Research by two recent doctoral graduates from the 91视频 College of Education has been recognized by the Texas Association for Bilingual Education for its impact on improving opportunities for English learners.
Elisa A. Garcia and Gloria M. Adams, who both earned their Ed.D. in Professional Leadership in December 2025, were formally recognized at the TABE Conference in San Antonio this month.
2026 TABE Outstanding Dissertation Award Honorees
Garcia received second-place honors for her dissertation, 鈥淢itigating Educational Inequities
for English Learners in Texas.鈥� A former bilingual education and special education
teacher, she now works at Imagine Learning leading design and development of professional
learning for humanities educators.
Adams received third place for her dissertation, 鈥淣avigating the Framework: Evaluating
Program Placement for Secondary English Learners in Texas Schools.鈥� Adams is a seventh-grade
English language arts and reading teacher in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, where she serves
as a mentor for new teachers and is pursuing certification to become a principal.
Behind the statewide honors are findings that could help schools better support English learners, said Kristi L. Santi, a professor of special populations who served as dissertation advisor to both Garcia and Adams.
鈥淓nglish learners are one of the fastest-growing student groups in Texas, yet too many decisions about their placement and access to resources are still made without solid evidence,鈥� Santi said. 鈥淓lisa and Gloria took questions they faced every day as educators and answered them with rigorous research. That is exactly what our Ed.D. program is designed to do, and I鈥檓 proud to see TABE recognize their work.鈥�
Garcia鈥檚 dissertation examined inequities in access to instructional resources for English learners in Texas Title I schools, focusing on how communication, professional learning and implementation practices influence whether available resources are truly accessible for teachers and students. The research will be published in the Journal of Bilingual Education Research and Instruction.
Adams鈥� dissertation examined how program placement decisions shape outcomes in language proficiency and academic performance for English learners, particularly among secondary students in Texas. Her research also will be published in the Journal of Bilingual Education Research and Instruction.