Isabel Vargas-Bell
Assistant Professor of Reading Instruction and Assessment Early Childhood and Elementary Education- Education
Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Special Education, University of Virginia
M.A.T. in Elementary Education with a concentration in ESOL, University of Virginia
B.A. in Psychology, University of Virginia
- Specializations
Literacy development
Reading interventions
Multilingual learners
- Biography
Isabel Vargas-Bell is an assistant professor in the College of Education & Human Development’s Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education. She earned her Ph.D. in education with a concentration in special education from the University of Virginia. Her teaching and research are grounded in her experience as an elementary Spanish immersion/dual language teacher. Vargas-Bell’s research focuses on scientifically based reading instruction and assessment for multilingual students. She is particularly interested in translating scientifically-based reading research to improve literacy practices in elementary school settings and improve language and literacy outcomes for all students.
- Publications
Hu, C., Chang-Bacon, C., Vargas, I., & Montalvo, L. (2024). Language ideologies and access in a multilingual tutoring program. International Multilingual Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/19313152.2024.2315895
Cook, B. G., van Dijk, W. Vargas, I., Aigotti, S. M., Fleming, J. I., McDonald, S. D., Richmond, C. L., Griendling, L. M., McLucas, A. S., & Johnson, R. M. (2023). A review of open practices in special education publications. Exceptional Children, 89(3), 238–255. https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029221145195
Hall, C., Dahl-Leonard, K., Cho, E., Solari, E. J., Capin, P., Conner, C., Henry, A. R., Cook, L., Hayes, L., Richmond, C. L., Vargas, I., & Kehoe, K. F. (2023). Forty years of reading intervention research for elementary students with or at risk for dyslexia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Reading Research Quarterly, 58(2), 285-312. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.477
Hall, C., Solari, E. J., Hayes, L., Dahl-Leonard, K., DeCoster, J., Kehoe, K. F., Conner, C., Henry, A. R., Demchak, A., Richmond, C. L., & Vargas, I. (2023). Validation of an instrument for assessing elementary-grade educators’ knowledge to teach reading. Reading and Writing, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-023-10456-w
Vargas, I., Daucort, M., Hall, C., Hart, S. A., Solari, E. J. (2023). Examining the heterogeneous early literacy profiles of first-grade students who are English learners. Reading and Writing, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-023-10452-0
Solari, E. J., Kehoe, K. F., Cho, E., Hall, C., Vargas, I., Dahl-Leonard, K., Richmond, C., Henry, A., Cook,
L., Hayes, T., Conner, C. (2022). Effectiveness of interventions for English learners with word reading difficulties: A research synthesis. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12286Vargas, I., Hall, C., & Solari, E. J. (2021). Brick by Brick: Landmark studies on reading development, assessment, and instruction for students who are English learners. The Reading League Journal, 2(3), 37-41.
Cornett, A., Vargas, I., Hobgood, C., McNamera, A., & van Hover, S. (2019). Culture calle: Celebrating
heritage, diversity, and dreams in bilingual classrooms. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 32(1), 15-19.