Personal Statement

I was born in Santiago, Cuba and am the grand daughter and daughter of immigrants. My father was Cuban and my mother is Spanish and they immigrated to the US in the 1960’s. As a child and young adult I was constantly crossing multiple linguistic and cultural realities. These experiences generated a life long interest in how culture, language and ethnicity intersect and impact identity.

As an educator working with diverse populations I know how crucial it is to create inclusive environments where first and second generation immigrant children and families feel welcomed. By understanding and engaging student’s private and public self educators can create teaching and learning environments that honor the many assets diverse families bring.  Through the use of culturally relevant literature and personal narrative students can read about themselves and create stories that reflect their lived reality.

I believe strongly in the power of learning several languages. I know that communities that promote a child’s heritage language; help a child learn a new language or reclaim a language are generally dynamic places for learning.

I have lived in Portland for six years and love to hike, garden, and draw. My son Joshua will be graduating this year from CAS.

Professional Biography

Dr. Sara Exposito is an Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Education at Lewis & Clark College. Sara has worked as a teacher, consultant and professor in education for the past twenty years. Her area of expertise is language, literacy and culture.

Sara began her teaching career as a classroom teacher in bilingual elementary and middle schools in Southern California. Later she became an administrator and worked in Montebello Unified School District’s Bilingual Office.  She was Regional Director for the California Reading and Literature Project at California State University, Los Angeles where she directed Language Arts Institutes in Spanish, Cantonese, and English (K-12). Sara was hired as a Master Practitioner for the Advanced Management Program at UCLA leading professional development with leadership teams from Los Angeles Unified School District. She became Educational Director for the California Association for Bilingual Education, a non-profit organization that promotes quality bilingual education. For the past eight years Sara has been consulting with districts in California, Costa Rica, Chicago, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and Kauai on Professional Learning Communities.

Sara taught at Claremont Graduate School and Pacific Oaks College in Southern California. She currently Co-Directs and teaches in the ESOL Endorsement at Lewis and Clark College.

Academic Credentials

Claremont Graduate University - 2004
Ph.D. in Education
Dissertation: Immigrant Dreams: A Study of Mexican Mothers and Language Choice

Claremont Graduate University - 2001
M.A. in Education
Thesis: Proposition 227 and Literacy in California Schools

California State University, Los Angeles - 1984
B.A. in Liberal Studies
Thesis: Liberation Theology in El Salvador

Research and Current Work

Dr. Exposito research is focused on the social and cultural capital immigrant students bring into the classroom. Her work centers on establishing partnerships between schools, students and parents that promote the language, history and culture of diverse students. The following are areas of research interest:

Literacy that incorporates narrative writing to bridge the public and private lives of immigrant students 

Social networks that access funds of knowledge and cultural capital.

International immigration 

Reclaiming language 

Presentations

Chicago Public Schools, Program Design for English Language Learners. Chicago, Ill. February, 2011

Oregon Association of Teacher Education, Targeting the Achievement Gap: A Parent, School, and University Partnership. Western Oregon University in Monmouth. March, 2010

Re-Conceptualizing Early Childhood Education Conference, Dalton State College, Georgia–Institutions of Higher Learning and the Non-traditional Student: A Theoretical Frame. October 12-16, 2010. 

Publishing

Exposito S. & Bernheimer S. (Summer, 2012). Institutions of Higher Education and the Non-traditional Student. Journal of Early Childhood Education. 

Exposito S. & Favela A. (2009). Reading the World in L1 and L2, Explorations in Second Language Reading, Virginia:TESOL. 

Exposito S. & Barillas M. (2009). Top-Notch Support for Language Learners; Writing their way to success, Educational Leadership, April, Vol. 66-No.7.