Until her retirement in 2015, Solange de Azambuja Lira was director of English Language Learning programs in the Graduate School of Education, and oversaw the development of Lesley University TESOL and Bilingual Education programs. Her teaching at Lesley was focused on the education of bilingual learners and how to how to teach English as a new language with the understanding that the maintenance and development of the first language is essential to the students’ achievement and well being. A teacher educator for more than thirty years in Brazil and the USA, she is also an expert on professional development for K-12 teachers and has provided professional development for many Massachusetts school districts. Professor Lira is a native speaker of Brazilian Portuguese and proficient in Spanish and French.
Education
BA, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
MA, University of Delaware
PhD, University of Pennsylvania