Cristian Solorza has been a member of the Bank Street College faculty since 2003. He teaches graduate courses in literacy, bilingual education, and TESOL, including Language Acquisition, Curriculum Development in Dual Language/Bilingual Classrooms, and The Teaching of Reading and Writing in Bilingual and ENL Settings (PreK–12). He also advises students across the Dual Language Bilingual Education, TESOL, and Special Education programs.
Cristian’s research focuses on translanguaging pedagogies and literacy development for multilingual learners, building on his experience as an early childhood educator and dual language bilingual elementary school teacher in New York City.
In addition to his faculty role, Cristian works as an educational consultant, partnering with schools and districts in New York City, across the United States, and internationally to strengthen programs for emergent bilinguals. His expertise includes program design, literacy instruction, translanguaging, and curriculum development.
Educational Background
Qualifications
MSEd, Dual Language/Bilingual Childhood Special and General Education, Bank Street College of Education
Publications
Cristian Solorza served as the lead author for Module 4: Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) Across Learning Environments (Solorza, 2024), published by TALE Academy.
García, O. & Solorza, C. R. (2020). Academic language and the minoritization of U.S. bilingual Latinx students. Language and Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2020.1825476
Solorza, Cristian R. (2019). Trans + Languaging: Beyond Dual Language Bilingual Education. Journal of Multilingual Education Research, 9(15). Available at: https://fordham.bepress.com/jmer/vol9/iss1/15
Solorza, C.R., Aponte, G.Y., Becker, T., Leverenz, T., & Frias, B. (2019). Translanguaging in dual language bilingual education: A blueprint for planning units of study. New York, NY: CUNY-NYSIEB.
Sánchez, M. T., García, O., & Solorza, C. (2018). Reframing language allocation policy in dual language bilingual education. Bilingual Research Journal, 41(1), 37-51.
Solorza, C., Aponte, G., & Becker, T. (2016, April 10). A blueprint to incorporate translanguaging in dual language bilingual education. [CUNY-NYSIEB Webinar]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apczkJJRa2A.
Solorza, C. (2017, January 19). Seeing the wind: English in classrooms [Faculty blog post]. Retrieved from https://graduate.bankstreet.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions-blog/faculty-blog-post-seeing-the-wind-english-in-classrooms/.
Menken, K and Solorza, C. (2015). Principals as linchpins in bilingual education: The need for prepared school leaders. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 18(6), 676-697. DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2014.937390.
Menken, K., & Solorza, C. (2014). No child left bilingual: Accountability and the elimination of bilingual education programs in New York City schools. Educational Policy, 28(1), 96-125.
Menken, K and Solorza, C. (2013). Where have all the bilingual programs gone?!: Why prepared school leaders are essential for bilingual education. Journal of Multilingual Education Research, 4(3), 9-39.
Menken, K., & Solorza, C. (2011). Factors in school administrators’ decisions about educational programming for emergent bilinguals. A report for the Division of Students with Disabilities and ELLs of the New York City Department of Education.
