Matthew Foster, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS), has been awarded $25,000 from The Corridor Early-Stage Innovation Fund. Foster was selected by the Florida High Tech Corridor and USF Research and Innovation.
This project, "Equipping Bilingual Leaders for Special Education Related Careers," is also supported by CBCS faculty M. Adelaida Restrepo, PhD, and Maria Carlo, PhD, and the College of Education's Lisa Lopez, PhD. The goal of their project is to mitigate educational disparities exacerbated by immigration and poverty by developing a comprehensive training program for bilingual professionals.
Through their work, the team aims to attract and train multilingual leaders in evidence-based bilingual instruction, culturally appropriate special education practices, and family engagement through field-based experiential learning activities. USF bilingual undergraduate students will provide bilingual language intervention to emergent bilinguals in kindergarten and first grade at Redlands Christian Migrant Association. Additionally, a new iPad app that coaches’ parents to engage in dialogic reading with their children in their native language will be adapted for schools. This method facilitates transfer effects from Spanish to English language and literacy, while promoting biliteracy at home.
The team also hopes to see their project packaged and leveraged by other universities, practitioners, and community groups, extending their reach beyond the USF community.
If you are or know a strong bilingual USF undergraduate student who is interested in innovative research and bilingual instructional methods and would like to participate in this research, contact Matthew Foster.