Mary Esther Huerta

Office: Education 3045
Email: mh75@txstate.edu
Phone: 512.5245.2157
Curriculum Vitae

Mary Esther Soto Huerta is an Assistant Professor of Culture, Literacy, and Language at Texas State University, San Marcos. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research focuses on biliteracy, language and literacy development in bilingual settings, issues of equity in education for language minority students, and bilingual teacher education.

Courses Taught

CI 3332 Foundations of ESL
The rationale, history, and philosophy of bilingual education, planning for the provision of the cultural, motivational, and self-concept influences that mediate the learning process of the limited English proficiency pupil in the elementary classroom.

CI 5337 Language Acquisition and Development
This course addresses the foundations for first and second language learning acquisition. Central concepts in child language development with special emphasis on language-minority issues will be presented and discussed.

CI 5326 Curriculum & Management in the Elementary & Middle School (K-6)
Course deals with principles of curriculum development, the K-8 curriculum, planning various types of lessons and units across the curriculum in grades K-8, integrating instruction across the curriculum, and organizing and managing materials, classroom activities, and student behavior. Students will prepare curriculum materials and units.

RDG 6330 Psychology of Language
Course topics include first and second language and dialect acquisition and development; theories and stages of language development; characteristics, systems, and functions of language; language diversity; and language disorders. Students read and interpret research and study language development of K-12 children from varying linguistic backgrounds.

RDG 5331 Literacy Methods for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students (ITV format)
Course topics include linguistic and literacy challenges unique to students whose native language or dialect is not standard English, and innovative methodfs for teaching literacy to linguistically diverse students.

Scholarly Monograph, Peer reviewed
Flores, B., & Soto Huerta, M. E. (2008). Credentialing foreign teachers. In J. M. González
    (Ed.), The Bilingual Education Encyclopedia (Vol. 1, pp. 185-189). Thousand Oaks,
   CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Chapter in Book, Peer reviewed
Soto Huerta, M. E. & Pérez, B. (in press). Biliteracy as a unitary process. In B. B. Flores, R. Hernandez
Sheets & E. Riojas Clark (Eds.). Educar para Transformar: Teacher Preparation for Bilingual Student Populations.

Book
Campos, D., Delgado, R. & Soto Huerta, M. E. (in press). Reaching Out to Latino Parents of English Language Learners: 10 Helpful Ideas for Elementary Teachers and Administrators. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Articles, Refereed
Soto Huerta, M.E. (2010). Fourth grade biliteracy: Searching for instructional footholds. Journal of Latinos and Education.

Soto Huerta, M. E., Gainer, J., & Battle, J. (2010). Finding Voice, Defining Self: An Interview with Yuyi Morales. Language Arts Journal.

Riojas-Cortez, M., Huerta, M. E., Bustos Flores, B., Pérez, B., & Riojas Clark, E. (2008). Using cultural tools to develop scientific literacy of young Mexican American preschoolers. Early Child Development and Care, 178(5), 527-536.

Book Reviews, Peer-reviewed
Huerta, M. E. (2005). Becoming Biliterate: A study of two-way bilingual immersion education. Bilingual Research Journal 29(2), 485-491.