Mark R. Emerick
Mark earned his B.A. in English literature and M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction with a focus in language education at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania before completing his Ph.D. in applied linguistics at Temple University. Prior to his Ph.D., he was a high school and middle school English as a second language (ESL) and English language arts teacher. Mark’s research interests include language in education policy, language ideologies, and equity and access for multilingual learners of English (MLs) in U.S. schools.
After earning his B.A. in English literature, Mark taught high school English as a second language (ESL) in an under-resourced urban school. During his time teaching, Mark earned his M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction with a focus in language education, wrote ESL curriculum, created a college readiness program for multilingual learners of English (MLs), provided professional development for teachers across content areas, and worked on district- and state-level education policy initiatives. After deciding to pursue a Ph.D. in applied linguistics at Temple University, Mark participated in community-based ESL programs and worked as a leadership coach for school principals in the School District of Philadelphia.
Broadly, Mark’s research interest lies in the area of language in education policy, language ideologies, and equity and access for MLs. His work has drawn on critical race theory, language ideologies, and diversity ideology to examine MLs’ limited access to college and career readiness opportunities and career and technical education programs in U.S. secondary schools. Mark’s most recent study was a year-long multi-sited ethnography examining school policies and practices that shaped the enrollment pathways that MLs navigated to access career and technical education programs.
Mark has published his research in academic journals such as Anthropology and Education Quarterly, TESOL Quarterly, Language Policy, and Teachers College Record. He is currently editor-in-chief of the New York State TESOL Journal.
Contact
Box 618
Research and Academic Interests
- Language policy
- Multilingual learners’ college and career readiness
- Access and equity for multilingual learners in career and technical education
- Educators’ language ideologies
- Critical discourse analysis
Departments and Programs
Courses
EDUC 235 Issues in Contemporary Education
EDUC 300 Senior Portfolio: Childhood Education
EDUC 362 Student Teaching Practicum: Childhood Education
EDUC 368 Language Policy and Planning in Education
EDUC 370 Researching Language in Educational Contexts
Selected Publications
Ángeles, S. L. & Emerick, M. R. (2026). Centering structural and systemic barriers in rethinking college and career readiness for students classified as English learners. TESOL Quarterly. Advance online publication.
Emerick, M. R. (2026). “Hands-on is great”: Deficit thinking about career and technical education for multilingual learners. TESOL Journal, 17(3), 1–11.
Emerick, M. R. (2026). Beyond Language: Structural constraints for counselors supporting multilingual learners’ career exploration. Professional School Counseling, 30(1), 1–13.
Emerick, M. R. (2025). Challenging deficit discourses with counterstories of cultural wealth: Multilingual learners’ pursuit of career and technical education. Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 127(11–12), 60–92.
Emerick, M. R. & LeMaster, P. (2024). A raciolinguistic perspective on career readiness standards in career and technical education: Professionalism and communication skills as white linguistic practices. Language Policy, 23 (3), 257–277.
Emerick, M. R. & Goldberg, J. L. (2023). “I would purposely try to keep them separated”: Language ideologies, language policy, and beliefs about emergent bilinguals in career and technical education. TESOL Quarterly, 57 (4), 1339–1363.
Emerick, M. R. (2022). Diversity ideology and school leadership: Obscuring inequities for emergent bilingual students in career and technical education. Educational Administration Quarterly, 58 (2), 223–257.
Grants, Fellowships, Honors, Awards
National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship
Awarded, Dr. Rita Wolotkiewicz Phi Delta Kappa Award, Temple University College of Education and Human Development, Philadelphia, PA. Awarded to a doctoral degree recipient in recognition of “outstanding professional achievement”
