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Five questions with … Marco A. Bravo

Five Questions With … is a series of profiles that invites professors to share insights into their research and its impact. Rooted in the Jesuit tradition of curiosity, reflection, and service to others, this series offers a window into how scholarship at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ connects academic excellence with a commitment to the common good.

Marco A. Bravo ’94 is the Paul L. Locatelli, S.J., Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Education and Counseling Psychology at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½. He is the author of His work, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and other foundations, aims to make STEM education more equitable and inclusive. 

What questions or challenges are at the heart of your current work? 

For more than two decades, my work has focused on helping teachers make STEM learning more accessible for emergent bilingual students, or those learning English while speaking another language at home. Through a series of federally funded projects, my team has trained hundreds of teachers and reached thousands of students. We study how integrating language and content instruction can improve learning outcomes for this rapidly growing student group.

Why is this issue important for the world to address at this time?

This issue is critical because a significant portion of potential STEM talent is being left out of the pipeline. Emergent bilingual students make up about 10% of K-12 students nationwide and one in four in California. Many industries already face workforce shortages and are looking abroad to fill STEM positions, even as we have capable students here who are not being fully prepared or supported to pursue these fields. By equipping teachers to make STEM education more inclusive and responsive to emergent bilingual learners, we can expand opportunity, strengthen our domestic workforce, and ensure that innovation reflects the diversity and creativity of our communities.

Why have you chosen to dedicate your career to this research?

As a former emergent bilingual student, teacher, and counselor, I’ve seen firsthand the resilience and potential of these learners. I’ve dedicated my career to ensuring they have equitable access to instruction that allows them to fully demonstrate their abilities and reach their potential.

How have your students impacted your research?

My research is deeply shaped by the teachers and students I work with. It’s a reciprocal, iterative process. We design and share strategies through professional development workshops, and teachers test and adapt them in their classrooms. For example, we once encouraged teachers to draw on Spanish-speaking students’ linguistic knowledge to understand science terms, like connecting terrarium to the Latin root terra, meaning soil. Teachers embraced this, but they also challenged us to consider how similar strategies could support students who speak Vietnamese or other languages. Their feedback pushed our work to be more inclusive and adaptable.

These collaborations remind me that effective teaching isn’t one-size-fits-all. Each classroom, grade level, and student group requires its own approach. Teachers continually show us how to make our research practical and relevant, reinforcing that they are the real experts on their students. We learn as much from them as they learn from us.

What is a book in your field that you think everyone should read?

I recommend a documentary and a book. The first is a new documentary that highlights the remarkable linguistic skills of emergent bilingual students, many of whom serve as real-time translators for their families on complex topics like medical issues. It was screened here at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ earlier this month, and I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about this field. It powerfully captures both the challenges and the cognitive strengths of bilingualism. 

The second is “Teaching and Learning in Two Languages: Bilingualism and Schooling in the United States” by Eugene García. It explores how bilingual education benefits students cognitively and emotionally, showing that building on students’ home languages, rather than replacing them, enhances learning, identity, and problem-solving skills.