Kate Menken
Advisor: Ofelia Garcia
TC Degree, Program, Specialization and Year of Graduation: Ed.D., IED/Bilingual-Bicultural Education, 2005
Dissertation Title: When the Test is What Counts: How High-Stakes Testing Affects Language Policy and the Education of English Language Learners in High School
Description of your current position:I am an Assistant Professor of Linguistics, and currently hold a joint position at the CUNY Graduate Center and Queens College. At Queens College, I teach courses about pedagogy, practices and policy in the education of English learners. I am also a Research Fellow at the Research Institute for the Study of Language in an Urban Society of the CUNY Graduate Center, where I engage in research about language minority students in publics schools (http://web.gc.cuny.edu/Linguistics/people/menken/index.html).
Something special about your TC experience: The things that immediately come to mind are:
- Individualized course of study with few required courses -- this flexibility was wonderful as my interests straddle the worlds of international education, bilingual education, and U.S. public education reforms;
- Excellent dissertation committee and sponsor -- there are many outstanding professors at TC; and,
- Other students in the department -- great, supportive, collegial, and knowledgeable.