Gliset Colon

Gliset C. Morales, Ph.D.

Associate Professor Ketchum Hall 206
Office: (716) 878-4639
Email: colong@buffalostate.edu

EDUCATION         

Ph.D., Special Education, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY

M.S.ED., Bilingual Special Education, Buffalo State University, Buffalo, NY.  

B.S.ED., Exceptional Education, Buffalo State University, Buffalo, NY.  

 

AWARDS & HONORS

2024  Dr. Muriel A. Howard Presidential Award for the Promotion of Equity and Campus Diversity 

English Journal Edwin M. Hopkins Award, 2021; Educators Who Are Shaping History Award, 2020;  Business First 40 under 40 award, 2018, New York's 40 under 40 Rising Latino Stars, 2018; Early Faculty Career Award for Community Engagement, 2018

 

COURSES OFFERED

Undergraduate            

EXE 100: Nature and Needs of Individuals Who Are Exceptional

EXE 362: Behavior and Classroom Management

EXE 371: Foundations of Teaching Children with Disabilities

Graduate                      

EXE 500: Individuals with Special Needs 

EXE 502: Contingency Management 

BXE 623: Foundations and Theory of Bilingual General and Special Education 

BXE 625: Teaching Literacy in Bilingual General and Special Education 

BXE 626: Assessment Techniques in Bilingual General and Special Education 

EXE 632: Direct Instruction Intervention Models for Students with Special Needs 

ESL 503: Foundations of Foreign and Second Language Education 

ESL 600: English as a Second Language Methods  

ESL 602: Assessment in Foreign and Second Language Education 

LAI 574: Teaching the Exceptional Learner in the General Education Classroom 

Supervision                  

EXE 420/504: Practicum in Special Education 

EXE 682: Field Practicum in Special Education

BXE 628: Field Practicum in Bilingual Special Education

BXE 682: Field Experience in Bilingual General and Special Education

                         

TEACHING & RESEARCH INTERESTS & EXPERTISE

Her teaching focuses on the foundations of special education, bilingual education, the intersection of both, as well as the assessment of multilingual learners. In addition to her teaching, Dr. Morales is actively engaged in research and service. Her work focuses on language outcomes for multilingual students, both with and without disabilities, multi-tiered systems of support, disproportionality, and culturally and linguistically relevant instruction and assessment. Recently, she has also explored the intersection of art and advocacy, recognizing the power of art as a transformative tool for social change. Through this lens, Dr. Morales integrates creative expression into her scholarly work, using art not only as a medium for advocacy but also as a means to amplify the voices of marginalized communities, particularly multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Her passion for art allows her to bridge education and advocacy in innovative ways, promoting equity and inclusion through both academic and artistic avenues. Dr. Morales remains deeply committed to advancing bilingual education and enhancing teacher preparation programs.

 

CURRENT COLLABORATIVE SERVICE & INVOLVEMENT

2025-2026              President, New York State Association for Bilingual Education 

2024-2025              President Elect, New York State Association for Bilingual Education 

2023-Present         Advocacy Committee Leadership Group, New York State Association for Bilingual Education 

2023-Present         Board member, The Belle Center 

2022-Present         Leadership Team, NY Advocates for Fair and Inclusive Resources for Multilingual Learners (NY-AFFIRMs) 

2017-Present         Coordinator, Bilingual Inclusive Education, GCP 

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Doody, K. R. & Colón, G. (2022). Positive Behavioral Supports and Strategies for Young Children. In Fisher & Zimmerman (Eds.), Early Childhood Special Education Programs and Practices. Slack Publishers.

Colón, G. & Alsace T. O. (2022). Bilingual Special Education for the 21st Century: A New Interface. IGI Global.

Garas-York, K., Henry, J.J., Colón, G., & del Prado Hill, P. (2022). Supervising linguistically diverse student teachers. In Baecher, Burns & McCorvey (Eds.), Supervision in Clinically Based Teacher Education: Advances, Opportunities and Exploration. Information Age Publishing.

Colón, G., Zgliczynski, T., & Maheady, L. (2022). Using flexible grouping. In McKlesky et al. (Ed.), High Leverage Practices for Inclusive Classrooms (2nd Edition). Routledge.

Alsace, T. O. , Akinsulure-Smith, A. M., & Colón, G. (2021). Professional development module: Approaches to Educating Refugees and Immigrants. CUNY - Initiative on Immigration and Education. CUNY-IIE. https://www.cuny-iie.org/comprehensive-educator-modules

Hunter, J. D., & Colón, G. (2020). #YouthLivesMatter: Writing critical micropoems as urban social critiques, English Journal, 110(2). ***Note, for this article, Dr. Hunter and I won the  “2021 English Journal Edwin M. Hopkins Award and the article was selected for the NCTE book, “Special Issues: Trauma-Informed Teaching, Volume 1”.

Lewellen, C., Bohonos, J. W. Colón, G., & Henderson, E., (2020). African American women’s career development: Considering intersectional differences in language and personality type. In Claretha Hughes (Ed.), Implementation Strategies for Improving Diversity in Organizations (2nd Edition). IGI Global. *Peer reviewed chapter

Maheady, L., Zgliczynski, T., & Colón, G. (2018). Using flexible grouping to improve educational outcomes for students with and without disabilities. In McKlesky et al. (Eds.), High Leverage Practices for Inclusive Classrooms, Routedge.