Robert Buscaglia
Newtown Square
Summary
Innovative educator, global partnership leader, and program developer with more than 30 years of experience in Spanish education, international collaboration, service-learning, and STEM education. Co-founder of an interdisciplinary bilingual STEM Partnership Program connecting students in the United States and Costa Rica through authentic project-based learning. Experienced curriculum designer, robotics mentor, international program coordinator, and former Peace Corps Volunteer committed to developing globally competent, culturally fluent students.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
Spanish Teacher/Co-Director of the STEM Partnership Program
Malvern Preparatory School
Malvern, PA
01.2012 - Current
- Designed and taught proficiency-based Spanish curriculum for students in grades 6–12.
- Integrated authentic communication, global collaboration, and project-based learning into language instruction.
- Co-founded and co-direct the interdisciplinary STEM Partnership Program, which is a bilingual (English/Spanish) academic and outreach program to strives to expand access to STEM opportunities through bilingual collaboration, engineering design, robotics, sustainability initiatives, and local, regional, and international partnerships.
- Mentor for FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1168, supporting student engineering, programming, outreach, and leadership.
Spanish Teacher
West Chester East High School
West Chester, PA
09.2011 - 06.2012
- Taught high school Spanish honors courses.
Spanish Teacher
Moorestown Friends School
Moorestown, NJ
01.2004 - 01.2011
- Designed and taught middle and upper school Spanish courses using proficiency-based instruction and authentic, communication-focused learning experiences.
- Presented at two Apple Education Conferences and one NAIS Annual Conference on innovative uses of iPod technology to enhance language acquisition and student communication proficiency.
- Designed and led an international service-learning experience in Nicaragua, where students conducted a case study examining barriers to educational access in rural communities.
- Led a service-learning program in Tanzania investigating the relationship between international debt, economic development, and access to education.
- Co-developed and co-taught an interdisciplinary elective exploring the impact of debt, poverty, and globalization on development in Tanzania.
Executive Director/Founder
Ayudanica Service-Learning Organization
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
01.1997 - 01.2009
- Founded nonprofit providing educational opportunities in rural Nicaragua.
- Developed service-learning curriculum for high school students.
- Led annual international immersion programs.
- Managed fundraising, grants, strategic planning, communications, budgeting, and partnerships.
- Supervised staff in Nicaragua.
- Built sustainable educational partnerships with local communities.
- Ayudanica (501(c)(3))
Adjunct Instructor, Seminar 100: Culture and Identity
Cabrini College
Radnor, Pennsylvania
01.2006 - 01.2008
- Taught a writing-intensive first-year seminar within the English and Communications Department, guiding students in developing college-level writing, critical thinking, and discussion skills.
- Designed and facilitated interdisciplinary learning experiences exploring the relationship between culture, culture, and the ways individuals construct meaning within diverse societies.
- Led students in examining cultural values, assumptions, and perspectives through discussion, reflective writing, and analytical inquiry.
- Fostered an inclusive classroom environment that encouraged students to engage thoughtfully with issues of identity, diversity, and intercultural understanding.
Spanish Teacher, Foreign Language Department Chair
Holy Ghost Preparatory School
Bensalem, Pennsylvania
01.1997 - 01.2001
- Designed and taught Spanish courses at all levels (Spanish I–IV and AP Spanish), emphasizing communicative proficiency and cultural competence.
- Developed and facilitated interdisciplinary, full-day educational workshops exploring Latin American history, culture, and the social and economic impacts of globalization.
- Founded and directed an international service-learning partnership connecting students with a rural community in northwest Nicaragua to address educational needs through sustained collaboration and cultural exchange.
- Established the foundation for what later became Ayudanica, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding educational opportunities in rural Nicaragua.
- Led the Foreign Language Department, supporting curriculum planning, faculty collaboration, and program development as Department Chair.
Education
Master of Education - secondary education
La Salle University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania01-2010
Language and Culture Training
United States Peace Corps
Honduras12-1993
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Shippensburg University
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania01-1989
Skills
- Bilingual: Spanish Fluency
- Spanish Language Instruction
- Curriculum Design
- Project-Based Learning
- STEM Education
- International Partnerships
- Service Learning
- Global Education
- Educational Leadership
- Teacher Collaboration
- Program Development
- Cross-Cultural Communication
Timeline
Spanish Teacher/Co-Director of the STEM Partnership Program
Malvern Preparatory School
01.2012 - Current
Spanish Teacher
West Chester East High School
09.2011 - 06.2012
Adjunct Instructor, Seminar 100: Culture and Identity
Cabrini College
01.2006 - 01.2008
Spanish Teacher
Moorestown Friends School
01.2004 - 01.2011
Executive Director/Founder
Ayudanica Service-Learning Organization
01.1997 - 01.2009
Spanish Teacher, Foreign Language Department Chair
Holy Ghost Preparatory School
01.1997 - 01.2001
Language and Culture Training
United States Peace Corps
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Shippensburg University
Master of Education - secondary education
La Salle University