Eliane B Rubinstein-Avila

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• Hoge, M., & Rubinstein-Avila Ed.D., E. (2014). Out of Sight, Out of Mind: A Case Study of an Alternative School for Students with Emotional Disturbance (ED). Qualitative Research in Education, 3(3).
• Rubinstein-Avila Ed.D., E., & Lee, E. h. (2014). Secondary Teachers and English Language Learners (ELLs): Attitudes, Preparation and Implications. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 87(5).
• Rubinstein-Avila Ed.D., E., Sox, A., Kaplan, S., & McGraw, R. (2014). Does biliteracy + mathematical discourse = numeracy? A close look at a dual-language middle-school mathematics classroom.. Urban Education, Online.
• Davis, B. L., & Rubinstein-Avila, E. (2013). Holocaust education: Global forces shaping curricula integration and implementation. Intercultural Education, 24(1-2), 149-166.
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  Abstract: The article provides a critical review of the global scholarship on Holocaust education (HE). Despite the growing body of work on this topic, a search through major academic databases by the authors revealed that no such review of the research literature has been published as of yet. The review focuses on three main themes across the research literature: (1) the emergence of HE in (national) school curricula; (2) the relationship between Holocaust memorialization and education; and (3) the potential of HE for teaching about xenophobia, racism, and human rights more broadly. Moreover, the authors offer a rhizomatic framework for consideration, and expand on the numerous factors that have complicated the emergence and integration of HE into school curricula globally: (a) involvement and role of nations with the Holocaust; (b) forms of governance in the years following the Holocaust; (c) societal desire to 'forget' the horrors of war and return to the routine of normalcy; (d) particular nations' history of anti-Semitism; and (e) pedagogical tension around rationale for teaching about the Holocaust. The article also discusses more recent political considerations, such as a nation's relationship with the State of Israel. © 2013 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
• Leckie, A. G., Kaplan, S. E., & Rubinstein-Ávila, E. (2013). The need for speed: A critical discourse analysis of the reclassification of English language learners in Arizona. Language Policy, 12(2), 159-176.
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  Abstract: Several states, including Arizona, have enacted English-only legislation, within the past decade, impacting the schooling of students who are identified as English language learner (ELLS). As a result, ELLS in Arizona are assigned to a prescriptive program-apart from their fluent English-speaking peers-for 4 h a day, during a time "not normally to exceed 1 year." The ultimate goal is to reclassify ELLs to fluent English proficient (FEP) status, exit them from the program and integrate students into "mainstream" classrooms, where no additional support services are offered. Since language policies are dictating the instructional policy decisions regarding assessment and reclassification of ELLS, the authors argue that it is necessary to critically examine how English-only policies-especially the discourse of policy making-contribute to the shift in the definition of reclassification, its process and ultimately, the consequences for students. Thus, the paper unpacks the shifts in reclassification policy and process; our critical discourse analysis of the legislators' meetings, based on the work of van Leeuwen (Discourse Commun 1(1):91-112, 2007), show that although Arizona's ELL Task Force set out to develop an educational policy to prepare ELLS linguistically and academically within one school year, the timeframe (or time limit) took precedence to the academic preparedness of newly reclassified students-a population that is academically vulnerable. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
• Rubinstein-Ávila, E. (2013). Accounting for-and owning up to-the messiness in cross-cultural/linguistic qualitative research: toward methodological reflexivity in South America's Internet cafés. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 26(8), 1041-1061.
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  Abstract: The author, a polyglot and world traveler, who lives and breathes multiculturality, examines her own contextual and methodological reflexivity while conducting fieldwork to explore youth's public Internet use (in Internet Cafés) in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. Although the process of conducting (qualitative) research is known to be non-linear, messy, complex, and unpredictable, many published research articles still convey data collection, analysis, and even findings in an orderly and uncomplicated fashion. In this paper, the author joins other scholars to call for greater transparency about the "messiness" of the process, and the meaning-making across linguistic/cultural/social borders, and argues that there should be more acceptance toward the ambiguities inherent in our research "findings." Drawing from the work of hermeneutic philosopher, Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900-2002), the author claims that "fusion of (hermeneutic) horizons" in cross-linguistic/cultural research requires that researchers maintain an active, critical presence in the field and beyond, as well as continuous attention to contextual and methodological flexibility and reflexivity. Finally, the author offers some practical suggestions on conducting fieldwork to researchers planning to conduct cross-cultural/linguistic qualitative inquiry. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
• Sox, A., & Rubinstein-ávila, E. (2009). Webquests for english-language learners: Essential elements for design. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 53(1), 38-48.
• Rubinstein-Ávila, E. (2007). From the dominican republic to drew high: What counts as literacy for Yanira Lara?. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(4), 568-589.
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  Abstract: THIS INVESTIGATION focuses on the literacy practices of a young Dominican immigrant woman attending a j high school in the United States. Drawing from multiple bodies of research and the qualitative research genre of por- i traiture, the author relies on ethnographic classroom observations and interviews during one and a half years to provide a nuanced glimpse into the complexities of what counts as literacy and whose literacies count in an era of globalization. Findings reveal that immigrant youths' expanding literacy practices shape and are shaped by their participation both in their communities of origin and in their adopted communities as they forge overlapping identities. This investigation shows that helping immigrant youths understand what counts as literacy within new con- \ texts is a complex process that needs to take into account youths' nonlinear development of bilingual competencies, their coming of age, and their shifting ethnic and gendered identities. Findings also underscore the need to broaden theoretical and methodological constructs to build on immigrant youths' full repertoire of literacy practices. Finally, the portrait encourages educators to rethink how to effectively serve secondary Latino/a students in ways that acknowledge their funds of knowledge, academic strengths, needs, and transnational literacy practices. © 2007 International Reading Association.
• Rubinstein-Ávila, E. (2006). Connecting with latino learners. Educational Leadership, 63(5), 38-43.
• Schwartz, A., & Rubinstein-Ávila, E. (2006). Understanding the manga hype: Unconvering the multimodality of comic-book literacies. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 50(1), 40-49.
• Rubinstein-Ávila, E. (2003). Conversing with miguel: An adolescent English Language Learner struggling with later literacy development. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 47(4), 290-301.
• Rubinstein-Avila, E. (2002). Problematizing the "Dual" in a dual-immersion program: A portrait. Linguistics and Education, 13(1), 65-87.
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  Abstract: The purpose of this study was to provide a critical look at the issues pertaining to language variety and language use in a unique dual-immersion program. In order to reveal multiple perspectives, the data collected and analyzed included systematic participant observations in K-8th classrooms for over a year, formal interviews with program teachers, and conversations with parents and students. This portrait clearly communicates that while participants seemingly share a common language, complex sociocultural and historical tensions not only inform day-to-day classroom interactions but even dictate the legitimate language of instruction. This study underscores the social and political complexities that are often uncritically taken for granted, even in multicultural and multilingual educational environments. Copyright © 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Inc.