Sarai Coba-Rodriguez, PhD, CFLE
Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
Pronouns: She, Her, Hers
Contact
Building & Room:
1242 ETMSW
Address:
1040 W. Harrison St. (M/C 147), Chicago, IL 60607
Office Phone:
Email:
Related Sites:
About
Dr. Sarai Coba-Rodriguez's research focuses on school readiness and family involvement among low-income Latino and African-American families and preschool teachers, including their beliefs and practices that promote young children’s successful transition to kindergarten. Challenging notions of dysfunction and deficit, she uses a family resilience approach that emphasizes families’ strengths and cultural resources, as well as families’ agency in promoting their children’s education. Through the use of qualitative research methods (i.e., in-depth interviewing, photo elicitation interviewing, participant observation, and naturalistic observation), Dr. Coba-Rodriguez aims to present a more complex, dynamic, and resilient picture of low-income, racially-diverse families with young children.
Courses Taught
- Child Development in Contemporary Society (EPSY 255)
- Family Diversity and Film: A Resilience Framework (EPSY 424)
- Special Topics: [Ethnography of] Ethnic-Racial Families, Neighborhoods, and School Readiness (EPSY 594)
Selected Publications
*= graduate student
Coba-Rodriguez, S, & Jarrett, R.L. (2019) “Family Literacy.” Macmillan Encyclopedia of Families, Marriages, and Intimate Relationships, edited by James J. Ponzetti, Jr., vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, pp. 312-314.
Jarrett, R. L., & Coba-Rodriguez, S. (2019). “We ‘Gonna Get on the Same Page: “School readiness perspectives from preschool teachers, kindergarten teachers, and low-income, African American mothers of preschoolers. The Journal of Negro Education, 88(1), 17-31. doi: 10.7709/jnegroeducation.88.1.0017
Jarrett, R. L., & Coba-Rodriguez, S (2019). ‘”Whatever I can imagine, we did It:’ Home-based parental involvement among low-income, African American mothers with preschoolers enrolled in Head Start” Journal of Research in Childhood Education, X(X), 1-20. doi: 10.1080/02568543.2019.1642970
Jarrett, R. L., & Coba-Rodriguez, S. (2018). “If you have a kid that’s ready to learn:” The kindergarten transition experiences of urban, low-income, African American preschoolers. Journal of Poverty. doi: 10.1080/10875549.2018.1555729
Jarrett, R. L., & Coba- Rodriguez, S. (2018). “People and places:” The value qualitative research has for studying African-American families and urban neighborhoods. SAGE Research Methods Cases. doi:10.4135/9781526427410
Villegas*, E., Coba-Rodriguez, S., Wiley, A.R. (2018)1. Continued barriers affecting Hispanic families’ Dietary patterns. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 46(4), 363-380. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12262
Jarrett, R. L., & Coba-Rodriguez, S. (2017). How African American mothers from urban, low-income backgrounds support their children’s kindergarten transition: Qualitative findings. Journal of Early Childhood Education. 1-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0868-4
Jarrett, R. L., & Coba- Rodriguez, S. (2017). “We keep the education goin’ at home all the time:” Family literacy practices in low- income African American families of preschoolers. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 22(2), 57 -76. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2017.1295861
Jarrett, R. L., Hamilton, M. B., & Coba-Rodriguez, S. (2015). “So we could all pitch in:” The family literacy practices of low-income African American mothers of preschoolers. Journal of Communication Disorders, 57, 81-93. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2015.07.003
Jarrett, R. L., & Coba- Rodriguez, S. (2015). “My mother didn’t play about education”: Low- income, African American mothers’ early school experiences and their impact on school involvement for preschoolers transitioning to kindergarten. The Journal of Negro Education,84(3),457-472. doi:10.7709/jnegroeducation.84.3.0457
Brooks, D.J, & Coba- Rodriguez, S. (2015). Families in South Africa: The legacy of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. National Council on Family Relations Report Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.ncfr.org/ncfr-report/focus/family-focus-conflict-violence-and-war/families-south-africa-legacy- truth-and-reco
Professional Leadership
Ethnic Minorities Section Students and New Professionals Representative, National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)
Education
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Human Development and Family Studies
M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Human and Community Development
B.A., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sociology
Licensures and Certifications
Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE)
Professional Memberships
National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)
Illinois Council on Family Relations (ILCFR)
American Sociological Association (ASA)
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
National Head Start Association
Research Currently in Progress
Diverse Families and School Readiness Lab
Director: Sarai Coba-Rodriguez, Ph.D., CFLE
Description: The Diverse Families and School Readiness Lab examines how various environmental contexts (home, schools, neighborhoods) facilitate low-income and racially-linguistically diverse preschoolers transition to kindergarten. Diverse qualitative methodologies are used with the goal of better understanding of how families, early childhood educators, and preschoolers experience this critical milestone. Research conducted in this lab aims to enhance home-school collaborations.
Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits
Podcast - Illinois Learning Project
Diverse Families and the Transition to Kindergarten
https://illinoisearlylearning.org/podcasts/diverse-transition/
Part of the training and technical assistance for the Preschool for All and Prevention Initiative funding for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).