María Timmons Flores

Affiliation

Western Washington University

Biography

Maria Timmons Flores is a professor of Multilingual Education at Western Washington University. She has developed elementary and secondary teacher residency programs focused on creating pathways for multilingual para educators to become teachers. She directs the Bridges and Dare to Dream Programs to support (im)migrant and bilingual students to pursue higher education. Both programs feature culturally sustainable and critical approaches; valuing language and culture as a human right and pushing back against systemic barriers that limit academic and life opportunities. She has been active at the state level focusing on eliminating barriers to access for multilingual students aspiring to teaching through policy and law. Maria has been teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students and educators in schools, communities for over 35 years. It was her students in these settings that inspired her commitment to social justice. Maria’s teaching and research focus primarily on supporting teachers to understand the influence of language and culture on learning. She teaches courses in bilingual and multicultural education, learning and development, and teaching strategies to support ALL learners. Maria’s current research brings critical cultural lenses to understanding and addressing educational equity for bilingual and immigrant students.