Dr. Rafael Lara-AlecioProfessor,
Texas A&M University,
USA
Biography
Dr. Rafael Lara-Alecio, Ph.D. is Professor and PI for Project ELLA-V, Director, Center for Research & Development in Dual Language and Literacy Acquisition (CRDLLA), Director Bilingual Programs, Department of Educational Psychology (EPSY), College of Education and Human Development (COEHD), Texas A&MUniversity. With over 100 publications focusing on K-12 academic language, literacy development, assessment, and evaluation published in English and Spanish in top journals, he is the co-editor of the Handbook on Educational Theories (1144 pages) which serves as the first comprehensive collection of some of the most influential theories that guide graduate students, professors, and practitioners in their research. His research efforts have garnered $38,729,580-TAMU and other $7,038,133-Texas public schools from the Institute of Educational Sciences, National Science Foundation, U.S. Office of English Language Acquisition, Texas Educational Agency (TEA), Intercontinental Development Bank and Costa Rica/USA Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Education I3. Among prestigious awards received are, Distinguished Achievement Research Award, TAMU Association of Former Students (2014), Outstanding Research Award, EPSY (2012); Texas Higher Education Honoree, Texas Association of Bilingual Education (2010); Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award, COEHD (2010); Distinguished Achievement Service Outreach Award, TAMU Association of Former Students (2005); Diversity Award, the Offices of the Provost and Dean of Faculties, TAMU (2000); Teaching Excellence Scholar Award, Center for Teaching Excellence, (1993). Dr. Lara-Alecio was selected as Principal Investigator for a Costa Rica Research Study (2009); Appointed to TEA Steering Committee for the development of the Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (2007). In 2005, he was commissioned by Texas Senate Education Committee Chair to conduct a cost effectiveness study of dual language; He was the Chair, Best Dissertation Study, Bilingual Research Special Interest Group, American Educational Research Association (2004); Chair, Best Dissertation study of the Year NABE (1998); Chair, EPSY Best Dissertations (1997; 2007).
Research Interest
Scholar work has been focused on acquisition of academic language, dual language development and literacy acquisition (English and Spanish), Pedagogy, theory, evaluation, and validation, academic content-areas of instruction, language of instruction and classroom observation.