Joan R. Lachance

Joan R. Lachance, PhD, is an associate professor of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) in the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K–12 Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She directs UNC Charlotte’s TESL graduate programs and the undergraduate TESL minor, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in second language acquisition, multilingualism, language development, and authentic assessment with English learners. Her research focuses on dual language teacher preparation, academic language and literacy development, co-teaching, and authentic assessment for multilingual learners, and she has authored more than 25 publications, including articles, book chapters, technical reports, and curriculum guides.

Lachance is co-author of Collaboration and Co-Teaching for Dual Language Learners: Transforming Programs for Multilingualism and Equity (Corwin, 2023), as well as co-author of the National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation “EMMA” Standards, for which she also serves as director of the specialized professional association in dual language education, EMMA: Education for a Multilingual Multicultural America. She holds a BS in Secondary Education and Modern Languages from Florida International University, an MEd in School Counseling from the Pontifical Catholic University in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on urban education, literacy, and TES