Although retired, Professor García continues to collaborate with teachers and schools and conduct and publish research on k-8 students’ literacy development, instruction, and assessment with a specific focus on bilingual students. Current highlights of her career include being inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame in December 2019, and working with WestEd on the revision of the NAEP Reading Framework for 2025. She currently is co-authoring a book with Dr. Kay Stahl on the reading comprehension instruction of students in grades 3-5. Previously, they co-authored a book on the reading comprehension instruction of preK-grade 2 students. Past highlights include conducting research on the literacy development, instruction, and assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse students at the Center for the Study of Reading; serving as Associate Editor for the American Educational Research Journal; receiving over $3.75 million in federal grants to conduct research and train bilingual teachers and leaders in teacher education and research; providing expert testimony to the U.S. Senate Staff Committee on Education about bilingual children’s reading; and serving on the RAND Reading Study Group on Skillful Reading, the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth, and the English Language Learner Senior Advisory Team for Educational Testing Service. Since retiring, Professor García has been involved in the establishment and operation of a 90-10 Dual Language Program (Spanish-English) in the Urbana School District and a 50-50 Dual Language Program (Spanish-English) in the Champaign School District.

Professor García’s research focuses on the literacy development, instruction and assessment of students (preschool-grade 8) from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, with a specific focus on bilingual students. Between 1988-2013, she published 3 books, 27 book chapters, and 25 peer-reviewed journal articles. Since her retirement in 2013, she has published 1 book, 6 book chapters, and 7 peer reviewed journal articles.Two additional journal articles are under review. Highly cited journal articles include an article on the literacy assessment of Spanish-speaking bilingual students (García, 1991); an article on assessment and diversity (García & Pearson, 1994); two articles on the reading strategies of bilingual (Spanish-English) students) (Jiménez, García, & Pearson, 1995, 1996); and an article on the translanguaging reading practices of bilingual fourth graders (García & Godina, 2017). Key book chapters include a chapter on bilingual children’s reading published in the Handbook of Reading Research; a chapter on the reading comprehension and instruction of English learners in a co-edited book by Anne Sweet and Catherine Snow; and two chapters on the language and literacy assessment of language minority students commissioned by the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth.

While at the University of Illinois, Professor García taught courses in literacy, bilingual education, ESL education, and qualitative research methods. She graduated 20 Ph.D. students and 2 Ed.D. students. She also worked with over 57 M.Ed or Master's Certification students. Professor García currently is serving on two other doctoral students' dissertation committees. Three of her former students are full professors at Vanderbilt University, the University of South Carolina, and Illinois State University. Post retirement, Professor García continues to teach through professional staff development opportunities nationwide and in local schools.