Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan is a Bilingual Speech Language Pathologist and a Certified Academic Language Therapist. She holds a doctorate degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She is the Director of Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas and works with Texas Institute for Measurement Evaluation and Statistics at the University of Houston.

Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan is the author of Esperanza (HOPE): a Spanish language program. Her research interests include the development of early reading assessments for Spanish speaking students in addition to the development of reading interventions for bilingual students. She was the co-principal investigator of a longitudinal study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Institute of Education Science, examining the oracy and literacy development in English and Spanish of Spanish speaking children. She has authored curricular programs, book chapters, and journal articles related to oracy and literacy development for English language learners.

Research Articles
Cardenas-Hagan, E., Carlson, C., and Durodoloa, S. (2007) The Cross Linguistic Transfer of Early Literacy Skills: The Role of Initial L1 and L2 Skills and Language of Instruction. Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools. 38(3), 249-259.

Lindsey, K., and Manis, F. (2005). Development of Reading Skills in Spanish Speaking English Language Learners: A Six Year Longitudinal Study. Perspectives, Volume 31 No. 2, p. 23-26.

Manis, F., Lindsey, K., and Bailey, C. (2004). Development of Reading in Grades K-2 in Spanish Speaking English Language Learners. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice 19(4) 214-224.

Mathes, P., Pollard-Durodola, S.P., Cardenas-Hagan, E., Linan-Thompson, S., Vaughn, S. (2007). Teaching Struggling Readers Who are Native Spanish Speakers: What Do We Know? Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools. 38(3), 260-271.

Pollard-Durodola, S., Mathes, P.G., Vaughn, S., Cárdenas-Hagan, E., Linan-Thompson, S. (2006). The Role of Oracy in Developing Comprehension in Spanish Speaking English Language Learners. Topics in Language Disorders, 26(4), 365-384.

Vaughn, S., Cirino, P.T., Linan-Thompson, S., Mathes, P.G., Carlson, C.D., Hagan, E.C., Pollard-Durodola, S.D., Fletcher, J.M., & Francis, D.J. (2006). Effectiveness of a Spanish intervention and an English intervention for English-language learners at risk for reading problems. American Educational Research Journal, 43(3), 449-487.

Vaughn, S., Linan-Thompson, S., Pollard-Durodola, S. D., Mathes, P.G., & Cardenas-Hagan, E. (2006). Effective intervention for English language learners (Spanish-English) at risk for reading difficulties. In D. K. Dickinson & S. B. Neuman (Eds.), Handbook of Early Literacy Research (Vol. 2, pp. 185-197). New York: Guilford Press