Nydia Prishker, Ph.D. earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood Studies from the University of North Texas.
Dr. Prishker started her education career as a Bilingual Education teacher for migrant students. She has experience working with different bilingual programs both as an early childhood and elementary school teacher and as a teacher trainer/mentor. Before joining the School of Education at St. Thomas Aquinas College, Dr. Prishker was part of a team at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development conducting research to uncover the rich language and education practices that are already present in the homes of Latine families. Learning from and with Latine families, Dr. Prishker also worked in developing new resources for early childhood education teachers, providers, and parents to enhance the practices of teachers and families that support the school readiness of young children in a culturally responsive and relevant way.
Dr. Prishker has focused her work on quality and equity issues in the early care and education of children from diverse cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. The main objective of her work is to support teachers in creating partnerships with parents to share knowledge and strategies that can improve the education and well-being of ALL young children.
RESEARCH
Selected Publications
Prishker, N., Castro, D. C., Eutsler, L. (2024). Latine preschool and elementary teachers’ knowledge and practice in the use of technology: A study in the Southern border of the United States. NABE Journal of Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/26390043.2023.2280627
Caspe, M., Melzi, G., Mesalles, V., Prishker, N., Alvarado, C. (2023). Latine Caregivers’ Approaches to Engaging Young Children in Mathematics. Early Childhood Research Quarterly., 64(3), 26-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.01.014
Helpin, E., Prishker, N., Melzi, G. (2022). The Language Diversity and Science Readiness Skills of Latino Preschoolers. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-22-00072
Melzi, G., Mesalles, V., Caspe, M., & Prishker, N. (2022). Spatial language during a household task with bilingual Latine families. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 80, 101409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2022.101409
Melzi, G., McWayne, C., Prishker, N., Wisnia, J. (2021). Por los Niños: Latino Caregivers’ Reflections on Parenting in the Context of Immigration. Journal of Latinos and Education. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2021.1971085
Helpin, E., Prishker, N., Melzi, G. (2021). The Bilingual Language Diversity of Latino Preschoolers: A Latent Profile Analysis. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. 52, 877-888. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00015
Barrio, B. L., Hsiao, Y. J., Prishker, N., & Terry, C. (2018). The Impact of Culture on Parental Perceptions about Autism Spectrum Disorders: Striving for Culturally Competent Practices. Multicultural Learning and Teaching, 14(1), 20160010. https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2016-0010
MOST RECENT PRESENTATIONS
*Student
Reinhardt, M. A, Valdivia, I., Kim, J., McElveen, T. L., Mayes, A. S., Miller-Cotto, D., Wilkey, E. D, Ribner, A. D., Prishker, N., Andres-Salgarino, M. B., Powell, S. R., Schmitt, S. A., Purpura, D. J., & Hornburg, C. B. (2024, March 22). Relations among students’ experience of the math error climate, math identity, and math problem solving performance. [Poster Presentation]. Cognitive Development Society (CDS) 2024. March 21 – 23, 2024. Pasadena, CA, USA.
*Cordero K., *Lemus-Marroquin, K., *Rivera, A., & Prishker, N. (2023, December 5). Exploring the Support Systems for English Language Learners in New York State. [Poster Presentation]
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) 2023 Annual Conference. December 4-6, 2023. Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Hornburg, C. B., Mayes, A. S., McElveen, T. L., Powell, S. R., Melzi, G., Prishker, N., Asad, N., Valdivia, I., Andres-Salgarino M. B., Tran, L. M. Eiland, M. D., Eason, S. H., Schmitt, S. A., Purpura, D. J. (2023, October 1-4). The Development of Storybooks Supporting Elementary Students’ Math Identity, Executive Function, and Word Problem Solving [Poster Presentation]. North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA 45). October 1-4, 2023. Reno, NV, USA.
Prishker, N., Mesalles, V., & Melzi, M. (2023, March 23-25). Early Math Experiences in the Latine Homes: Relations between Math Definitions, Uses, and Language. 2023 SRCD Biennial Meeting. March 23-25, 2023. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
MOST RECENT WORKSHOPS/WEBINARS
Prishker, N. & Melzi, G. (2024, July). Uno, dos, tres: Matemáticas todos podemos hacer. Grail Family Services. July 13, 2024. San Jose, CA.
Prishker, N. (2023, February). Math in the daily activities of a child care provider. 52nd Annual Conference of the National Association for Bilingual Education. February 23-25,2023. Portland, OR.
Recent Grants/Scholarships
2024 CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR. Hesing-Simons Foundation: Uno, dos, tres, matemáticas todos podemos hacer: Elevating the math in the daily routines of home-based childcare settings. Principal Investigator: Gigliana Melzi. New York University. HeisingSimons Foundation.
Undergraduate Level Courses
ED 206 Child Psychology
ED 232 Literature for Children and Adolescents
ED/GLOB 304 Multilingualism: Ideology and Practice
EDEC 301 Curriculum and Instruction, Birth to Grade 2
EDEC 302 Emergent Literacy
Masters Level Courses
At St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, NY
GED 4201 TESOL Foundations
GED 4302 Language Acquisition and Literacy Development, gr K-12
GED 4303 Language Evaluation and Assessment
GED 4304 Content Area Instruction for ELLs