View Jorge Osterling's curriculum vitae in PDF format.

Jorge P. Osterling is an associate professor of multilingual/multicultural education in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University. His research focuses on multicultural and multilingual education, particularly of Latino, immigrants and other students from diverse cultural, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. Dr. Osterling holds a Master of Arts and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Applied Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. He received a Bachelor of Arts at the Catholic University of Peru and a secondary education teaching certificate from the Peruvian government.

A Hispanic-American, fluent and literate in Spanish, English, and German, Dr. Osterling's career has encompassed several roles. Over the past three decades, Dr. Osterling has worked as a university professor in four different countries: Peru, Colombia, Germany, and the USA, and has travelled extensively throughout the world. He was also a visiting scholar at the Inter-University Center for Latin American Research and Documentation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands and during the Fall 2009 semester will a visiting professor at the Hebei Normal University , Shijiazhuang City, People's Republic of China.  Dr. Osterling has also served as university teacher trainer, educational anthropologist, high school classroom teacher, community leader, public school administrator, researcher and consultant.

In his thirteenth year at George Mason University, Dr. Osterling teaches licensure, masters’ and doctoral courses in sociocultural theory, multicultural education, bilingualism and language acquisition research, educational anthropology, research to practice and social justice. He is also actively involved in ongoing action research projects with educators at local and national levels. Dr. Osterling has been an active member of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) and was elected President of its Capital Area affiliate (CANABE)..

Dr. Osterling's primary goal is to ensure that all students are valued, respected, and provided equal opportunitIes to excel, regardless of their cultural, linguistic, or special needs background. He achieves this by developing a collaborative learning environment in which teachers and students work closely together, bringing to the classroom their previous knowledge, experiences and worldviews. In his graduate and doctoral courses, focusing on social justice, educational equity, and diversity, Dr. Osterling helps his students to understand that social, cultural, economic, and political issues play a significant role in their jobs as teachers of culturally and linguistically diverse students in 21^st century U.S. schools.

Dr. Osterling is the author of two books (1989, 1980) and over thirty articles, chapters and research reports in contemporary social and educational issues. Since his arrival at George Mason University in 1996, he has been conducting research on specialized populations, including immigrants, refugees and second language learners; school-community partnerships to address the problems of at-risk youth and families; social justice, counseling, and cross-cultural issues that affect the education of diverse students in U.S. schools. In his research,  he places particular emphasis on the role of teacher as cultural broker and collaborator among families, community, and schools in order to ensure that all students achieve academic success.

• Multicultural/ multilingual education
• Sociocultural theory
• The education of Latino, immigrants, and students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds
• Democracy and social justice
• Teacher professional development

Journal Articles

• Osterling, J.P. & Wong, S.D.(2008). Dangerous Discourses and Uncomfortable Silences. The Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education. 3(1), 3-16.
• Osterling, J.P. & McClure, S. (2008, August). Dystopia in Virginia: The 2008 Immigration Debate. Mosaic, A Journal of Original Research on Multicultural Education, Teaching and Learning, 1(1), 11-21.
• Merchant, A. & Osterling, J.P. (2008). Immigration, education and the search for our national identity. Bilingual Research Journal 31(1-2), 7-22.
• Osterling, J.P. & Rahilly, M.K. (2008, May). Intercultural discourse and communication [Review of the book Intercultural discourse and communication: The essential readings]. [Electronic Journal]. Education Review, A journal of book reviews. http://edrev.aus.edu/reviews/rev665.htm
• Grant, R.A., Wong, S.D. & Osterling, J.P. (2007, October/ November/ December). Developing literacy in second language learners: Critique from a heteroglossic, sociocultural, and multidimensional framework. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(4), 598-609.
• Osterling, J.P. & Fox R.F. (2004). The Power of Perspectives: Buil
• Osterling, J.P. & Wong, S.D.(2008). Dangerous Discourses and Uncomfortable Silences. The Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education. 3(1), 3-16.
• Osterling, J.P. & McClure, S. (2008, August). Dystopia in Virginia: The 2008 Immigration Debate. Mosaic, A Journal of Original Research on Multicultural Education, Teaching and Learning, 1(1), 11-21.
• Merchant, A. & Osterling, J.P. (2008). Immigration, education and the search for our national identity. Bilingual Research Journal 31(1-2), 7-22.
• Osterling, J.P. & Rahilly, M.K. (2008, May). Intercultural discourse and communication [Review of the book Intercultural discourse and communication: The essential readings]. [Electronic Journal]. Education Review, A journal of book reviews. http://edrev.aus.edu/reviews/rev665.htm
• Grant, R.A., Wong, S.D. & Osterling, J.P. (2007, October/ November/ December). Developing literacy in second language learners: Critique from a heteroglossic, sociocultural, and multidimensional framework. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(4), 598-609.
• Osterling, J.P. & Fox R.F. (2004). The Power of Perspectives: Building a Cross-Cultural Community of Learners. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 7(6), 489-505
• Osterling, J.P. & *Garza, A. (2004). Strengthening Latino Parental Involvement: Forming Community-Based Organizations/ School Partnerships. NABE's Journal of Research and Practice, 2(1), 270-284.
• Osterling, J.P. & Buchanan, K. (2003). Tapping a Valuable Source for Prospective ESOL Teachers: Northern Virginia's Bilingual Paraeducator Career Ladder School-University Partnership. Bilingual Research Journal 27(3), 503-521.
• Osterling, J.P. (2001). Waking the Sleeping Giant: Engaging and Capitalizing on the Sociocultural Strengths of the Latino Community." Bilingual Research Journal, 25(1&2), 59-89.
• Osterling, J.P. Violand-Sánchez, E. & and von Vacano, M. (1999). Latino Families Learning Together. Educational Leadership, 57 (2), 64-68.
• ding a Cross-Cultural Community of Learners. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 7(6), 489-505
• Osterling, J.P. & Garza, A. (2004). Strengthening Latino Parental Involvement: Forming Community-Based Organizations/ School Partnerships. NABE's Journal of Research and Practice, 2(1), 270-284.
• Osterling, J.P. & Buchanan, K. (2003). Tapping a Valuable Source for Prospective ESOL Teachers: Northern Virginia's Bilingual Paraeducator Career Ladder School-University Partnership. Bilingual Research Journal 27(3), 503-521.
• Osterling, J.P. (2001). Waking the Sleeping Giant: Engaging and Capitalizing on the Sociocultural Strengths of the Latino Community." Bilingual Research Journal, 25(1&2), 59-89.
• Osterling, J.P. Violand-Sánchez, E. & and von Vacano, M. (1999). Latino Families Learning Together. Educational Leadership, 57 (2), 64-68.