Dr. Valentina Hardin is a bilingual educational consultant specializing in Bilingual Education, ESL (English as a Second Language), and LOTE (Languages Other Than English). She has been a professor, researcher, teacher, coach, presenter, and author. 

Her 25+ years of experience in this field include working as a Bilingual/ESL/LOTE Education Specialist at Region 4 Education Service Center, where she conducted training and coaching for bilingual/ESL in-service teachers in school districts. Dr. Hardin has been an Assistant Professor at the University of Houston – Downtown and prepared bilingual/ESL pre-service teachers. Previously, she was a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Houston Main Campus, in charge of developing the initial Intervention Activities Guide for the Tejas LEE Diagnostic. She taught at the elementary level in Bilingual/Dual Language Programs in Houston Independent School District (HISD). As an author and researcher, Dr. Hardin has published curricular materials in Spanish and English and many articles based on her research conducted at the University of Houston. 

Dr. Hardin’s academic background, training, and philosophy have always focused on promoting critical literacy and academic achievement for Emergent Bilinguals (EBs). More specifically, her career interests have involved biliteracy, effective instructional methods for EBs, development of multicultural materials for bilingual children, and teacher training and coaching. These goals continue to drive her present career and professional commitments. 

Dr. Valentina Hardin is one of the senior consultants for Dr. Yacovodonato Educational Consulting LLC.