Professor Julie Esparza Brown, left, talks with Alicia Villa, a special education master's degree student, during a summer practicum at Metzger Elementary School in Tigard.
Two College of Education faculty members are being recognized for excellence in research as part of Portland State’s 2026 Research Awards. While their areas of expertise differ, both share a common thread: a career-long dedication to working with students with disabilities, and ensuring access and inclusion for the most underserved students.
Julie Esparza Brown, professor of special education and chair of the Education Licensure department, received PSU's highest honor for senior research faculty: the Presidential Career Research Award. Mary E. Morningstar, professor of special education, was named the college's Researcher of the Year. Both will be celebrated during a campus ceremony on May 8.
Julie Esparza Brown: Presidential Career Research Award
A Visionary for Multilingual Equity
For more than four decades as an educator, Esparza Brown has been driven by a singular mission: ensuring that a student’s heritage language is viewed as an asset, not a deficit. Her career can be defined by her visionary commitment to transforming educational practices and creating more equitable systems for all students.
Julie Esparza Brown
“In her more than 24 years of service to the university, she has been a pioneer and leader in research supporting bilingual teachers, students, and their families,” said Amanda Sanford, a special education professor at PSU. “Her contribution to our department, the College of Education, PSU, and the field of education as a whole is nothing short of outstanding.”
Esparza Brown’s influential work exists at the vital intersection of multilingualism and disability. She has developed instructional systems and tools including the PLUSS Framework, an evidence-based model that has fundamentally changed how teachers distinguish between a student’s natural process of second-language acquisition and a genuine learning disability. This distinction is critical in preventing over-identification of multilingual learners in special education.
Esparza Brown is celebrated for her ability to secure crucial research funding, having brought in nearly $10 million in federal grants during her tenure. This includes Project Lee, a four-year $1.35 million model demonstration grant, and DICE PLUSS, a five-year nearly $3 million personnel preparation grant, to train a new generation of diverse multilingual and inclusive educators to support English learners and improve literacy outcomes.
For Esparza Brown, this work is deeply personal. Her father spent years in an “Americanization school” where children were forced to abandon their native languages and speak only in English. As a result, he said his opportunities in life were limited because he was not fully fluent in English or Spanish.
“I am committed to preparing passionate teachers who ensure that all children, across many languages, cultures and abilities can thrive in our classrooms,” she said.
Colleagues say these funding awards do more than facilitate data collection; they provide full tuition support for underrepresented preservice teachers. By removing financial barriers, Esparza Brown is directly diversifying the workforce of special educators across Oregon.
Esparza Brown’s prolific scholarly output includes co-authoring a best-selling book and numerous briefs that shape federal education policy. Associate Professor Sylvia Linan-Thompson at University of Oregon noted that Brown’s ability to communicate findings through podcasts and implementation guides makes her research "invaluable for individuals living at the intersection of multilingualism and disability."
Rick Tankersley, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate School, echoed these sentiments. “Her pioneering work … has had a profound and lasting impact on classrooms across Oregon and the nation,” he said.
From serving on the Portland Public School Board to advising Governor Kotek’s Early Literacy Preparation Council, Esparza Brown seamlessly blends rigorous scholarship and public advocacy.
Grateful to her special education colleagues who have traveled with her on this journey, Esparza Brown says she’s humbled to receive this award, acknowledging the critical work to improve educational systems.
“I firmly believe it is important to leave your community better than you found it,” she said.
Mary Morningstar: COE Researcher of the Year
Bridging the Gap to Adulthood
Morningstar is focused on what happens when the school bell rings for the final time. Her passion for empowering youth with disabilities to achieve independence as they transition to adulthood has made her a cornerstone of the College of Education. She is recognized for this award based on her transformative impact on transition services and her record of securing federal research funding.
Mary E. Morningstar
A nationally recognized leader in special education, Morningstar’s work focuses on the critical "bridge" between high school and adult life for youth with disabilities — a path that can be notoriously difficult to navigate. And as the director of the Transition Coalition and a co-director of NTACT: The Collaborative, her research moves directly into the hands of educators and practitioners.
"The quality of Mary Morningstar’s research and her leadership is evidenced in her extensive publications and grants,” said Amy Parker, coordinator of PSU’s Orientation and Mobility program.
Parker also noted that Morningstar’s work is uniquely practical and digestible, translating into immediate impact for both students and educators across the country.
Morningstar’s recent PSU portfolio highlights her ability to lead large-scale collaborative projects. She currently serves as the Principal Investigator on a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. The project, Transition Coalition Self-Study Plus (TCSS+), is testing professional development models for secondary educators.
Morningstar is also a key partner on a $20 million grant with the University of Oregon, aimed at enhancing services for youth with disabilities across the region. In her role as co-director of universal technical assistance for this initiative, Morningstar coordinates “knowledge mobilization.” This involves translating complex research into a range of practical toolkits, webinars, and podcasts designed for state agencies, vocational rehabilitation centers, and the general public.
For Morningstar, the goal of this work is radical accessibility. “We think about ensuring resources are available to everyone, from states to local communities and practitioners” she said. “Anyone can access these tools to support the transition from school to adulthood.”
Beyond the data and funding, Morningstar is celebrated for her mentorship and her role as the director of PSU’s Career and Community Studies program (CCS). Started in 2015 through a federal grant associated with Think College, CCS remains the only inclusive, post-secondary education program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state of Oregon.
Peers highlight Morningstar's tireless efforts to connect CCS students to a larger world beyond traditional disability services. "This prestigious honor recognizes Dr. Morningstar’s many recent achievements as an active PSU research faculty member and as an outstanding professor," said Maneka Brooks, dean of the College of Education. "We appreciate the excellence and impact of her research work."
Morningstar says she’s deeply honored to receive the award.
“It means a great deal to have my colleagues acknowledge my research,” Morningstar said. “Supporting educators, families, and students during their transition into the adult world has been the focus of my career—first as a secondary teacher, and now as a researcher.”