Alina SlapacAlina Slapac, is an Associate Professor in College of Education, in the Department of Educator Preparation & Leadership at the University of Missouri, St. Louis (UMSL). During 2015 -2016, she was a Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) for the 2011 NPD gant, Quality Teachers for English Learners (QTEL). She is also a Fellow in the Inquiry Circle Program on global competency (the Longview Foundation, UMSL Global, and UMSL College of Education, 2019-2020); an International Studies Fellow (Center of International Studies, UMSL, 2012-2016), a recipient of the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award (UMSL, 2013-2014) and a recipient of O.L. Davis Counselor of Distinction Award (Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education, 2015). Her research interests include linguistically and culturally responsive (LCR) teaching and competencies of preservice and inservice teachers in the United States and international settings, multicultural and bilingual education, supports for English Learners and immigrant students, teachers and families, and qualitative research methods, including action research. Read More Read Less