Faculty and Staff

Gladys Vega

Professor • Department of Language, Lit, Culture, and Writing

Dr. Vega is an Associate Professor of TESOL and Director of the Bilingual/ESL Graduate Program. She is currently the Principal Investigator of LEES (Literacy Empowerment in English and Spanish), a National Professional Development grant from the US Department of Education, and the faculty supervisor for the ESL Dual Enrollment program. She received a Ph.D. in English with specialization in Linguistics/TESOL, an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction, and an M.A. in English from Purdue University.

Dr. Vega has received multiple federally and state funded grants focusing on the teaching and learning of multilingual learners, including the U.S. Department of Education, New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, and New Jersey Department of Education. At Northwest Education (formerly Northwest Regional Educational Lab), she participated in the development of K-12 Oregon English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA), overseeing test construct development and content expert panels. She also developed the 3rd edition of the 6+1 Trait® Spanish Writing. She has served on various committees for TESOL International, the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), NJ TESOL-NJBE as well as the committee to nominate candidates for awards in English Language Teaching Assistantships for the U.S. Student Fulbright National Screening Committee.

Professional Interests

Current research interests include language teacher preparation, teacher professional identity, and language advocacy.

Languages (other than English)

Spanish 

Degrees

PhD English Linguistics, Purdue University West Lafayette, IN

MS Curriculum & Instruction, Purdue University West Lafayette, IN

MA English , Purdue University West Lafayette, IN

BA Education, INSP Lenguas Vivas "Juan Ramon Fernandez" Buenos Aires, Argentina

Specialization

Teacher education, Second language writing, Assessment

Representative Presentations


Crossing Boundaries, Transforming Identities: STEM Teachers Becoming ESL Teachers
2018 American Association of Applied Linguistics Conference American Association of Applied Linguistics
Chicago, IL 2018


Foundations of Linguistics and Identity in L2 Teaching and Learning
GlobELT 2018: An International Conference on Teaching and Learning English as an Additional Language
Belgrade, 2018


Preparing STEM Teachers for English Learners: Great Promise in a Less Trodden Path
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Washington, DC 2016


Beyond Physical Borders in Teacher Education: Nontraditional Classrooms-Nontraditional Students
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Baltimore, MD 2016


Today's Noticiero: Transformative Advocacy in Action
2022 Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Convention TESOL International
Pittsburgh, PA 2022

Media

Escuelas de Paterson Buscan Maestros Bilingues
https://www.telemundo47.com/noticias/destacados/Escuelas-de-Paterson-buscan-maestros-bilingues--507103061.html
The story focused on the shortage of bilingual teachers despite the increased numbers of English learners through the years. It was featured on Telemundo 47, the New York metropolitan affiliate for this Spanish language network.

Fellowships, Grants and Research

Preparing All Teachers to Better Serve English Learners (PATSEL)
Grant

Bilingual Teacher Endorsement
Contract

Sheltered English Instruction Training Program (SEI)
Grant

Literacy for Empowerment in English and Spanish (LEES)
Grant

329 Preakness Hall

Monday & Tuesday 4:00-5:00 pm