Dr. Elena Izquierdo is on the faculty in Literacy/Biliteracy/Dual Language/ELL Education at the University of Texas, El Paso, and the principal investigator of Project LEAD, Leadership in English Acquisition and Academic Development. As part of Project LEAD, Dr. Izquierdo works with pre-service and in-service teachers, district leadership, and other educational professionals in multiple states, including Alaska, Texas, and New Mexico, in developing the knowledge and skills critical to providing English learners with a rigorous curriculum focused on English language development and academic literacies across content areas.

Dr. Izquierdo consulted with HMH on the development of CODiE Award Winner Escalate English © 2017, a comprehensive program for long-term English learners in Grades 4–8 who need accelerated support for acquiring the academic English needed for success with today’s rigorous performance standards across the curriculum. The Educational Research Institute of America named Escalate English an effective English language development program.