Deborah Palmer

  • Professor and Chair
  • Chair of the Education Minor and Education Studies
  • EQUITY, BILINGUALISM & BILITERACY
  • BUENO CENTER
Address

Miramontes Baca Education Building, Room 300G
University of baby直播app Boulder
249 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309

I am a Professor in the program in Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy in the School of Education, a baby直播app associate with the BUENO Center for Multicultural Education, and affiliate baby直播app in the Department of Ethnic Studies and the Culture, Language and Social Practice (CLASP) Program.Formerly a dual language bilingual teacher in Redwood City, California and bilingual teacher educator at the University of Texas at Austin, I conduct qualitative research using ethnographic and discourse analytic methods in culturally and linguistically diverse schools and classrooms. My interests include bilingual education policy and politics; dual language bilingual education; teacher preparation for linguistically and culturally diverse teaching contexts; and issues of language, power and identity in schools. I led study abroad programs for education students at the University of Texas at Austin to Cuernavaca, Mexico in 2007, and to Antigua, Guatemala in 2013 and 2015. I have two recent books (2023), both co-edited with colleagues: 鈥淐ritical Consciousness in Dual Language Bilingual Education: Case Studies on Policy and Practice鈥 (Routledge) and 鈥淕entrification and Bilingual Education: A Texas TWBE School Across Seven Years鈥 (Lexington). My 2018 book (Multilingual Matters) related to bilingual teacher education was titled Teacher Leadership for Social Change in Bilingual/Bicultural Education.

Soy Profesora del programa de Equidad, Biling眉ismo y Bi-literacidad鈥 en la Facultad de Educaci贸n; facultad asociada con el Centro BUENO de Education Multicultural, y afiliada con el departamento de Estudios Etnias y el programa de cultura, lenguaje y pr谩ctica social (CLASP por sus cifras en ingl茅s). Anteriormente maestra de educaci贸n biling眉e de lenguaje dual en California y profesora de docencia biling眉e en Texas, llevo a cabo investigaciones cualitativas usando m茅todos de etnograf铆a y an谩lisis de discurso en contextos de diversidad ling眉铆stica. Mis intereses incluyen la educaci贸n biling眉e, el lenguaje dual, y la pol铆tica y pedagog铆a de la ense帽anza de estudiantes emergentes biling眉es en escuelas p煤blicas; la preparaci贸n de docentes para escuelas diversas; y asuntos del lenguaje, el poder y la identidad.  

Ph.D. (2004) Education in Language, Literacy and Culture, University of California, Berkeley, CA

M.A. (2000) Education in Language, Literacy and Culture, University of California, Berkeley, CA

Bilingual/Cross-cultural Language in Academic Development Supplement (BCLAD) (1996) 

California Multiple Subject K-12 Teaching Credential (1992) Mills College, Oakland CA. (renewed to 2023)

B.A. (1991) Anthropology with Humanities Honors, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

BOOKS

Dorner, L., Palmer, D., Cervantes-Soon, C., Crawford, E. & *Heiman, D. (2023) . Routledge.

Palmer, D. & *Garc铆a-Mateus, S. (2023) . Lexington Books.

Henderson, K. & Palmer, D. (2020) . Multilingual Matters.

Palmer, D. (2018) . Multilingual Matters.

SELECTED JOURNAL ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS

*Harvey-Torres, R., Palmer, D. & *Degollado, E.D. (2022) Three worlds pitfall? A transfronteriza Latina bilingual teacher navigating home, school, and university divides. Teaching and Teacher Education. 116. 

*Hurie, A. & Palmer, D. (2022) : A Typology of Choice Schools鈥 Marketing Strategies on the Near South Side of Milwaukee. Education Policy Analysis Archives. 30, (28).  

*Garc铆a-Mateus, S., *Henderson, K, *T茅llez-Arst茅, M. & Palmer, D. (2021) An experienced bilingual Latina teacher and pre-K Latinx students in the borderlands: Translanguaging as humanizing pedagogy. In: M. S谩nchez & O. Garc铆a, Eds. Transformative translanguaging espacios in bilingual education: U.S. Latinx bilingual children rompiendo fronteras, (pp.156-179) Multilingual Matters.

Palmer, D. (2019) 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not a Spanish speaker!/We are all bilingual鈥 The purple kids on being and becoming bilingual in a dual language kindergarten classroom. In: Faltis, C. & MacSwan, J. Eds. Code-Switching in the Classroom:  A Multilingual Perspective on Language and Language Practices. Routledge, pp.247-267.

Palmer, D., Cervantes-Soon, C., Dorner, L., & *Heiman, D. (2019) Bilingualism, Biliteracy, Biculturalism鈥 and Critical Consciousness for All: Proposing a Fourth Fundamental Principle for Two-Way Dual Language Education. Theory Into Practice, 58(2), 121-133. .

*Henderson, K. & Palmer, D. (2019) 鈥淚 wonder why they don鈥檛 do the two-way鈥: Disrupting the one-way/two-way dichotomy, re-envisioning the possibilities of dual language bilingual education. NABE Journal of Research and Practice, 9(1), .

Cervantes-Soon, C., Dorner, L., Palmer, D., Heiman, D., Schwerdtfeger, R., & Choi, J. (2017) Combating inequalities in two-way language immersion programs: Toward critical consciousness in bilingual education spaces. Review of Research in Education.

Palmer, D., Zu帽iga, C. & Henderson, K. (2015) A dual language revolution in the United States? From compensatory to enrichment bilingual education in Texas. In: Wright, W., Boun, S., & Garcia, O. (Eds.) Handbook of Bilingual and Multilingual Education, Wiley-Blackwell.

Palmer, D.K. & Mart铆nez, R.A. (2013) Teacher agency in bilingual spaces:  A fresh look at preparing teachers to educate Latino/a bilingual children. Review of Research in Education, 37(1), 269-297.

Palmer, D. (2010). Race, power, and equity in a multiethnic urban elementary school with a dual immersion 鈥渟trand鈥 program. Anthropology in Education Quarterly, 41(1), 94-114.

Palmer, D. (2009). Middle-class English speakers in a two-way immersion bilingual classroom: 鈥淓verybody should be listening to Jonathan right now鈥︹ TESOL Quarterly, 43(2), 177-202.

MEDIA/TALKS, MAGAZINE ARTICLES, AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS 

Caldas, B., Rubio, B., Heiman, D., Palmer, D. & Mart铆nez, M. (2021) Cultivating bilingual education leaders: Tensions, successes and lessons learned at graduate school level. Webinar, B-MEIS, TESOL International, February 10, 2021. 

Palmer, D. & McGrath, A. (2021) Language, Leadership and BIPOC Students. Podcast, Center for Leadership鈥檚 Leadership Frontiers Podcast Series, University of baby直播app Boulder, /lead/news-events/leadership-frontiers-podcast.

Henderson, K.I., Ortega, E. & Palmer, D. (2021). 鈥淚鈥檓 kind of a rebel here鈥: Documenting the greatest challenges of bilingual teachers during a pandemic. Multilingual Educator, Spring 2021, (pp.86-88).  

Palmer, D. (2021) Teaching for equity in two-way dual language education: The hidden curriculum behind what we teach and how we teach. Multilingual Educator, Spring 2021, (pp.107-110)   

Heiman, D., Cervantes-Soon, C., Dorner, L. & Palmer, D. (November 8, 2020) Critical consciousness at the core: Ensuring equity for transnational emerging bilinguals in US language education programs. Webinar, Center for Transnational & Multilingual Education, Georgia State University, November 8, 2020.   

Wagstaffe, J.P. & Palmer, D. (2019). Do middle-class native English-speaking children dominate bilingual programs in America?. OASIS Summary of Palmer, D. (2009) in.  

*Fine, C., Palmer, D., & *Strong, K.A. (2019) The impact of language ideologies in schools. Educational Leadership, Dec/Jan, 77(4), 58-65 

Caminos de Biling眉ismo: Co-designing and Co-conducting Research on High School Bilingual Pathways with Students (August 2023-May 2024)

Thirteen New Vista High School (NVHS) students and CU Boulder and graduate students are co-designing and co-conducting a study with CU Boulder baby直播app and graduate students that explores the biliteracy pathways students, families, community members, educators and administrators want to create at NVHS and in Boulder Valley School District (BVSD).  This youth-driven participatory action research (YPAR) project will investigate the research question that NVHS students have designed: What kinds of unique secondary biliteracy programs could BVSD create to best help emerging bilingual students across the district? 

This project aims to support BVSD鈥檚 Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education department and NVHS to become innovators in the area of high school biliteracy pathways by centering student voices and engaging students as experts and co-constructors of knowledge. The NVHS student researchers are learning research skills, learning about bilingual education, spending time on the CU Boulder campus and developing their own biliteracy. They will develop meaningful recommendations about how and why NVHS and BVSD can expand biliteracy pathways based on their research.  These findings and recommendations will be shared bilingually to different communities of parents, school leaders, and district leaders in Spring 2024.  NVHS student researchers are able to earn both Community Experience credit towards graduation and concurrent enrollment college credits in youth research through CU Boulder continuing education.

We are funded through a  and with the generous support of WISE

Developing Critical Consciousness through Dialogue with our Neighbors:  and CU Boulder SOE Partnership for Equity

The purpose of the School of Education/University Hill Elementary partnership is to support equitable educational engagements by developing and nurturing spaces for critical inquiry and dialogue that center the needs, identities, and experiences of racially and linguistically marginalized students. A collaborative project with Dr. Andrea Dyrness (EFPP) and Dr. Enrique Sep煤lveda (Ethnic Studies) and the leadership at UHE, this project involves UHE students and teachers, and CU Boulder undergraduate and graduate students. 

At the heart of the partnership is a unique cultural mentoring program that brings together underrepresented students at CU who are Education and Ethnic Studies majors with predominantly Latinx 5th graders at Uni Hill. Through a weekly after-school program led by the CU Boulder students, we aim to: 1) build community among Uni Hill students and underrepresented students at CU and promote a sense of belonging to CU and the Boulder community, 2) To reflect on and strengthen cultural identity, and 3) To explore issues of common concern in our communities and cultural resources for education, or community cultural wealth (Yosso 2005). It is our hope that through this new community, both groups of students will see their identities and experiences as resources for their education, and Uni Hill students will begin to see higher education as not only possible but meaningful for them and their communities, while CU students will see community engagement as a way to enhance their own educational experience. Additionally, through research partnerships with fifth grade teachers and professional development for the entire baby直播app of Uni Hill, we aim to support teachers to leverage their students鈥 cultural and linguistic backgrounds as resources for teaching and learning in dual language bilingual classrooms.

This project began with an SOE-Partnership SEED Grant in 2019. 

Building Raciolinguistic Justice in Midwestern Dual Language Programs, 1/2022-12/2022:

Funded by a Spencer Foundation Conference Grant, this project is a collaboration with a team of researchers and practitioners in dual language bilingual education across six midwestern states with the primary purpose to develop raciolinguistic justice in Midwestern DLBE programs. Central to this work is the development of critical consciousness (Palmer, et al., 2019). Therefore we are planning a series of virtual convenings co-led by practitioners, which will inform an in-person conference with data analysis and conversations co-facilitated by researchers and interactive workshops that link research to practice. Three objectives support our primary purpose: (1) document and more deeply understand issues of raciolinguistic equity and critical consciousness in DLBE; (2) design new research-practice partnerships and agendas; and (3) foster an anti-racist community of practice and Midwestern DLBE network.

Recent Courses Taught:

鲍苍诲别谤驳谤补诲耻补迟别/惭补蝉迟别谤鈥檚:
2625/5625 Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language
4425 Introduction to Bilingual/Multicultural Education
5605 Research Issues in Bilingual Education
5615 Second Language Acquisition
5425 Introduction to Bilingual/Multicultural Education

Doctoral: 
8730 Advanced Qualitative Methods: Critical Discourse Analysis
8014 Seminar on Democracy, Diversity and Justice in Education: Latinos in Education