Alison Wishard Guerra

Dr. Alison Wishard Guerra examines early language development, narrative competence, and play in early childhood and early elementary contexts within bilingual and immigrant communities. She utilizes research practice partnerships, mixed methods, and longitudinal designs to  trace how caregiver–child interactions shape emergent literacy and long-term academic trajectories. Early communicative environments, in her analysis, scaffold both cognition and identity.

Drawing from developmental psychology and educational research, Dr. Wishard Guerra analyzes how children construct narrative structures across linguistic contexts. Her work highlights strengths embedded in bilingual households and community storytelling traditions, challenging deficit perspectives that overlook cultural assets.

By linking early childhood processes to educational policy, Dr. Wishard Guerra informs initiatives that strengthen equitable foundations for learning. Her scholarship emphasizes that culturally responsive early interaction is central to sustained academic success.

Education

Ph. D. in Education with an emphasis in Applied Developmental Psychology

University of California, Los Angeles, 2005

M.A. in Education with an emphasis in Applied Developmental Psychology

University of California, Los Angeles, 2003

B.A. Double major in Psychology and Latin American and Latino Studies

University of California, Santa Cruz, 1997

Education Abroad

Universidad de Chile, Santiago Chile, 1996

Universidad del Cuyo, Mendoza Argentina, 1996

Escuela del Ciclo Básico Común, Bahía Blanca Argentina, 1992

Affliations

• Society for Research in Child Development
• American Educational Research Association

The Mi Clase Mágica Preschool study operates two oral language and literacy intervention programs at the Solana Beach Head Start and the San Pasqual Indian Reservation Children’s Center in Valley Center. In MCM we work to create an informal learning environment with engaging oral language and literacy activities constructed to support and promote home language and culture. Undergraduate students serve as research assistants and “amigos” to the children as they develop curriculum, work with the children, write field notes, collect data, and work on collaborative research projects as part of the research team. Undergraduate or graduate students interested in joining our research team are encouraged to contact Alison. 

Wishard, A. G., Shivers, E. M., Howes, C., & Ritchie, S. “Child care programs and teacher practices: Associations with quality and children’s experiences.”Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 18. 2003. (pp. 65 – 103).

Howes, C. & Wishard, A. G. “Revisiting sharing meaning: Looking through the lens of culture and linking shared pretend play through proto-narrative development to emergent literacy.” In E. Zigler, D. G. Singer, & S. J. Bishop-Josef (Eds.)Children’s Play: The Roots of Reading, Washington, DC: Zero to Three Press. 2004. *Chapter excerpted in Zero to Three Journal, 25. 2004. (pp. 10-16).

Wishard, A. G., Sidle, A. S., & Howes, C. “Finding a “Literacy-rich curriculum” in children’s everyday experiences.” National Head Start Association Dialog Briefs, 7. 2004. (pp. 3-4).

Lopez, E., Wishard, A., Gallimore, R., & Rivera, W. “Latino high school students’ perceptions of gangs and crews: Gender and achievement factors.” Journal of Adolescent Research, 21. 2006. (pp. 299-318).

Howes, C., & Wishard Guerra, A. “Networks of attachment relationships in low-income children of Mexican heritage: Infancy through preschool.” Social development 18(4). 2009. (pp. 896 – 914).

Howes, C., & Wishard Guerra, A. G., & Zucker, E. “Migrating from Mexico and sharing pretend with peers in the United States.” Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 54(2). 2008. (pp. 256-288).

Wishard Guerra, A. “The intersection of Language and culture among Mexican-heritage children three to seven years old.” In A. McCabe, A. Bailey, & G. Melzi (Eds.)Research on the development of Spanish-language narratives. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2008.

Howes, C., Wishard Guerra, A. G., & Zucker, E. “Cultural communities and parenting in Mexican-heritage families.” Parenting: Science and Practice, 7. 2007. (pp.1-36).

Daly, A. J., Der-Martirosian, C., Ong-Dean, C., Park, V., Wishard-Guerra, A. Leading Under Sanction: Principals’ Perceptions of Threat-Rigidity, Efficacy, and Leadership in Underperforming Schools. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 10(2). 2010. (pp. 171-206.)

Howes, C., Wishard Guerra, A., Fuligni, A., Zucker, E., Lee, L., Obregon, M., & Spivak, A. “Classroom dimensions predict early peer interaction when children are diverse in ethnicity, race, and home language.” Early Childhood Education Research Quarterly, 26. 2011. (pp. 399-408).

Park, V., Daly, A., & Wishard Guerra, A. “Strategic framing: How leaders craft the meaning of data use for equity and learning.” Educational Policy: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Policy and Practice. First published online May 7. 2012. (pp.1-31).

Wishard Guerra, A. & Garrity, S. “A cultural communities and cultural practices approach to understanding infant and toddler care.” In Mangione, P.L. (Ed.).Infant/toddler Caregiving: A Guide to Culturally Sensitive Care. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Education. 2012.

Jia, G. & Wishard Guerra, A. (in press). “Creating Collaborative Relationships with Culturally Diverse Families." In Mangione, P.L. (Ed.). Infant/toddler Caregiving: A Guide to Culturally Sensitive Care. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Education.