Linda M. Espinosa, PhD

Dr. Linda M. Espinosa, is Professor Emeritus of Early Childhood Education at the University of Missouri, Columbia and has served as the Co-Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University and Vice President at Bright Horizons Family Solutions as well as an ECE program director in California in San Francisco Unified District, San Jose Unified School District, and Redwood School District. She was most recently Co-PI for the Getting on Track for Early School Success: Effective Teaching in Preschool Classrooms project at the University of Chicago and former Co-PI for the Center for Early Care and Education Research—Dual Language Learners (CECER-DLL) at Frank Porter Graham CDI at the U of NC. Her recent research and policy work have focused on effective curriculum and assessment practices for young children from low-income families who are dual language learners. Dr. Espinosa’s latest book, Getting it RIGHT for Young Children from Diverse Backgrounds (2015) focused on quality education for DLLs. She was a contributing author of the report from NASEM (2017), Promoting the Educational Success of Children Learning English. Recently, she has co-authored the California Early Learning Foundations, English Language Learners Chapter, the California Preschool Curriculum Frameworks English Language Development Chapter, and the Desired Results Developmental Profile, 2010, English Language Development Assessment Measures. Dr. Espinosa served as the lead consultant for the LAUSD Transitional Kindergarten program development team and is a member of the Council for Professional Development Governing Board and was a Governing Board member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She currently serves a Co-Chair of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine study committee, A New Vision for High Quality Preschool Curriculum.