Areas of expertise
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bilingual language and biliteracy development in emergent bilinguals
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teacher training and education, birth-12th grade
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dual language instruction in early childhood and elementary school
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translanguaging pedagogies
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culturally sustaining pedagogies
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language justice and anti-racism
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raciolinguistics and critical consciousness in dual language programs
Dr. Gladys Yacely Aponte (she/her) is a researcher, author, speaker, consultant, and teacher educator with a passion for language justice and strength-focused approaches to bilingualism.​​ She is committed to liberatory bilingual education that is not only focused on academic gains but on promoting critical perspectives and positive self-identities.
Dr. Aponte's work is deeply informed by her experiences as the daughter of immigrants from Ayiti-Kiskeya (The Dominican Republic) and her schooling experiences being classified as an English Language Learner in Lenapehoking (New York City) public schools— where she later taught as a dual language bilingual teacher.
She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Children's Equity Project, Arizona State University, where she has co-authored a number of policy and research briefs related to bilingual education. She speaks Spanish, English, and is learning her Indigenous language, Hiwatahia-Taíno.​
Education
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PhD in Urban Education, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
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MSEd in Dual Language Bilingual Childhood Special Education, Bank Street College of Education
Awards & Recognitions
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National Academy of Bilingual Education (NABE): Outstanding Dissertation Award, first place.
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Bilingual Education Research SIG- American Educational Research Association (AERA): Outstanding Dissertation Award, third place.
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National Academy of Education/Spencer: Dissertation Fellowship.
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Research Grant; The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
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Dissertation Year Fellowship Award; The City University of New York Graduate Center.
Professional Experiences
For over a decade, Dr. Aponte has worked closely with educators of emergent bilingual/multilingual children in various capacities. Recent and current roles include:
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Content Expert on bilingualism at the Office of Head Start’s National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (NCECDTL)
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Instructor, Advisor, and Fieldwork Supervisor in the TESOL and Bilingual Education programs at Bank Street Graduate School of Education and The City University of New York (CUNY)
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Mentor of 1st & 2nd Year TESOL Teachers at Teachers College Columbia University
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Research Assistant and Professional Development Specialist at The CUNY-New York State Initiative on Emergent Bilinguals (NYSIEB)
