Research and Publications
My research is grounded and informed by descriptive processes as well as by teachers’ classroom practices. I believe strongly that one of my roles as a researcher is to work side-by-side with teachers, as I learn from them and their bilingual children. Additionally, my role is to research how to best nurture children’s development as biliterate readers and writers. I strive to understand how their bilingualism/multilingualism can serve as a transformative and dynamic resource while providing access to an age-appropriate, culturally relevant, and responsive curriculum. My deep interest in ensuring children have access to diverse literature that reflects and honors their lived experiences intersects with this work.
Published Books
Rooted in Strength: Using Translanguaging to Grow
Multilingual Readers and Writers
Cecilia M. Espinosa and Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (2021)
Purchase this book on:
Jenny’s Story: Taking the Long View of the Child:
Prospect’s Philosophy in Action
Patricia F. Carini and Margaret Himley with Carol Christine, Cecilia M. Espinosa and
Julia Fournier (2009)
Purchase this book on:
Webinars
Using Translanguaging to Center Emergent Bilinguals Literacy Practices
Presented with Laura Ascenzi-Moreno.
Using Translanguaging to Grow Multilingual Readers and Writers
Presented with Laura Ascenzi-Moreno.
Interview by Ernest Morell
Rooted in Strength: The Power of Multilingualism
Cecilia Espinosa and Laura Ascenzi-Moreno.
Podcasts
On Language and Languaging: Cecilia Espinosa and Jonathan Rosa
In Thinking in the Midst - Philosophy of Education Society with Cara Furman and Derek Gottlieb
Rooted in Strengths: Cecilia Espinosa and Laura Ascenzi-Moreno
In Teaching MLs Podcast with Tan Huynh
Translanguaging: Inviting the whole child into the classroom, Cecilia Espinosa and Laura Ascenzi Moreno
In Ethical Schools Podcast with Amy Halpern-Laff and Jon Moscow
Shifting Teaching Paradigms: Laura Ascenzi-Moreno & Cecilia Espinosa
In NY TESOL with Yasmeen Coaxum
Twitter Slow Chat
Literacy Lenses: Focusing on Literacy Work That Matters
Cecilia M. Espinosa and Laura Ascenzi Moreno Rooted in Strength:
Selected Publications
Espinosa, C. (accepted). On Biliteracy & Theory(ies): A teacher’s journey. A Teacher’s Guide. Editors: Reseda Streb (Germany) and Valérie Fialais (France). To be published in French and English.
Espinosa, C.; García, M.; Lehner-Quam, A. (in press). My Words Flowed Like a River; Taking up Translanguaging in a Teacher Education Program. (Eds. Silvia Melo-Pfeifer and Vander Tavarez). Language Teacher Identity: Confronting Ideologies of Language, Race and Ethnicity.Wiley-Blackwell.
Espinosa, C. (2023). Reading Invitations for the Whole Bilingual Child: Why It Matters. Planning for Success Literacy and the Instructional Cycle (Edited by Nawal Qaarooni). International Literacy Association (ILA) Magazine, July/August/September issue.
Espinosa, C. & Bachman, R. (2023). Becoming Maestras: Learning to Attend with Care. Symposium Continuing the Legacy of Patricia Carinin (Part 3). Schools: Studies in Education Journal, pp. 52-84.
Ascenzi-Moreno, L., Espinosa, C., & Lehner-Quam, A. (2022). Move, play, language: A translanguaged multimodal approach to literacies with young emergent bilinguals (Chapter 9). In S. Brown and Hao, S. (Eds). Multimodal Literacies in Young Emergent Bilinguals: Speaking Back to Print-Centric Practices. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Bulatowicz, D. Espinosa, C, Constantine, D., Johnson, H., Lathman, I., Phelps, D., Powless, J. (2022). 2022 Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children. Language Arts.
Espinosa, C. (2021). Instructional Sample Practice for a Kindergarten Classroom Aligned to the Next Generation Learning Standards, New York State Department of Education (NYS ED).
García, O. & Espinosa, C. (2020). Bilinguismo y translanguaging: Consecuencias para la education. In Claves para Entender el Multilinguismo Contemporáneo (Eds. Luisa Martin Rojo, L & Joan Pujolar). Editorial VC. Prensa de la Universidad de Saragoza.
Espinosa, C.; Ascenzi-Moreno, L.; Vogel, S. (2020). Building on Strengths: Translanguaging and Writing. In Translanguaging and Transformative Teaching for Emergent Bilingual Students: Lessons from the CUNY-NYSIEB Project (Ed. Ofelia García). Routledge.
Espinosa, C., Ascenzi-Moreno, L., Kleyn, T. Sánchez, M. (2020). Transforming Urban Teacher Education: The City University of New York. Translanguaging and Transformative Teaching for Emergent Bilingual Students: Lessons from the CUNY- NYSIEB Project. (Ed. Ofelia García) Routledge.
Lehner-Quam, A., West, R., Espinosa, C. (2020). Developing and Teaching with a Diverse Children’s Literature Collection at an Urban Public College: What Teacher Education Students Know and Ways Their Knowledge Can Grow About Diverse Books. Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian Journal.
Espinosa, C. (2019). Ofelia García: A transformative thinker and leader. Journal of Multilingual Education Research (JMER) https://research.library.fordham.edu/jmer/vol9/iss1/17/
Espinosa, C. and Lehner-Quam, A. (2019). Sustaining Bilingualism: Multimodal Arts Experiences for Young Readers and Writers. Language Arts, pp. 265-268
Ascenzi-Moreno, L. and Espinosa, C. (2018). Opening up spaces for their whole selves: A case study group’s exploration of translanguaging practices in writing. NYS TESOL Journal, 5 (1), pp. 10 -29.
Espinosa, C. & Rodriguez, M. V. (2016). Teacher learning communities in urban settings: Impact on classroom practice. Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning, 10 (1), pp. 29-38.
Espinosa, C. & Herrera, L. with Montoya, C. (2016). Reclaiming Bilingualism: Translanguaging in a Science Class. In Translanguaging with Multilingual Students: Learning from Classroom Moments (Eds.O. García and T. Kleyn). NY: Taylor and Francis/Routledge.
Selected Publications as a Classroom Teacher
Espinosa, C. & Moore, K. (1999). Understanding and transforming the meaning of our lives through poetry, biographies, and songs. In C. Edelsky (Ed.) Making Justice our Project (pp. 37-54). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. (Reprinted in: Trends and Issues in Elementary Language Arts – 2000 edition. National Council of Teachers of English.)
Espinosa, C. and Fournier, J. (1998). Tierra Fértil: Making the soil rich for young children in Spanish. In R. Constantino (ed.), Literacy, Access, and Libraries among the Language Minority Population (pp.175-192). London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Espinosa, C. and Fournier, J. (1995). Making meaning of our lives through literature, present, past, and future.
Primary Voices, 3 (2), 15- 21.
Hudelson, S., Fournier, J., Espinosa, C. & Bachman, R. (1994). Chasing windmills, overcoming obstacles in Spanish literature for children. Language Arts, 3 (71), 164-171.