Joseph O. Prewitt Díaz

Once the student achieves in the 30th percentile of the Language Assessment Battery, they are placed in the mainstream classrooms with support

Good things were happening in Bilingual Education.

Joseph Orlando Prewitt Díaz (born November 23, 1943) is a retired psychologist who specialized in psychosocial theory.

He received the APA International Humanitarian Award from American Psychological Association

Prewitt Díaz was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico.

While in the Benjamin Harrison High School in Cayey, P.R. his favorite class was aeronautics and as a result he joined the Civil Air Patrol (1956–1959).

By the age of 15 he had soloed in a Piper Cub.

In 1964 he represented Puerto Rico in the Encampment for Citizenship a summer youth program that encouraged volunteerism and sought to educate its participants about civic responsibility, and participation in government.

Upon his return to Cayey, he joined Rev. Peter L. Pond, a theologist and community organizer and Dr. Samuel Silva Gotay, a liberation theologist in the development of VESPRA "Voluntarios en Servicio a Puerto Rico".

He served as the training coordinator and outward bound instructor

As a child he loved to fly.

He arrived in Hartford, Connecticut on December 26, 1972.

He was invited to work as the In-Service Coordinator for the Teacher Corps program at the University of Hartford under the direction of Dr. Perry Zirkel.

He had received a one-semester leave of absence from the University of Puerto Rico-Cayey; that was extended until August 1973.

To become an In-service Coordinator for these potential teachers two things were necessary: (1) a curriculum that focused on the beginning and evolution of the Puerto Rican community in Hartford, and (2) exposure to professional Puerto Ricans who served as role models for these future teachers.

During a six months period twenty-seven speakers, nine who came from Puerto Rico had the opportunity to interact with administrators, teachers, and other school personnel,

In July 1974, he was hired as the Acting Director of Project MAS, a special compensatory education project for limited English proficient students at Fox Elementary School, Quirk Middle School, and Hartford High School.

In addition he had the additional responsibility of serving as a Bilingual School Psychologist system wide, As my tenure in Project MAS was coming to an end, Mr. Natividad Marques wrote a piece on the work that we had performed during that year.

The World Education Fellowship 1975–1978 allowed him to study language development and cultural adjustment of Puerto Rican children in Connecticut.

As a recipient of a W. K. Kellogg Foundation National Fellowship, he visited Brazil, Argentina and Mexico exploring the role of community health in improving the quality of life of resource-poor communities.

In October 22, 1975 he was appointed as Vice Principal at Bulkeley High School.

By 1979 a team of bilingual teachers we began operating a New arrival's center for recently arrive students ages 15–18.

Prof. Nestor Acevedo was the team leader of the three-person team.

The goal of the program was to mainstream students.

By July 18, 1979, a study on the effectiveness of Bilingual Education for Puerto Rican students was able, through scientific research, to prove that students would achieve at a greater rate in the content areas if their home language were reinforced.

The study discovered that without reinforcement, so-called bilingual students lost their mastery of Spanish and achieved more slowly in both languages.

Dr. Prewitt Diaz was hired as an Assistant Professor in September 1979; he remained at the University for twelve years.

His dream of flying "low and slow" was put on the back burner until 1988 when he rejoined the Pennsylvania Wing.

He resigned on September 15, 1992 with the rank of Associate Professor of Education and School Psychology.

His research interests mirrored the current events reported about Puerto Ricans in the United States in the popular press, and journals.

He began looking at the teaching of the English language to Puerto Rican children, and transitioned into psychometrics and the Puerto Rican child.

Among his work is the translation, linguistic and cultural adaptation of several instruments Two examples are the Coppersmith Self Esteem Inventory translation and use cultural adaptation for Puerto Rican adolescents, and the translation, back translation and an interpretation of the MMPI.

A Woodrow Wilson Hispanic Fellowship resulted in the first draft of a 1994 book entitled The Psychology of Puerto Rican Migration, an ethnographic study.

He served the organization until 2000.

He served as Squadron Commander, Red Cross Liaison, and Legislative Affairs Officer for the Pennsylvania Wing and achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel.

During that period of time he went back to flying and achieved the Aeronautical Rating of Master Observer.

He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the Distinguished Service Medal for his services.

Prewitt Díaz completed his undergraduate studies and graduate studies in psychology and counseling psychology at the University of Puerto Rico.

He completed two additional graduate degrees in the United States: educational psychology at Trinity College, and Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Direction at Neumann College.

He received his PhD degree from the University of Connecticut and pursued Post Doctoral studies at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.