About

Xaé Alicia Reyes, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus in Education and Latino Studies at the University of Connecticut. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado and has been on the faculty of the University of Connecticut since 1999.

Prior to joining UCONN, Dr. Reyes taught Spanish at Le Moyne College and Syracuse University in Upstate New York, and at the University of Colorado (CU), Boulder. She taught Business Communication at the University of Puerto Rico’s Rio Piedras campus, including an Honors course in Ethnography of the Workplace. While completing her Ph.D. as a Title VII fellow, Dr. Reyes was both a Research Assistant in CU’s Migrant Program and a Teaching Assistant charged with teaching Foundations of Education to pre-service teachers. Subsequently, Dr. Reyes taught in the Educational Studies Department at Rhode Island College (RIC). Her work extended beyond teaching courses in cultural foundations, diversity, and classroom research for teachers, to coordinating field placements in schools and acting as Coordinator of a college and high school partnership initiative known as Teacher Academy and designed to attract minorities into teaching careers.

Dr. Reyes received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor upon completion of her fifth year at RIC. Brown University invited Dr. Reyes to teach Latino Studies as a Visiting Faculty of the Ethnic Studies Program during the spring of 1997. While in Rhode Island, Dr. Reyes was part of the revision team for the Mission and Goals of the Providence School Department, and member of the SALT (Statewide Assessment of Learning and Teaching) team and also sat on the Board of Progreso Latino.

Dr. Reyes worked with TRIO Programs, US Department of Education funded programs to meet needs of educationally underserved populations, both directing and writing grants. This has added to the breadth of her experiences in educational settings and communities which has, in turn, informed her teaching and research activities. Her publications in journals such as the Journal of Latina/os and Education, Journal of Latino Studies and Journal of Hispanic Higher Education reflect her concerns for social justice and her commitment to equity and access. Dr.Reyes’ areas of expertise include critical ethnography, teacher preparation for linguistically and culturally diverse communities, media representations, and migration issues as they affect schooling, religious activism, and civic engagement and political participation. Her community involvement and experiences with media led to an invitation to host a public access television show called Education Matters 2000-2015 (Charter TV 14 – Northeastern Connecticut).Xaé Alicia Reyes, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus in Education and Latino Studies at the University of Connecticut. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado and was a faculty member at the University of Connecticut from 1999-2016.

Prior to joining UCONN, Dr. Reyes taught Spanish at Le Moyne College and Syracuse University in Upstate New York, and at the University of Colorado (CU), Boulder. She taught Business Communication at the University of Puerto Rico’s Rio Piedras campus, including an Honors course in Ethnography of the Workplace. While completing her Ph.D. as a Title VII fellow, Dr. Reyes was both a Research Assistant in CU’s Migrant Program and a Teaching Assistant charged with teaching Foundations of Education to pre-service teachers. Subsequently, Dr. Reyes taught in the Educational Studies Department at Rhode Island College (RIC). Her work extended beyond teaching courses in cultural foundations, diversity, and classroom research for teachers, to coordinating field placements in schools and acting as Coordinator of a college and high school partnership initiative known as Teacher Academy and designed to attract minorities into teaching careers.

Dr. Reyes received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor upon completion of her fifth year at RIC. Brown University invited Dr. Reyes to teach Latino Studies as a Visiting Faculty of the Ethnic Studies Program during the spring of 1997. While in Rhode Island, Dr. Reyes was part of the revision team for the Mission and Goals of the Providence School Department, and member of the SALT (Statewide Assessment of Learning and Teaching) team and also sat on the Board of Progreso Latino.

Dr. Reyes worked with TRIO Programs, US Department of Education funded programs to meet needs of educationally underserved populations, both directing and writing grants. This has added to the breadth of her experiences in educational settings and communities which has, in turn, informed her teaching and research activities. Her publications in journals such as the Journal of Latina/os and Education, Journal of Latino Studies and Journal of Hispanic Higher Education reflect her concerns for social justice and her commitment to equity and access. Dr. Reyes’ areas of expertise include critical ethnography, teacher preparation for linguistically and culturally diverse communities, adult ESL instruction, media representations, and migration issues as they affect schooling, religious activism, and civic engagement and political participation. Her community involvement and experiences with media led to an invitation to host a public access television show called Education Matters 2000-2015 (Charter TV 14 – Northeastern Connecticut).

Reyes is currently engaged in consulting and has also been teaching adult ESL.