Josefina Villamil Tinajero

Josefina Villamil Tinajero is a Mexican-American educator and author. Her work and writing are focused on bilingual literacy,[1] and improving student outcomes in higher education. Tinajero has served as president of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) and has worked as a professor of bilingual education at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Tinajero later became the dean of the college of education at UTEP.[2] According to El Diario de El Paso, she is an expert in bilingual education.[3] She is also a member of the El Paso Women's Hall of Fame.[4]

Biography

Tinajero was born in the state of Chihuahua and lived in Ciudad Juárez until she was three before moving to El Paso, Texas.[5] When Tinajero first started school, she didn't know how to speak English.[6] She learned English at school, but retained her Spanish-speaking skills by using them at home.[6] She attended a private Catholic high school and met her future husband, Roberto Tinajero, at while working to pay for her school tuition.[5] She married Roberto in 1970, when she was a sophomore at UTEP.[5] They would eventually have four children together.[5] During her time as a student at UTEP, she was one of "just a handful of Hispanic undergraduate women studying" there.[7]

Tinajero began teaching at UTEP in 1981.[5][6] Later, she earned her doctorate in education in 1986 from Texas A&M.[7] Also in 1986, she started a successful program where Latino parents, especially mothers, help encourage their children to attend college.[7] The first iteration of it was called the "Educational Enhancement for Mothers and Daughters Program" or the "Mother-Daughter Program."[7][8] The program originally focused on Mexican-American girls because they had one of the highest risks of dropping out of school or going to college.[9] The majority of students in the program, which is now available for fathers and sons, finish high school and attend college.[8][7]

Between 1997 and 2000 she was the president of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE).[10][11] In 2002, she was awarded "Texas Professor of the Year" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[1] The Mexican government recognized her contribution to bilingual education in 2016 by giving her the Ohtli Award.[3]

Publications
  • ——; Alma Flor Ada, eds. (1993). The Power of Two Languages: Literacy and Biliteracy for Spanish-speaking students. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 9780021781324.
  • ——; Robert A. DeVillar, eds. (2000). The Power of Two Languages 2000: Effective Dual-Language Use Across the Curriculum. New York: McGraw-Hill School Division. ISBN 9780021869343.

References
  1. "ECC Hosts 2003 Multicultural, Multilingual Education Event". Northwest Herald. 19 April 2003. Retrieved 6 September 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Zehr, Mary Ann (8 March 2006). "Bilingual Education Group Drops Executive Director". Education Week. 25 (26): 6 – via EBSCOhost.
  3. Henao, Juliana (8 March 2016). "Premian su destacado aporte a la educación bilingüe". El Diario de Juárez (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-09-06.
  4. "El Paso Commission for Women Hall of Fame Members". El Paso Commission for Women. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  5. Henry, Pat (4 February 1989). "At Ease in Two Worlds". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 6 September 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Benge, George (27 April 2002). "Bilingual Education Promotes Proficiency in Other Disciplines". The Times Herald. Retrieved 6 September 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. White, Mercedes (2012-07-11). "Moms key in Hispanic women going to college". Deseret News. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
  8. Kuhn, Mark. "Part 4, A Texas Program Helps Latinas Reach Their Potential, Educating Latinos". NPR. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
  9. "Program Encourages Hispanic Girls to Plan Early for College". The Galveston Daily News. 11 May 1987. Retrieved 6 September 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Fischer, Brittany (2017-06-21). "Josefina Villamil Tinajero Monograph from National Geographic Learning". National Geographic Learning Product News & Resources. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
  11. Rodriguez, Roberto (8 January 1998). "California Has Another Proposition". Black Issues in Higher Education. 14 (23): 11 – via EBSCOhost.
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