Adrian Pasquarella

Adrian Pasquarella is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware, specializing in literacy education with a focus on Multilingual Learners (MLLs). He leads the Multicultural Education and Literacy Development (MELD) laboratory, exploring language and literacy acquisition in linguistically diverse populations. His work emphasizes cross-language transfer, reading comprehension, and evidence-based programs to improve outcomes for MLLs globally.

Education: PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (University of Toronto, 2014); M.A. and B.A. in Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, Canada).

Research Interests: Pasquarella’s research delves into universal and language-specific aspects of literacy development, particularly among bilingual/multilingual students. Key areas include morphological awareness, vocabulary acquisition, and the impact of cultural factors on second-language learning. He evaluates interventions like dual-language immersion programs and mobile literacy tools (e.g., the Early Learning Library App).

Grant Contributions: Co-Principal Investigator for the $2.6M Project DELITE (U.S. Department of Education, 2022–2027), Principal Investigator for the NSF-funded Learning Library toolkit ($20K semi-finalist, 2024), and Co-Investigator for the Targeted Reading Intervention ($3.3M, IES grant, 2016–2021).

Awards: Recipient of the 2015 Dean’s Research Award, College of Education and Human Development, University of Delaware.

Labs & Teams: Directs the MELD Lab, collaborating on initiatives such as cross-language literacy interventions and mobile education technology. His work bridges theory and practice, influencing teacher training and policy for diverse student populations.