Barbara C. Cruz

Bárbara C. Cruz is professor of secondary education at the University of South Florida. Her teaching and research interests include the preparation of social studies teachers, diversity issues in education, and teaching about Latin America and the Caribbean. Recent work centers on English language learners in the social studies classroom, including her coauthored books, Teaching Social Studies to English Language Learners and Gateway to Social Studies. In addition to scholarly works, Dr. Cruz has published a number of young adult biographies of inspirational Hispanics (such as Frida Kahlo, José Clemente Orozco, and Rubén Blades). She is the author of César Chávez: A Voice for Farm Workers and Multiethnic Teens and Cultural Identity, for which she received the Carter G. Woodson Book Award.