Posted on August 27, 2024 by Katelyn Juarez
One of the most revered and influential leaders in education and bicultural-bilingual studies almost pursued the medical field before she found her true calling in the classroom.
With almost 45 years working in education and 30 of those years being with the College of Education and Human Development at UTSA, Belinda Bustos Flores, Ph.D., is leaving a legacy of excellence, change, and hope. Dr. Flores is the Associate Dean for Strategic Partnership, Preparation and Growth, a Professor of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies, UTSA Dual Language Community Lab Schools Partner, and the Founder and Director of The Academy for Teacher Excellence Research Center (ATE).
The work by Flores has been recognized nationally. Flores is a Texas Association for Bilingual Education Higher Education Nominee, recipient of the 2015 AERA Hispanic Research Issues SIG Elementary, Secondary, and Postsecondary Award and the 2019 AERA Bilingual Research SIG Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2012 Flores was inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame and was most recently recognized by the American Association for Colleges Teacher Educators (AACTE) for her work in diversity training.
The titles and awards next to Flores’ name have grown over time, just as her impact has at UTSA. On September 1, 2024, Flores will begin her faculty leave, where she will continue to work on her research and complete projects. Before that time begins, it is important to reflect on how Flores began her journey, laying the foundation for the remarkable career she has built over the years.
Flores, a San Antonio native, initially pursued a career in medicine and worked as a dental assistant. With UTSA not admitting freshmen and sophomores at the time, she attended San Antonio College for her core curriculum. Flores met her husband, Mario Enrique Flores, who was studying to become a teacher. The pair moved to Crystal City, Texas, where Mario began his teaching career. Belinda paused her studies and began working as a substitute teacher, soon discovering a passion for bilingual education, which led her to change her major.
Flores enrolled at The University of Houston, there she majored in education to become a bilingual education teacher. After returning to San Antonio, she continued her education at UTSA, where she was awarded Title VII funding for her bilingual education studies, supported by a recommendation letter from Dr. Tomás Rivera, a famed Chicano author and educator who held positions at UTSA and other universities.
In 1980, Flores earned her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood and Elementary Education with a specialization in bilingual education. She worked as an early childhood bilingual teacher until 1987, when she returned to UTSA for her master’s in Bicultural-Bilingual Education, alongside certifications in bilingual education and counseling.
Flores pursued her Ph.D. at The University of Texas at Austin while working as a grant coordinator at UTSA. After losing her job and funding due to cuts in Title VII support, she continued her dissertation, which earned her the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) 1st Place Outstanding Dissertation Award and was then hired as a faculty member at UTSA in the Department of Education. She eventually advanced to the ranks of department chair and associate dean.
One of the early achievements of Flores during her time as an undergraduate student at UTSA was being a co-founder and the first president of the Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO) at UTSA.
At the same time of UTSA’s College of Education and Human Development being formed, Flores was working on a grant to create the Academy for Teacher Excellence (ATE) in 2003.
“I wrote a huge grant, along with peers and colleagues and collaboration with San Antonio College for a Title V grant, which helped me establish and fund the Academy for Teacher Excellence,” said Flores.
ATE helped COEHD emerge as a nationally recognized leader in preparing teachers to effectively instruct diverse student populations. Throughout the history of the Academy, it has been fully funded by grants received from federal, state, and private funding agencies.
As the Academy has relied on different funding sources to support its mission, Flores was tasked by her dean to identify any changes that needed to happen for the clinical teaching program, “I already had ideas,” Flores said. “We have done the same thing year after year. The teacher preparation program was the same as when I had graduated.”
One of the changes that Flores implemented was regarding the amount of time clinical teachers spent in the classroom. “One part involved sharing with local school districts the reasons as to why we decided to do the year-long clinical teaching. Research was telling us that a semester is not enough to get the depth of experience that you need,” Flores explained.
This change provided clinical teachers the opportunity to see the transformations that take place at the beginning of the school year all the way to the end.
Flores was also part of the team that established the 1882 Dual Language Community Lab Schools Partnership. Some strong bilingual programs and schools were being eliminated and Flores identified that students were not performing as well as they did before.
“The students were not given that equal education opportunity for academic and personal success,” said Flores. “That’s one of the reasons that 1882 was established to ensure that we would have a continuity of strong bilingual programs and have a place where we can demonstrate best practices for our clinical teachers to be able to observe and learn from those settings.”
The deep-rooted connections in the community and Flores’ commitment to bilingual education has impacted local schools and UTSA. Dr. Juanita (Johnnie) Santos, Executive Director of the UTSA Dual Language Community Lab Schools Partnership, collaborates with Flores on implementing strong bilingual programs, “Dr. Flores’s extensivesocial capital and skill in designing programs from the ground up have been pivotal by providing a focus of academic rigor and cultural relevance,” said Santos.
“Her strong reputation within the city and extensive professional networks have been crucial in forging strategic alliances and garnering support for the lab schools,” said Santos. “Dr. Flores’s dedication to creating meaningful, sustainable educational opportunities for bilingual students has positioned the lab schools for ongoing success and impact.”
During her sabbatical leave, Flores will focus on three book projects and several articles. One of the books will detail the story of establishing the Dual Language Community Lab Schools, specifically the rationale, theory, and outcomes. Another will cover the development and impact of the teacher residency program. The third project is a second edition of a Latino children’s literature book, set for completion in September, and will build on the success of the first edition used at UTSA and nationally.
Flores has significantly influenced the field of education and bilingual teaching, impacting students, teachers, and faculty. She advises future educators to speak up for necessary changes and to not be afraid of challenging the status quo.
“I did not stay quiet,” Flores said. “They tell you, don’t say anything. I saw things that needed to be changed, and I spoke my mind and did not back down as to why it needed to be changed, always keeping in mind that the individuals we’re preparing whether they be teachers, school leaders, school counselors, etc. If those individuals are not well prepared and well equipped to work with diverse populations, they are not going to be successful.”
Reflecting on her career, Flores shares the importance of sharing one’s work to help create a broader impact.
“If you don’t share your story through research it will not impact who or what the focus is about, that is it, it doesn’t have a ripple effect,” said Flores. “You want that ripple effect.”
— Katelyn Juarez
