Marlene Zepeda, PhD

Professor, Department of Child and Family Studies, California State University, Los Angeles

Marlene Zepeda is a Professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies at California State University, Los Angeles.  A former preschool and elementary school teacher, Dr. Zepeda’s current scholarship focuses on dual language learning in Spanish speaking preschool children.  Dr. Zepeda has also participated in a number of activities relevant to dual language learners. For the California State Department of Education, Dr. Zepeda led a group of national experts in the development of California’s Early Learning Foundations for English Language Development for 3 and 4 year olds, the first effort of its kind in the nation.  More recently she has authored a companion piece focused on teaching strategies for dual language learners published by the Child Development Division of the California State Department of Education.  She is currently involved with two major research projects focused on understanding the language trajectory of Spanish dominant 3 year olds learning English and a study of the efficacy of preschool curriculum developed for use with Spanish speaking preschool children learning English:  Dual language development among Spanish speaking children learning English and the Nuestro Ninos Program for Promoting School Readiness. Both projects are funded under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health.  Dr. Zepeda is a member of the Technical Working Group for the National Center for Early Care and Education Research:  Dual Language Learners and a Research Advisory Board Member to Los Angeles County Office of Child Care STEP Project, a quality rating system for early education settings.  Marlene Zepeda received her BA in Child Development from California State University, Los Angeles and her MA and Ph.D. degrees in Developmental Studies for the University of California, Los Angeles.