students’ cultural and linguistic heritages, and their special needs. Our pedagogy is guided by evidence-based practices that organize and mediate student success. As multilingual, intercultural educators we unselfishly share our vast practical and theoretical knowledge from our experiences in pre-K to higher education. We are active in classrooms and schools; we are leaders in educational organizations; we serve as elected officials; and, we are recipients of numerous prestigious awards and research grants.
On our web page you will find information about our individual expertise that frames our renowned bilingual teaching programs, masters degrees in TESOL, bilingual cross cultural education/biliteracy, reading and language arts. Let us know if we can further assist you with your educational plans.
I wish you success and hope you become part of our community of teacher scholars dedicated to service through leadership.
Sincerely,
María V. Balderrama, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Language, Literacy and Culture
Mission
Our department is committed to developing and supporting educators whose dedication to teaching and learning nurtures within their students the capacity for respect of multilingualism, intercultural understanding, critical literacy, and creative, lifelong learning.
We believe that language, literacy and culture are the core elements of humanistic models of education grounded in equity and social justice. We are dedicated to preparing teachers for leadership roles framed by visionary research and action-based models that honor human diversity and are grounded in an unwavering commitment to educational excellence for the public good.