Dr. Rosalinda Barrera

U.S. Department of Education*

Dr. Rosalinda B. Barrera is the former assistant deputy secretary and director of the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). In that role, she was the principal adviser to Secretary Arne Duncan on all matters related to the education of English Learners.

In this interview with Colorín Colorado, Dr. Barrera discusses her childhood growing up in Texas, the importance of STEM education for all students, and strategies for preparing more educators to serve ELLs effectively. The full transcript of Dr. Barrera's interview and her full biography are also available.

Biography

Dr. Rosalinda B. Barrera was named assistant deputy secretary and director of the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) by President Barack Obama on Aug. 23, 2010. She is the principal adviser to Secretary Arne Duncan on all matters related to the education of English Learners.

As head of OELA, Barrera administers programs under Titles III and V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which support high-quality instructional programs for linguistically and culturally diverse students. Her office also supports foreign language programs for elementary, secondary and postsecondary students and professional development programs for language teachers in these fields.

Barrera, née Benavides, was born in South Texas, where her father was a rural route mail carrier and her mother a homemaker. The oldest of four children, she was valedictorian of her high school class in Falfurrias, Texas, before enrolling at the University of Texas, where she earned a B.A. degree in journalism with honors in 1968.

Learn more about Dr. Barrera from the Department of Education website and this Education Week profile, which appeared in November 2010.