Join us for the Retirement Fiesta honoring

Dr. Anaida Colón-Muñiz

Saturday, May 7, 2022, 4-5:30 pm
Chapman University
One University Dr., Orange, CA 92866
Fahmy Attallah, Ph.D. Piazza

RSVPs encouraged by Tuesday, May 3rd at
https://bit.ly/fiesta-2022-RSVP

Optional: Fiesta Attire | Formal Remarks at 4:30 pm
Invitation | Campus Map | Guest Parking

In lieu of gifts, donate to: https://bit.ly/support-TE-2022
Write in memo:
"A. Colón and H. Muñiz
Bilingual Teacher Education Award"

Upload digital items (messages, photos, videos) to: https://bit.ly/momentos-for-Anaida-2022

___________________

Biography:

Dr. Anaida Colón-Muñiz joined the Chapman faculty in 1999 and retired with emeritus status in 2020, August of the Covid19 lockdown. For 20 years, she served in various roles in the Attallah College of Educational Studies (ACES). She first was hired to coordinate the Multiple Subject and Bilingual Credential and Master of Arts in Teaching programs, which she did for 13 years. She taught across programs and contributed to the development and launch of the PhD program, and 3 successful state accreditations. She secured a 1.5 million dollar federal grant to support ACES preservice and Orange County in-service teachers in their work with English learners (EL). Beginning in 2001, she began the college’s first study abroad program, a successful effort to prepare future teachers in the process of second language acquisition and cultural immersion held in Madrid from 2001. Most recently, for 7 years she served as director of community education at Centro Comunitario de Educación in Santa Ana, a university-community based effort to bridge Chapman faculty and students with parents, community members, teachers, and children.

While at Chapman, Anaida’s research interests included bilingual education, language policy in education, critical multicultural teacher education, community education and civil rights in education affecting Latino youth. Her publications include several articles and policy briefs on bilingualism, multicultural education, community education, and study abroad. She co-authored two books: Memories of Paulo Freire (Sense Publishers, 2010), a collection of memories of people who knew and emulated the work of Paulo Freire, and Latino Civil Rights in Education: La lucha sigue (Routledge, 2016), narratives of history and struggle in the quest for educational equity and bilingual education. In 2017, she was appointed School Development Consultant of Dong An Experimental School Attached to Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China, presenting at several of their international conferences and meetings. As well, she initiated a partnership with Dutch educators interested in dual language education, which continues today. Anaida speaks and consults on critical bilingual multicultural education, English learner equity initiatives, and community education. She continues to serve on PhD committees and in the Paulo Freire Democratic Project and, in honor of her parents, began the A. Colon and H. Muniz Teacher Education Award for bilingual students. 

From bilingual teacher to critical bilingual multicultural teacher educator, Anaida started school in New York City as an English learner from Puerto Rico in the early 1950s, dedicating her life’s work to the improvement of educational opportunities for language diverse and poor children. She began her 47 year career attending Binghamton University in New York (B.S. 1973), Bank Street College of Education, New York (M.S. 1974), and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Ed.D. 1983). After completing a semester abroad at the University of Salamanca, Spain (1971), she did two independent research studies in Puerto Rico (1972), broadening her perspective and experience.  Later, she completed an administrative credential from CSU Fullerton (1985), a fellowship with the national Institute for Educational Leadership, Education Policy Fellowship Program (1991), and a Spanish Children's Literature Institute, University of Madrid Complutense (1991), co-sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Education and California Department of Education.

Moving from the east coast to California in 1982, she worked for two major regional federal Title VII bilingual teacher professional development grants, first at California State University, Fullerton and then at San Diego State University. She later was bilingual administrator for three Southern California Districts including Rowland Heights, Orange Unified and Santa Ana Unified, developing bilingual programs of excellence, providing state of the art professional development, attaining millions of dollars in grants, monitoring program quality, and ensuring that teachers, students and their parents were supported.

From 1998-2002 Anaida served on the board as State president for the California Association for Bilingual Education. Anaida was also a key consultant in the early development of the El Sol Science and Arts Academy, an award winning dual language school in Santa Ana, where she currently sits on its board. She served on the board of the Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center for 8 years, an inclusive bilingual community center for the engagement of children with disabilities with general education students. An advocate for women’s rights, she has served as national president for the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women (2006-2008) and is currently the SoCal chapter president. She is also a California delegate for Vision 2020 (Vision Forward), National Women’s Equality Initiative, Drexel University. Currently a board member for the California Council on Teacher Education, over the years Anaida has served as a committee member, conference co-chair, and co-chair of the social justice special interest group. For three years she served as a mentor for the English Learner Leadership and Legacy Initiative (ELLLI), a Californian’s Together project to develop a new cohort of leaders and advocates for the State's policies and programs for bilingual and English learner education. She enjoys spending time with close family and friends, engaging in cultural events, and traveling to different destinations.