About
Dr. Alison Wishard Guerra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Education Studies at UC San Diego. Her expertise is in child development and early education. Her work focuses on the development of dual language learners within the context of primary relationships with parents, teachers, and peers. Her research focuses on understanding heterogeneity within Latino, immigrant and dual language communities to identify patterns of caregiving and early education practices that promote positive outcomes for children and families (Sanders & Wishard Guerra, 2016). She applies her research to reduce disparities in early education associated with diversity in socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or home language. A specific focus of her basic research is to understand strengths and protective factors among dual language learners and their families. She is currently focusing her applied work in community-engaged research to transform early learning experiences for young linguistically diverse children and families.