New associate dean to join VCU SOE in July
Dr. Luciana de Oliveira's research focuses on teaching emergent to advanced bilinguals
The VCU School of Education (SOE) welcomes Dr. Luciana C. de Oliveira as associate dean for academic affairs.
Dr. de Oliveira will join SOE in July from the University of Miami's Department of Teaching and Learning, where she served as department chair from 2016 until 2020 and as professor/associate professor since 2015. Dr. de Oliveira's research focuses on issues related to teaching emergent to advanced bilinguals (EABs) at the K-12 level, including the role of language in learning the content areas and teacher education, advocacy and social justice.
Dr. de Oliveira has over 20 years of teaching experience in the field of TESOL and was the first Latina to serve as president (2018-2019) of TESOL International Association, having also been an elected board member (2013-2016).
In her new role as associate dean with SOE, Dr. de Oliveira will provide vision and leadership for the school’s academic programs and services, expand programmatic options, and advance the school’s commitment as an urban public-serving research university.
We caught up with Dr. de Oliveira recently to ask a few questions about what attracted her to SOE and what she’s most looking forward to about coming here.
Q: What was your reaction when you learned that you had been selected to be our new associate dean for academic affairs?
I was super excited. I’ve been preparing for this type of position since I was an assistant professor at Purdue University, where I developed an English language learning licensure program. I’ve been engaged in developing programs since then and have supported faculty in program development in my role as chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami. This is a wonderful fit for what I want to continue to do: work on academic programs and services and enhance opportunities for students.
Q: What attracted you to the VCU School of Education?
It really was the position that led me to apply for this opportunity. I have been aware of VCU SOE’s strong reputation and rankings for a while now, and once I found out more about the position and the school, I realized the match between my experiences and background and the work going on at the school was perfect.
Q: What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing the field of education today?
The devaluing of teachers and public education. Over the past several years, we have witnessed it more and more. Instead of valuing teachers as professionals who require specialized knowledge, background and experiences, there is a common misconception that teaching only requires a degree in any content area and one can learn on the job. But we have seen over and over that this is not the case, and university-based teacher education is necessary to not only prepare teachers for the changing demographics present in classrooms, but also to prepare them to be advocates for themselves and their students.
Blame for educational failure is put on teachers and public schools, instead of focusing on social inequities, including racism, sexism and linguicism, among others. Schools that serve minoritized student populations have the most unprepared teachers. We must continue to challenge that and work toward social justice for these students and strengthening university-based teacher education programs that develop teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge in the context of strong school-based, clinical experiences.
Q: Where would we most likely find you when you’re not in the office?
At home in my office, or cooking. I love to cook – the planning, the actual cooking, and seeing others enjoy what I’ve prepared!
Q: Outside of the professional challenge, what are you most looking forward to about coming to Virginia?
The four seasons! Coming from Miami where we only have two seasons – “hot” and “hotter” – I look forward to coming back to a place where I can enjoy the present and look forward to the next season. We also love the woods, lakes and mountains, so we are looking forward to exploring the state.
Professionally, I’m looking forward to getting more involved with the Virginia Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (VATESOL) and have already made connections with the organization’s leaders. I will be giving a keynote session at a regional conference they are organizing in October, the Southeast TESOL conference (SETESOL), in Richmond. SETESOL is comprised of 11 states which have met regionally since 1988. It’s really exciting that this regional conference will be in my new hometown this year!