Dr. Isela Almaguer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of   Curriculum and Instruction of the College of Education.  She is originally    from Los Angeles, California.  Dr. Almaguer earned a bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Education and a master’s degree in Reading as a Reading Specialist.  She t hen continued her education and received her Doctorate Degree from the University of Houston in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Reading and Early Literacy. 

Dr. Almaguer has taught in the College of Education since 1995.  She has taught both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Her public school teaching experience includes teaching at the elementary level as well as providing professional development seminars to teachers in the areas of reading, early literacy, and effective instructional strategies for English language learners in dual language classroom settings.   

Dr. Almaguer is Coordinator of the Elementary Education Program (EC-4).   She has assisted with aligning course content with field experiences and providing orientations to partner schools.  She is active in professional organizations, serving as Board Member of the National Association of  Hispanic and Latino Studies http://www.naaas.org/.   Additionally, she contributes to her department and community groups through her service    on various committees and organizations.   

Dr. Almaguer’s current research interests include enhancing English language learners’ reading achievement through the use of peer-assisted cooperative approaches and has recently had her study published as lead article in the  fall issue of The Bilingual Research Journal.