Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations at Montclair State University
About
As a bilingual/biliterate neurodiverse researcher, María examines the intersections of disability, language, school-parent partnerships and education policy. She focuses specifically on Latinx bilingual children with dis/abilities, their families and their ability to access multilingual and inclusive learning spaces within public schools. María's two-time award-winning dissertation focused on the experiences of Spanish-speaking mothers raising emergent bilinguals labeled as disabled. Maria’s work is featured in multiple journals including Urban Review; Education Forum; Bilingual Research Journal; International Journal of Inclusive Education, as well as contributed to multiple edited volumes. María is an assistant professor and community-engaged teaching fellow at Montclair State University.
Current Work:
Dr. Cioe-Peña's work focuses on the school-based classification of Latinx children with disabilities, specifically "English Language Learner" and "Student with Disability." She is interested in how those labels reflect systemic oppression and how they impact family dynamics. Currently, Dr. Cioè-Peña is researching the impact of COVID-19 remote schooling on emergent bilinguals with disabilities in NYC. Through qualitative interviews with 30 Spanish dominant mothers, this project aims to identify ways schools were (or fell short of being) supportive of families of dually-classified children and how issues of language and class impacted student success and family satisfaction.
Research Area Keyword(s):
bilingual special education; Latinx families; raciolinguistics; public education
