Concepción Moncada-Cummings

Dr. Moncada-Cummings is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning and Director of Literacy and Special Education at Southern Methodist University (SMU). She earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Florida, where she was a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI). She also holds a Master of Education in Early Literacy and ESL and a Certified Academic Language Practitioner (CALP) certification, both from SMU.

Prior to her work in academia, Dr. Moncada-Cummings spent eight years in Dallas ISD as a bilingual educator, curriculum writer, intensive reading interventionist, and lead bilingual dyslexia interventionist. She also served as a Lead Trainer for the Galápagos Conservancy, providing professional development in literacy education to educators across the Galápagos Islands. These experiences laid the foundation for her research agenda, which centers on multilingual students, dyslexia, evidence-based literacy practices, early literacy and foundational reading skills, dis/ability, and education policy.

At SMU, Dr. Moncada-Cummings teaches Learning to Read and Write: Emergent Literacy. Her courses focus on equipping educators with evidence-based literacy practices that advance equitable educational outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. She serves as a manuscript reviewer for AERA's Bilingual Education Research SIG and as a certification reviewer for the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), and is an executive board member of the Division for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners (DDEL) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Dr. Moncada-Cummings is a bilingual, biliterate Mexican American first-generation scholar whose work is rooted in equity, cultural and linguistic diversity, and centering the stories of bilingual children with dis/abilities and their families. She is proud to bring her work in equity and literacy to the Simmons School of Education and Human Development.

Selected publications

Pico, D. L., Lee, S. S., Moncada-Cummings, C., Bratsch-Hines, M., Banks, J., Giani, M. V., Walton-Walker, T., & Butler, T. (2025, December). Barriers and Supports for Successful Completion of an Emergent Literacy Micro-Credential: An Analysis at Three Levels of the Professional Learning System. Professional Development in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2025.2593891

Moncada-Cummings, C. (2025, October). Linguistic-anthropologic considerations: Bilingualism. Ventris Learning. https://www.ventrislearning.com/linguistic-anthropologic-considerations/bilingualism/

Gomez, L. R., Moncada-Cummings, C., & Brunsting, N. C. (2025, June). Cultural Adaptation in Autism Interventions: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities.

Moncada-Cummings, C., Gómez-Fuentes, N., & Gonsalves, V. (2025, January). Understanding Dyslexia in Multilingual Environments. In A. Villarreal (Ed.), Hispanic Perspectives on Student Support and Community Empowerment (Chapter 10). IGI Global.

Gómez-Fuentes, N., Moncada-Cummings, C., & Valadez Sáenz, A. (2025, January). Fostering Emotional Wellbeing in Multilingual Students with Dyslexia. In A. Villarreal (Ed.), Hispanic Scholar Perspectives on Education and Wellbeing (Chapter 8). IGI Global.

Moncada-Cummings, C., & Gómez-Fuentes, N. (2024, October). Reaching Emergent Bilingual Students with Dyslexia: Strategies and Approaches. IDA TX Resource Directory, International Dyslexia Association Texas Branches (IDATX).

Moncada-Cummings, C., & Gómez-Fuentes, N. (2024, October). Abarcando los Bilingües Emergentes con Dislexia: Estrategias y Enfoques. IDA TX Resource Directory, International Dyslexia Association Texas Branches (IDATX).