Lizdelia Piñón

Affiliation

IDRA

Biography

Dr. Lizdelia Piñón is a nationally recognized expert in bilingual and special education who serves as the Emergent Bilingual Education Specialist at IDRA. With over two decades of experience spanning K-12 classrooms and higher education, she brings unmatched expertise in bilingual, ESL, and special education pedagogy and leadership. In September 2025, Dr. Piñón played a pivotal role in the development and adoption of Texas’s groundbreaking Bilingual Special Education Teacher Certificate, a first-of-its-kind credential designed to address the urgent shortage of teachers prepared to serve emergent bilingual students with disabilities. Her leadership in this historic achievement reflects her deep commitment to equity, innovation, and inclusive policy in education. Dr. Piñón earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Texas Christian University (TCU), where she conducted pioneering research on translanguaging. She also holds a Master of Science in Literacy Education and an Advanced Certificate of Graduate Studies in TESOL and Bilingual Education from Northern Illinois University (NIU), as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She maintains Principal Certification and Generalist Teaching Certificates (EC-6 and 4-8), along with Bilingual and Special Education Certifications (EC-8), recognized in both Texas and Illinois. Fully bilingual in Spanish and English, Dr. Piñón integrates her linguistic and cultural expertise to advance inclusive, asset-based education. Her career reflects a lifelong dedication to ensuring emergent bilingual students—especially those with disabilities—have access to high-quality, affirming instruction.