Abstract
Dr. Correa is a professor emerita in the Department of Child Development and Family Studies at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Throughout her career, Dr. Correa’s research focused on young children with disabilities, bilingual special education, teacher education, and the intersection of early childhood special education with early childhood education. These foci resulted in research that crosses boundaries, involving strong collaborative partnerships across special education and general education within school settings, departments within universities, and multiple universities nationally.
Dr. Correa was the recipient of multiple national awards during her career in special education. These include the Excellence in Teacher Education Award (Merrill) from the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) in 2006, the CEC Teacher Education Division Distinguished Service Award in 2016, and the Latina Women in Education Award, Leadership in the Clouds in 2016. She has authored or co-authored more than 100 refereed journal articles, book chapters, and books. In addition, she has received more than $12 million dollars in external funding from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs, the Florida Department of Education, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Clemson Research Investment Funds, and the South Carolina Office of Exceptional Children. These projects have provided new special educators to the field, trained doctoral students to become leaders in the field, and funded Dr. Correa’s multiple research projects. Dr. Correa served as the president of the CEC Division of Teacher Education (leadership rotation 2011–2015). Her contributions to the field also include serving as an editorial member of nine leading journals and as a co-editor of Teacher Education and Special Education (TESE), and an Associate Editor for Exceptional Children, the Journal of Early Intervention, and Multicultural Teaching and Learning. She received her BS degree from Georgia State University in elementary and special education, her MEd degree from the University of Georgia in special education, and her PhD degree from Vanderbilt University in early childhood and visual disabilities.
You graduated with your PhD degree from Vanderbilt in visual disabilities but have gone on to contribute in the areas of bilingual special education, teacher education, multicultural education, collaborative education, and early childhood special education and families. Please describe this exciting synergistic journey.
My clinical experience began as an early childhood special educator in Clarke County, Georgia, working with young children with disabilities and their families in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) centers and home visitation programs. After several years working with university interns and student teachers at the University of Georgia Lab School, I pursued a PhD degree and a university career in teacher education. My initial intent was to focus on early childhood special education. However, when I arrived at Vanderbilt, I was recruited into a doctoral program in visual disabilities funded by an Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) leadership grant. The doctoral program allowed me to focus on visual disabilities in early childhood. My first faculty position was at Texas Tech University in visual and multiple disabilities, and I began consulting with local early childhood programs serving Latino families in West Texas. As a native-born Puerto Rican, I used my Spanish language skills to help translate for service providers and the families with whom they worked. My research and focus on early childhood special education and multiple disabilities assisted me in getting a faculty position at the University of Florida (UF). At UF, I began to pursue grant funding for bilingual special education. My projects funded by the Office of Bilingual Education, and Minority Language Affairs and OSEP were used to develop modules to infuse bilingual education content into special education degree coursework.
I also pursued funding for several personnel preparation grants in early intervention and early childhood special education. Several grants funded fellowships for MEd students, and two specifically supported doctoral studies in ECSE and School Psychology. These projects assisted in merging two distinct teacher preparation programs at UF, early childhood and early childhood special education. The unified program at UF was an exemplary collaborative teacher education initiative that several universities nationwide have since replicated or adapted.
After so much success at the University of Florida, what prompted you to change universities?
After 21 years at the University of Florida, my husband (a professor of mechanical engineering) and I were recruited to join the faculty at Clemson University. As a Distinguished Professor in Early Childhood and Special Education at Clemson, I continued my focus on the collaboration between the two fields of study—early childhood and special education. My grant work continued to flourish, and I was able to recruit MEd students into a collaborative Early Childhood Education (ECE) and ECSE program as well as recruit doctoral students through an OSEP leadership project.
During this time period, my research turned to early literacy development in young Latino children and their parents. There was a growing population of Latino families in the area around Clemson. The studies focused on teaching dialogic reading practices to Spanish-speaking parents and the impact it had on the early literacy development of their young children. The interventions were implemented in the home using Spanish preschool books. The results indicated that a child’s Spanish vocabulary and attention to books increased as their parents successfully implemented dialogic reading methods.
After 4 years at Clemson University, my husband and I were recruited to join the University of North Carolina faculty at Charlotte. I joined the faculty in the Department of Special Education and Child Development. I worked with both undergraduate and graduate students, preparing them to teach in early childhood programs. Because the licensure in North Carolina was blended, this required a collaborative and merged program in both ECE and ECSE. My research continued to focus on the literacy development of young Latino children.
At UNC Charlotte, I worked with colleagues on an OSEP-funded project targeted at preparing paraeducators in special education. Project ACCEPT involved working with faculty at four local community colleges and preparing child development specialists to work with young children with disabilities. In that effort, we collaborated with faculty to infuse special education content into their Associate of Science early childhood preparation programs. I also spent my time at Charlotte mentoring doctoral students and teaching the doctoral seminar in Leadership in Special Education. This provided me with vast opportunities to collaborate with doctoral students (e.g., writing, including them on grant projects).
Your roles in the field of special education have been varied—faculty member, department chair, and associate dean. Can you talk about those roles across your career?
My path to higher education administration was serendipitous. As an assistant and associate professor, my work focused on research, teaching, and service to national organizations. I was guided through the tenure and promotion process by colleagues who steered me away from heavy service commitments and leadership roles in the College. The goal was to enhance my scholarship, excel in teaching and doctoral supervision, begin the path to national visibility through service on national association committees and boards, and disseminate my work through publication in high-quality journals and presentations at state, national, and international conferences. I approached those first ten years with discipline and rigor. My work with the Unified Early Childhood program at UF honed my teamwork, negotiation, and mentoring skills. My success in grant writing helped me to develop management and staff supervision skills. Soon after my promotion to Full Professor, higher education leadership opportunities at the college level began to surface. I had not only worked to unify the EC and ECSE programs, but I also co-chaired the college’s initiative to build a collaborative teacher education program in special education and general education (K–12). Those efforts made me more visible at the college and university levels and supported my application to the Department Chair and the Associate Dean of Minority Program positions. I enjoyed my work in higher education administration but missed teaching and mentoring students. Administrative duties also made it difficult to maintain my research and publication activity, so I eventually returned to the faculty ranks.
Along your journey in special education, who were your major influencers and mentors?
I have received support and mentorship at all phases of my career, from fellow doctoral students at Vanderbilt to faculty colleagues and university administrators. At Texas Tech University, Virginia Sowell mentored me on grant writing and paved the way for my national work with the Council for Exceptional Children and national organizations in blindness and visual disabilities. Soon after arriving at Texas Tech, I became involved in national service and dissemination of my work with families and young children from diverse backgrounds at conferences nationwide. Some of the most influential mentors at UF included Bob Algozzine, Catherine Morsink, and Paul Sindelar. Bob was especially supportive of my work in bilingual special education, and together, we succeeded in getting several rounds of funding from OBEMLA and OSEP. Catherine brought me on as a co-author of one of the first books on transdisciplinary teaming and collaboration in general and special education. This early work led to four editions of the book and a successful area of scholarship related to collaborative teacher preparation. Paul Sindelar arrived at UF as Department Chair and soon we were working as co-editors of Teacher Education and Special Education (TESE), the journal of the Division of Teacher Education. It was one of the highlights of my time at UF. We worked with an exceptional team of doctoral students and remained editors for two terms. In fact, this collaboration influenced me to apply for the Department Chair position when Paul stepped down. My 3 years as Department Chair were challenging as the college moved toward merging departments. With the support of the faculty, we managed to preserve the department’s identity and reputation as a nationally ranked special education program.
You are one of the early researchers to study the intersectionality of bilingualism and special education. How have you seen this intersectionality evolve over time and where do the fields of special education and bilingual education need to continue to focus, linguistically and culturally?
I began my work in special education and bilingual education at a time when educational policies and practices embraced the English-only initiatives in schools and promoted assimilation into the Anglo-American culture. The subtractive approach focused on teaching English to speakers of other languages while ignoring and, in some cases, discouraging the use of their native language. In contrast, the additive approach supported learning English while maintaining and developing the child’s native language and respecting their culture.
Two scenarios emerged when my UF colleagues and I began our work in bilingual special education. First, English learner (EL) students were being misdiagnosed with disabilities because of their language issues. Second, EL students who did present with a disability were rarely provided with bilingual education services. Many ESOL specialists had little preparation in working with students with disabilities, and likewise, many special educators did not know how to address the language needs of EL. We attempted to address the needs of both personnel groups in their preparations at UF.
I am optimistic that things have improved in the two fields of bilingual and special education. First, more substantial evidence exists of bilingual education’s benefits on students’ social-emotional outcomes, family engagement, and overall school success. The more expansive view of bilingual education encourages dual-language instruction and promotes bilingualism and biliteracy. Second, a growing number of professionals in special education, including school psychologists, are better trained to understand the complex issues faced by English learners and can more effectively distinguish issues of second language acquisition and disabilities. Continued work in personnel preparation and research in these two areas of study is critical.
Much of your work in special education has used the lens of linguistic and cultural diversity. What should the foci of special education be in terms of research and teacher education as we move through the times in which we live?
As I mentioned previously, teacher education programs must continue to focus on the issues of linguistically and culturally diverse students and families. Collaboration with teacher education faculty in special education, ESOL/Bilingual education, school psychology, and general education is critical for ensuring personnel are ready to meet the challenges of a growing diverse demographic. Research on the impact of collaborative teacher preparation on graduates of these programs must remain a priority. Continued support of OSEP personnel preparation grants will make a significant difference in meeting the special education teacher and faculty shortages in this area.
Describe the importance to you, as a native of Puerto Rico, of language and cultural diversity. How has this impacted your career in special education?
I grew up in a military family that nurtured our Puerto Rican heritage at home and with family, but also acknowledged the importance of “fitting in” to the Anglo-American culture. I often “hid” my Puerto Rican background and preferred to speak English, even if my parents addressed me in Spanish. Nonetheless, I was exposed to diversity through my father’s multiple U.S. and European deployments. The combination of the 2 cultures, military life and Puerto Rican heritage, significantly influenced my world views and my desire to understand and respect diverse cultures.
Can you elaborate on how your experiences with diverse cultures influenced your professional foci?
My early intervention experiences in rural Georgia introduced me to the critical role culture played in supporting families of young children with disabilities, many of whom were living in poverty. My work with Latino families began in West Texas as a translator and consultant for service providers in early intervention programs.
My work in bilingual special education and research with Latino families at UF significantly impacted my career in special education. I began to include content on diversity, multicultural education, and antibiased curriculum in my courses.
In general, my experiences as a Puerto Rican faculty member were positive. I knew I was part of an underrepresented group at each university I worked at. I was the only Latina doctoral student, the only Latina faculty member in my department, the only Latina administrator in the college, and the only Latina Associate Dean in the Provost’s office. National statistics show the number of Latino faculty remains low in comparison with the majority group. In 2021, 6% of full-time faculty were Hispanic, while 73% were White. My experience reflects the literature on the excessive amount of service activities faculty of color are often asked to perform. Latino faculty are invited to serve on college and university committees at a disproportionate level compared to White faculty. At UF, I served on several university-wide committees related to diversity and was the founding Vice-President/President of the Hispanic Faculty Association for several years. At the time, I was one of three Latino faculty tenured at UF. Although I did not experience overt discrimination during my academic career, I did encounter microaggressions from a few White colleagues, who questioned my competence by expressing the opinion that hiring and promotion decisions were often based on diversity quota over intellectual merit (Liera et al., 2023). Being Puerto Rican clearly impacted my career not only in teaching and research but also in the level of university and national service in which I engaged. It played a significant role in my professional identity. It allowed me to prepare future educators and doctoral students to serve and advocate for linguistically and culturally diverse young children and their families.
What needs to be the foci of teacher education as we train pre-service teachers to work with diverse children and families who may differ substantially from the individual teacher’s cultural or linguistic group (e.g., economically, linguistically, culturally, religious beliefs)?
As mentioned, the results of our research with Latino preschoolers and their families have clear implications for service providers working with diverse language populations. Early childhood educator preparation programs must include content on understanding cultural and linguistic diversity, implementing instructional strategies focusing on early language acquisition in young children, and the vital role parent–child interactions play in that development. We must prepare preservice educators to respect and encourage bilingualism in young children while building on family strengths that promote positive parent–child interactions. We have learned that a comprehensive understanding of the role that economics, culture, language, and religion play in the well-being of families and young children is paramount.
Another important strand of your scholarship is on parents of children with disabilities, particularly those from diverse linguistic and cultural groups. Please describe this work and its importance today as we prepare all teachers (special and general) to work with families from various linguistic and cultural groups who have a child with a disability.
My research with culturally and linguistically diverse families began at UF with the investigation of migrant families’ needs and social support in raising young children with and without disabilities. Our exploratory study found similar needs and support by both groups of families; however, for migrant families of children with disabilities, the need for more information was acute. The results confirmed our concerns that Latino families of children with disabilities may face barriers in getting information about the nature of the disability and consequentially important supports from professionals.
As a result of this study, Dr. Don Bailey at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, suggested we collaborate on a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) grant to conduct a large-scale study of Latino families of young children with disabilities across North Carolina, Arizona, and Florida. I was a co-principal investigator of the project with Dr. Bailey. We conducted a national longitudinal study of 250 Latino families in Florida, Arizona, and North Carolina. The results of the mixed methods study were groundbreaking. We gained an understanding of how Latino families coped with and adjusted to the needs of raising young children with disabilities from a sociocultural perspective.
Several important aspects of this study should be noted. The study involved a within-group analysis of Puerto Rican and Mexican families. Fathers and mothers were part of the sample, as well as single mothers. Non-Latino families were omitted, avoiding the comparisons across ethnic backgrounds. The 5-year mixed method study results have been published in several journals in the field. I believe that this work was my most significant contribution to the literature, and it is still being cited today.
Why do you think this research has proven so influential?
Several findings stand out for me. First, we learned that faith and social support (e.g., kinship) were significant protective factors in family adjustment to raising a child with disabilities. The results portrayed resilient families despite the many challenges they faced as an underserved population in the early intervention system. Other findings included the challenges faced by single mothers and the role that kinship and informal friend networks played in supporting them. Levels of discrimination in the service delivery system were also documented.
The quantitative and qualitative measures we used in these studies were robust and yielded data that challenged our assumptions and led to implications for implementing culturally and linguistically responsive family-focused practices. The research reinforced the importance of including comprehensive strategies for assessing the needs and supports of Latino families. Early childhood professionals working with families from diverse backgrounds must use culturally responsive and sustaining approaches that enhance child development and acknowledge the lived experiences of the family.
Another area of my research focused on the importance of early literacy development in young English learners and their families. Together with several doctoral students over the course of 10 years, we conducted research on the effects of early literacy practices and dialogic reading on young Latino children’s language development. Research on the importance of early literacy practices supported the need for families to be involved. For young Latino children and their families, the issue of English language acquisition while encouraging native language skills is a challenge.
Some of these studies involved directly working with families in their home environments and using Spanish or bilingual books. Parents, often mothers, were excited to read books that were in Spanish and successfully implement dialogic reading practices once instructed on the techniques. The children involved in these studies also benefited from book sharing with increased oral language and vocabulary development.
Other studies were conducted in preschool settings with 4-year-old Latino children, encouraging dialogic reading procedures and play strategies to increase oral language skills and vocabulary knowledge. One study utilized dialogic reading and interactive play with toy props to improve English language skills. At the same time, another focused on teaching mothers dialogic play strategies to increase oral language production in Spanish. Mothers successfully implemented the play procedures after instruction, while there were increases in children’s oral language development.
In terms of collaboration among teachers in the field of early childhood education and early childhood special education, what should pre-service teacher education be doing to increase the level of collaboration between these two groups of educators as they work with young children in school-based or center-based settings?
The work we initiated at UF in the mid-1980s on collaborative early childhood and early childhood special education preparation was primarily influenced by legislative policies (i.e., P.L. 99-457) that supported inclusive care and education for all children and families. Several decades later, the field continues to contend with the impact collaborative programs have on the graduates and, more importantly, the outcomes on children and families involved in inclusive services. Collaborative programs can look different at one university versus another, with some programs blending coursework, while others provide side-by-side classes from two or more separate programs. For true collaboration to occur, the curriculum must be critically examined, continuously evaluated, and revised to reflect a true understanding of all aspects of serving young children with and without disabilities and their families from diverse backgrounds in today’s sociopolitical context. Collaborative program faculty must understand that internal and external factors influence program implementation. Internal factors can include philosophical differences and tensions among faculty, the level of administrative support, and views about collaboration in the tenure and promotion process. External factors include community partnerships, state and national certification requirements, professional organization standards, and federal policies. There are important lessons to learn from our history of collaborative program design and implementation. More work is needed to move forward with current efforts and to extend research on these programs.
Can you identify points of departure for extending the research that you have conducted thus far?
The work on language development of English learners continues to be critical as the Latino population grows. Our work on coaching parents as interventionists was promising and supported parents’ vital role in encouraging language development through reading and play. Respecting the family’s native language and building both English and Spanish language skills in preschool Latino children should continue to be an important line of research.
You often speak of the joy of working with doctoral students as they move through their journey of achieving the PhD. Tell us a bit about your work with doctoral students across your career at four major universities.
I owe much of my success and productivity to my collaboration with doctoral students. I believed doctoral students were junior colleagues rather than students under my tutelage. I had high expectations for doctoral students and mentored them in ways that supported their independence while providing strong coaching when needed. I taught by example, showcasing my experiences in teaching, service, and research. I enjoyed co-teaching with doctoral students and debriefing after challenging class discussions. I encouraged seminar activities that stressed respect for all points of view, emphasized independent thinking, and demonstrated constructive feedback. I required doctoral students to develop academic leadership plans and to chart their path to the professoriate. I also saw myself as a “storyteller,” sharing my experiences in academia to help highlight the multifaceted aspects of faculty work. The successes of one’s doctoral students often become a significant part of an individual’s academic legacy. I have been fortunate to work with outstanding and successful doctoral students throughout my career.
In regard to your work in leadership, making the move from faculty to administration is a significant change. What types of previous experiences do you think contributed to your success as a department chair?
My tenure at UF allowed me to work in an administrative capacity, first as Department Chair and then as Associate Dean of Graduate Minority programs in the UF provost’s office. These experiences provided me with excellent experiences in higher education administration. While at UF, I was encouraged by the Vice President of Student Services and the Dean of the UF Graduate School to consider administration at the university level. I enjoyed working on university-wide committees and meeting faculty from across campus, and I was recruited to serve on more and more committees. These committee appointments opened doors to cross-university collaborations and more personal visibility as well as interactions with upper administration. I served on the Graduate Minority Council for several years and became interested in issues related to recruiting and retaining students from underrepresented groups.
In 2004, I was selected to serve as Associate Dean of Graduate Minority Programs in the provost’s office. My position in the graduate school focused on recruiting undergraduates from the southeastern region of the United States to come to UF for graduate studies. In this capacity, I worked with various colleges and departments across campus to recruit and retain graduate students from underrepresented groups. The office hosted campus visitations for prospective graduate students, offered professional development seminars for newly enrolled students, and supported retention through scholarships.
When you speak about the recruitment and retention of students and/or educators from diverse cultural and linguistic groups either to a university or a program of study, what is the most important component to the retention of these individuals as university students or educators in the field?
Always keep in mind that a sense of connectedness is the key. Our mantra must be, “We see you, we hear you.” This involves understanding an individual’s systems of support—school-based, home-based—and how we (faculty or administrator) may need to supplement those systems. A strong system of connectedness facilitates engagement and retention. Aim for strong relationships.
What is your advice for those who want to work in higher education administration?
Don’t be egocentric. I learned early in my career that all of us in higher education think differently and it is important to listen and reflect on what people are saying in a trusting manner. Our respect for the ideas of others often leads to the best outcomes. All work is negotiation based.
Along this same line, you have been president of the Teacher Education Division (TED) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Tell us a bit about being the president of a national organization and how you see this leadership role as moving the conversation forward in our field.
My service to the Council for Exceptional Children and its Divisions spanned nearly 30 years. I served on several division boards and committees, including the Division on Visual Impairment and Deaf-Blindness, the Division of Early Childhood, and the Teacher Education Division. I also served on the national CEC board from 2003 to 2006. The many years of national service were gratifying and provided me with multiple platforms to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion issues.
I increased my service and national leadership activities as I increased in faculty rank, ending my service in the presidential line of TED. Professional service demands time and commitment but yields great benefits. My professional home was TED, and I developed lifelong relationships with colleagues through my association on the TED board.
You mentioned previously that you taught a leadership seminar. Can you tell us more about that?
A main focus of my teaching of the leadership seminar was on their service to the field of special education. I wanted the doctoral students to understand that they needed to be planful in their service trajectory. Service can be a double-edged sword—too much can burn a person out, yet too little results in a lack of visibility (e.g., in one’s department, college, state, or nationally). We spent a lot of time discussing the different types of service and where one could contribute the most at different points in their career—and, most important of all, when and how to become a leader professionally. Working in a leadership position in a state-based organization or a national organization such as CEC is an example. Also, we discussed how to assess and develop their own leadership style—whether that be as a chair of a college committee or an administrator in their college or department.
What advice or words of wisdom do you have for those moving into special education leadership positions with a focus on inclusion and equity in today’s world?
My academic journey in higher education and special education has been remarkable and rewarding. Yet, finding a work-life balance was sometimes a struggle for me. I encourage doctoral students and junior faculty to be deliberate in defining their goals and outline the path to achieving them while maintaining clear boundaries between work and personal life. Focus on work that stirs your interest and passion and gives you a sense of meaning. It is also invaluable to develop networks of mentors and colleagues along the way that can offer inspiration, collaboration, and support. My career provided me with many opportunities to collaborate with colleagues and that provided a balance in my life and professional work. My philosophy has always been one of working with others.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
