Stemming from my time as a bilingual teacher in Arizona when the state passed an English-only policy, I engage in applied research projects and technical assistance to support educational leaders with designing and implementing policies that promote asset-oriented, intellectually rigorous environments for multilingual learner students, families, and teachers. I am Chair and Professor in the Department of Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego. I also serve as co-advisor to the English Learners Collaborative for the Council of Chief State School Officers.

In work funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the U.S. Department of Education, the Spencer Foundation, and the W. T. Grant Foundation, I have investigated the implementation of language and course placement policies, teacher preparation policies, as well as STEM-CS reforms. I work in partnership with leaders to address pressing problems of practice and to generate resources that center multilingual learners in state and local policy. My scholarship has appeared in several top-tier journals, including American Educational Research Journal, Educational Researcher, and Journal of Teacher Education. I co-edited the volumes Forbidden Language: English Learners and Restrictive Language Policies and School Integration Matters: Research-Based Strategies to Advance Equity (both Teachers College Press).

I completed my Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University. I also hold a Master’s degree in International Education Policy from Harvard University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Indiana University.