In this episode of Highest Aspirations, Sandra sits down with Rocío Figueroa, Senior Instructional Content Manager at Ellevation, to explore how personalized professional development can transform teaching and learning for English learners. Drawing from her diverse experiences as a teacher, instructional coach, administrator, and consultant, Rocío shares practical strategies for tailoring professional learning to meet the unique needs of educators across content areas and grade levels. They discuss the power of data-driven approaches to PD, the value of leveraging internal expertise within schools, and the importance of building collaborative teacher communities. As a speaker at Ellevation’s upcoming IMPACT Conference, Rocío offers a preview of her session, which focuses on creating actionable and meaningful learning opportunities that empower educators to better support their multilingual students. ⁠Resister for IMPACT Conference 2024 ⁠ For additional episode and community resources: Download the ⁠transcript here⁠. For additional free resources geared toward supporting English learners,⁠ ⁠visit our blog⁠  To expand your connection within the Ellevation community by join our⁠ ⁠Ellevation Educator Facebook Group⁠.

The IMPACT Conference was born out of a desire to bring educators together during a time of unprecedented isolation and challenge. In this episode of Highest Aspirations, Ben McNelly and Steve Sofronas join us to reflect on the journey of the conference—from its inception during the height of the pandemic to its evolution into a dynamic virtual event that continues to serve educators nationwide. They share insights into how the conference has grown to support English learners, the importance of fostering community among educators, and the ongoing commitment to making professional development accessible for all. As we look ahead to this year’s conference, Ben and Steve discuss how the theme of “Paving the way: Strengthening spaces where EL students can thrive” aligns with Ellevation’s mission to create spaces where multilingual students can succeed. Resister for IMPACT Conference 2024 For additional episode and community resources: Download the transcript here. For additional free resources geared toward supporting English learners, ⁠visit our blog  To expand your connection within the Ellevation community by join our ⁠Ellevation Educator Facebook Group.

Welcome to Highest Aspirations, a podcast dedicated to empowering educators with insights and strategies to support multilingual learners in reaching their fullest potential. In this episode, we’re joined by Cheyen Herseth, an Elementary Multilingual Learning TOSA in Washington State and a WIDA Fellow, who has been instrumental in her district’s transition to the WIDA Framework. Cheyen discusses her experiences leading this shift and how the WIDA Framework and Critical Data Process have reshaped her approach to supporting dually identified multilingual learners. She shares her perspective on navigating the complexities of implementing new frameworks while ensuring that students' diverse backgrounds and needs are honored. Through her expertise, Cheyen provides valuable guidance on creating structured yet adaptable systems for multilingual learners, advocating for holistic assessment practices, and fostering collaborative networks that support students, families, and educators alike. For additional episode and community resources: Download the transcript here. To learn more about the author of the Critical Data Process at SteveGillell.com. For additional free resources geared toward supporting English learners, ⁠visit our blog. To expand your connection within the Ellevation community by join our ⁠Ellevation Educator Facebook Group.

Welcome to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. In this episode, we are joined by Yolanda Rios and Roxanne Rodriguez, leaders at Ellevation Education and co-leads of the SOMOS Employee Resource Group. Yolanda and Roxanne share how their Latinx heritage has shaped their leadership styles and how they’ve used their cultural roots to foster a strong sense of community at Ellevation. We explore the importance of employee resource groups in creating spaces of belonging and how family values can influence leadership in the workplace. Through their experiences, Yolanda and Roxanne offer valuable insights on embracing cultural identity at work, building inclusive teams, and paving the way for future leaders by honoring their heritage. Click here to download the⁠ ⁠⁠full episode transcript⁠⁠⁠. To find more podcast episodes and show notes/key takeaways, ⁠⁠⁠⁠visit our podcast resource page.⁠⁠⁠⁠ For additional free resources geared toward supporting English learners, ⁠⁠⁠⁠visit our blog.⁠⁠⁠ To expand your connection within the Ellevation community by join our⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ellevation Educator Facebook Group.⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Juana Bordas, author of The Power of Latino Leadership – Ahora! and Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age. Dr. Bordas discusses the vital role family and cultural connections play in shaping leadership within the Latino community. We explore how preserving cultural identity can empower the next generation of leaders, and Dr. Bordas shares key insights on cultural pride, education, and intergenerational leadership. As a pioneer in leadership development and a lifelong advocate for advancing the Latino community, Dr. Bordas offers inspiration and actionable strategies for building future leaders who are deeply connected to their heritage. Click here to download the⁠ ⁠full episode transcript⁠⁠. To find more podcast episodes and show notes/key takeaways, ⁠⁠⁠visit our podcast resource page.⁠⁠⁠ For additional free resources geared toward supporting English learners, ⁠⁠⁠visit our blog.⁠⁠ To expand your connection within the Ellevation community by join our⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Ellevation Educator Facebook Group.⁠⁠ To learn more about Dr. Juana Bordas’ work ⁠click here⁠. 

Welcome to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. We have a very special guest with us today, the co-founder of CoolSpeak, Ernesto Mejia. Mejia is the proud son of Mexican immigrants, and a true example of the American dream. Diagnosed with the rare disease of Guillain-Barré (ghee-yan bar-ray) Syndrome at the age of 16 that left him temporarily paralyzed, he was not supposed to be a successful student, much less a College Dean of Students. But through his hardships, Mejia learned to never give up on life. He now speaks to students, parents and teachers about overcoming obstacles and never giving up on the American dream of education.  In this episode, we cover the meaning and importance of youth empowerment, the work of his company CoolSpeak, and how we can align programs and speakers we bring into a district with the needs of the audience and goals of the school. Click here to download the ⁠full episode transcript ⁠. To find more podcast episodes and show notes/key takeaways, ⁠⁠visit our podcast resource page.⁠⁠ For additional free resources geared toward supporting English learners, ⁠⁠visit our blog.⁠ To expand your connection within the Ellevation community by join our⁠ ⁠⁠Ellevation Educator Facebook Group.⁠ To learn more about Mejia’s work with CoolSpeak click here. 

Welcome to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. We have a very special guest with us today, Dr. Rebecca Palacios. This episode is dedicated to all of our educators who are in back-to-school mode and I could think of no one better to get us talking about parent engagement and early childhood education than Dr. Rebecca Palacios.  Dr. Palacios is a National Board Certified Teacher, and leading expert in early childhood education. With over five decades of experience, she is a pioneer in the field of dual language learning and specializes in curriculum planning and instructional design. In addition to being a founding director of The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and formerly serving as its vice-chairperson, she is also a co-founder of the Texas National Board Coalition for Teaching and serves as its Treasurer. And she also serves as a Curriculum Board Member for Age of Learning, the leading education technology company that created ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy. For full episode resources and links, find the episode recap post on our podcast page. To download the full episode transcript click here To find more podcast episodes and show notes/key takeaways, ⁠visit our podcast resource page.⁠ For additional free resources geared toward supporting English learners, ⁠visit our blog. To expand your connection within the Ellevation community by join our⁠ ⁠Ellevation Educator Facebook Group.⁠

Welcome back to Season 13 of Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. In this episode, Steve and Sandra will be sharing the mic as they talk about change, why it can be intimidating to some and motivating to others, and what’s next for both of us moving forward. They discuss what we can do to mitigate the emotions change can cause, how organizational culture impacts change management - or "change readiness", and how change can be used as a catalyst for personal and professional growth.  To download the full episode transcript, click here. To find more podcast episodes and show notes/key takeaways, visit our podcast resource page. For additional free resources geared toward supporting English learners, visit our blog. To expand your connection within the Ellevation community by join our Ellevation Educator Facebook Group. Enjoy the episode and the chance to learn more about the new podcast host, Sandra Medrano-Arroyo! Thank you Steve for 12 amazing seasons as host. Sandra is bilingual and bicultural, with over 25 years in education supporting ELs. Since joining Ellevation, she has created dual language content and professional learning modules. Now, as the National Director of Multilingual Learner Success, she advocates across the country. Sandra enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, gardening, and family time. Fun fact: She learned Italian cooking from a Sicilian Nonna and always secretly hoped to host her own cooking show!

We made it to the last episode of Season 12 - and I couldn’t be happier with our guest and the topics we covered. Dr. Sonia Soltero has been a contributor and collaborator in our community since the very beginning. She is currently working with Chicago Public Schools to help support newcomers, so we are excited to bring her on again to share the experience with others. We cover a lot of ground in our conversation, focusing on… Why educators need additional support and training to address the SEL needs of their newcomer and migrant students A framework educators can follow to ensure they are addressing the variety of students’ needs in their instruction? How we can leverage partnerships with universities and colleges to better prepare educators to work with multilingual learners …and much more Dr. Soltero is Professor and Chair of the Department of Leadership, Language, and Curriculum, and former Director of the Bilingual-Bicultural Education Graduate Program at DePaul University in Chicago. Soltero has numerous publications on bilingual education, English Learners, and Latino Education having been involved with dual/bilingual education for more than thirty years as a dual language teacher, university professor, professional developer, and researcher. Soltero has an extensive background in design and implementation of dual language and bilingual programs and has worked with school districts as well as bilingual universities across the US.

Welcome back to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. In this episode, our interview is conducted by Sandra Medrano-Arroya, Ellevation’s National Director of Multilingual Learner Success, who speaks with Sofía Núñez of Empower the Voice. They leverage their vast collective experience as multilingual learner professionals to provide valuable insights on:  Partnering with families of our English learners to close learning gaps in the classroom and creating more inclusive environments by bridging the language and culture gap They also lay out three specific focus areas for fostering parent engagement and advocacy Sofía Núñez is an energetic, committed education leader, public speaker and consultant. She is the founder and CEO of Empower the Voice, a non-profit focusing on increasing opportunities for Hispanic students through empowering families to participate in leadership, language acquisition and the transition to college and career. With over 12 years of experience in education, Núñez served school districts in multiple capacities. Her passion to support and empower families is evident in the programs she has directed, including parent workshops, English as a Second Language classes for adults, citizenship preparation, GED (Education  & computer literacy programs for families, and the creation of parent advisory committees, amongst others. She believes in the power of building dual-capacity and provides professional development for teachers, helping them implement transformative family engagement practices. Click here to download the full episode ⁠transcript⁠ and visit our ⁠EL Community page⁠ for more resources.

Welcome back to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. In this episode, we zoom out some to talk about what happens after multilingual learners and other students from marginalized communities leave K-12 schools and what we can do to ensure they are equipped to rewatch their highest aspirations. Our guest David Nungaray and I talk about… What the data says about economic and social mobility of students from historically marginalized communities How we can help improve outcomes and long-term trajectories of students from historically marginalized communities, including multilingual learners And how we can we leverage the linguistic and cultural assets MLs bring to better our communities while simultaneously working to close wealth gaps For the full episode transcript, click here. For additional resources and to find information about the 2024 Ellevation Scholarship that is now open, visit our EL Community blog. David Nungaray is the Bilingual Consulting Partner at TNTP. Currently, David oversees partnerships in Alaska, California, Nevada, and Texas. He also supports TNTP’s multilingual strategy across the country. David has led teams focused on partnering with districts through strategic planning, (bi)literacy visioning and implementation, dual language supports, stakeholder and family engagement, high-impact tutoring, learning acceleration, and state-wide high-quality instructional materials adoption. Prior to his time at TNTP, David served as the principal of one of the flagship dual language schools in San Antonio ISD. He first began his career as a dual language teacher and has led work in bilingual education for over a decade. As a son of immigrants, native Spanish speaker, and a first-generation college graduate, David is passionate about educational equity and to ensuring school systems best meet the needs of all learners. David is also an alum of Teach For America. He serves on multiple non-profit boards focused on education, and he holds his Masters in School Leadership from Trinity University, where he has served as an adjunct professor in multilingual education, school leadership, and special education. He also recently co-authored a chapter in "Breaking Down the Monolingual Wall" that speaks to essential shifts needed in leadership to support multilingual learners. 

In this week's episode, we're looking closely at teaching and learning academic language with our friends Diane Staehr Fenner and Sydney Snyder. We discuss the need to bring in sociocultural context and background knowledge that our students bring with them. We also get into how we can avoid taking a one-size-fits-all approach and personalize learning to accelerate learning. Of course, Diane and Sydney also share some simple and effective strategies from their book Unlocking Multilingual Learners' Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible and Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity. that you can use right away. You can download the full episode transcript here, and visit our EL Community blog for additional free resources on EL education. Diane Staehr Fenner, Ph.D., is the author of eight books on multilingual learner education, including the co-author of Unlocking Multilingual Learners' Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible and Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity (2nd ed.). She is a former ELD teacher and the founder and president of SupportEd, a woman-owned small business that provides professional development, technical assistance, and curriculum support to empower MLs and their educators. You can reach her at [email protected] or on social media at @DStaehrFenner. Sydney Snyder, Ph.D., is the co-author of Unlocking Multilingual Learners' Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible and Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity. She is a Principal Associate at SupportEd. In this role, she provides professional development, coaching, and technical assistance to educators framed around advocacy and educational equity for multilingual learners and their families. You can connect with her at [email protected] or on X at @SydneySupportEd.

What are the primary challenges EL families are facing in their communities and how can programs like FLI address them? How did COVID and other recent challenges in the education world impact absenteeism for students, and how can those issues be repaired? How can we support parents and families to address trauma they have experienced in order to improve their relationships with and outcomes for their children? We discuss these family engagement focused topics and more on this episode of Highest Aspirations featuring Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch and the work her team does through her Family Leadership Institute (FLI). Born and raised in a small, borderside barrio of Laredo, Texas, Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch conquered the challenges of poverty, discrimination and illiteracy. Raised without material wealth, Consuelo learned from her immigrant parents that their wealth was in culture, tradition, values, and faith. The values Consuelo learned as a child were reinforced throughout her career in the United States military. After graduating from Hardin Simmons University, Consuelo entered the U.S. Army as an officer and served for two decades. During that time, she broke barriers and set records when she became the highest-ranking Mexican-American woman in the Combat Support Field of the U.S. Army. When selected to assume a command post, Consuelo disrupted her advancement by deciding to retire. She chose instead to honor her mother’s dying wish – for her to return to her roots and become a community leader. In 1996, Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch founded the human development company, Educational Achievement Services, Inc. (EAS, Inc.), to fulfill her mission of preparing tomorrow’s leaders through grassroots leadership development. Consuelo Kickbusch affirms that her greatest achievement stems from motherhood. She loves spending time with her husband, five daughters and six grandchildren.

On this episode of Highest Aspirations, we explore the importance of building personalized professional learning opportunities that provide educators with opportunities to continuously reflect on their work. Our guests Shélynn (Shey) Riel and Anna Ciriani-Dean provide simple frameworks within an experiential learning cycle designed to improve instruction and reframe negative self-criticism into more constructive, actionable feedback.  Shey and Anna produce and host the Teacher The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast to create a reflective listening experience for teachers of the English language and to build a community of educators around the world who unite behind a shared fervor for teaching and learning. Shélynn (Shey) Riel holds a Master of Education in TESOL and over fifteen years of experience in education. Alongside her work as co-host of The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, Shey works with Bridge Education as the Expert Series Webinar Moderator, facilitating live monthly webinars that bring together ELT experts to share insights and perspectives on the latest industry trends. Shey has held positions of leadership in curriculum development and program administration at universities and non-profits in the U.S., served as a facilitator for various digital exchanges for global English teachers, and delivered professional development to teachers on the ground in Argentina and Bangladesh. She adopts a holistic approach to education, emphasizing balanced environments for learning and reflection. Beyond the podcast, Anna works as a Learning & Development Coordinator for English Language Programs, a program of the U.S. Department of State, where she develops orientations and professional development courses on specialized topics in English language teaching for participants in teaching exchange programs worldwide. She holds an M.A. in Applied Linguistics and has worked within the field of English language education, abroad and in the U.S., for over 12 years as a teacher, assessment specialist, curriculum designer, program manager, and instructional designer. Her goal as an educator is to empower learners by giving them agency in their learning process and providing them with the tools they need to excel in their academic, professional, and personal lives. For episode resources and more, visit our EL Community blog. Download the full episode transcript here.

On this episode of Highest Aspirations, we take a deep dive into how professional learning can help create and nurture the skillsets and the mindsets educators need to best serve multilingual learners. We challenge the often idealized assumption that “every teacher is a teacher of language” and explore ways to make that a reality rather than a desired state. We also talk about how effective leadership be used as a means to overcome issues teachers are facing like fatigue, burnout, and working in silos. Finally, we highlight some ways schools can leverage partnerships within the community to navigate teacher shortages and build their diverse educator pipeline. To help us address some of these complicated topics, we brought in Dr. Sarah Schmidt de Carranza. Sarah has been has been an educator in Saint Paul Public Schools since 2003. She achieved National Board Certification in Teaching English as a New Language in 2009, and successfully re-certified in 2019. She joined the Saint Paul Public Schools Office of Multilingual Learning as a supervising administrator in 2019, and has served as the Executive Director of the Office of Multilingual Learning since 2021.  For additional free resources, episode takeaways, and more, visit ⁠our blog.⁠ Download the ⁠full episode transcript here.

What is cultural linguistic responsiveness and what does this look like in action in the classroom? What are some of the biggest challenges facing the school system in becoming more culturally responsive, and what are some steps to take to address them? How can professional development be an effective lever in improving cultural responsiveness in a lasting, sustained way? We answer these questions and more in this interview with Dr. Sharroky Hollie. Dr. Hollie Dr. Sharroky Hollie is a national educator who provides professional development to thousands of educators in the area of cultural responsiveness. Since 2000, Dr. Hollie has trained over 150,000 educators and worked in nearly 2,000 classrooms. In addition to his experience in education, he has authored several texts and journal articles. Most recently, he wrote Strategies for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning (2015). For additional free resources, episode takeaways, and more, visit our blog. Download the full episode transcript here.

What are cross-linguistic connections, and how can they be used to develop metalinguistic awareness? How can pulling in both English and home languages during instruction actually accelerate learning, among other benefits? How can this holistic approach to language learning lead to biliteracy? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Sandra Mercuri, who we met last fall at the La Cosecha conference in New Mexico. Dr. Mercuri is a nationally recognized Educational Consultant in the area of second language acquisition, dual language education, and curriculum integration for biliteracy development. She has over 28 years of experience in teaching in K-12 schools and at the university level in Argentina and the United States.  She is currently working on research on the development of academic language across the content areas, language transfer, and the effect of long-term professional development on bilingual and ESL teachers’ instructional practices. For more episode resources and additional free content on supporting multilingual learners, visit our EL Community blog. Download the full episode transcript here.

In this shortened final episode before holiday break, we're sharing out a few highlights from the season and what's to come when we get back. As always, thanks for listening, we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season and will be back with new episodes January 16th, 2024! Visit https://ellevationeducation.com/el-community for more free content and resources.

In this episode of Highest Aspirations, we're discussing dual language programs: what key features make them successful, how we make them more equitable, the steps we can take to further progress in the dual language movement, and much more. For this conversation, we're interviewing Conor Williams, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, where he writes about education, immigration, early education, school choice, and work-life balance challenges for American families. He is an expert on American educational inequity, English learner students, dual immersion programs, urban education reform, and the history of progressivism. He was previously a senior researcher in New America’s Education Policy Program, a senior researcher in its Early Education Initiative, and the founding director of its Dual Language Learners National Work Group. He has taught postsecondary courses at Georgetown University, George Washington University, and American University. He is a member of the Children’s Equity Project and the National Conference of State Legislatures’ State Policy and Research for Early Education (SPREE) Working Group. Williams is a regular columnist at the 74 Million. His work has also been published by the New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Washington Post, The New Republic, Dissent, Commonweal, The Daily Beast, Vox, Talking Points Memo, and elsewhere. Williams holds a PhD and MA in government from Georgetown University, an MS in teaching from Pace University, and a BA in government and Spanish from Bowdoin College. Before beginning his doctoral research, he taught first grade in Brooklyn, New York. Williams attended public schools for his K–12 education, and has two children enrolled in a public elementary school in Washington, D.C. We hope you enjoy the conversation - and invite you to find additional episode takeaways and resources on our EL blog. You can download the full episode transcript here and access the report referenced throughout the interview here.

Welcome back to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. In our last episode, we spoke with Dr. Joanna Dreby and Dr. Eric Macias about the work they are doing facilitate meaningful discussions among undergraduate students on immigration at the University of Albany and how some of the strategies they use might work in K-12 settings.  In this episode, I spoke with one of their students about how the experience impacted her and shifted her academic trajectory.  Falmari Rojas-Barrios is a graduate student who worked with Dr. Derby and Dr. Macias. She joins us to share a student perspective on how access (and lack thereof) to EL services impacted her K-12 experience, the challenges she and many young people with immigrant parents face in sharing their migration experiences, and some recommendations for how schools can better support the many students who share her experience.  We will be featuring Dr. Joanna Dreby and Falmari Rojas-Barrios during our 4th annual IMPACT conference. This is a free, virtual event that takes place on December 4th, 5th, and 7th. You can find more information and register by visiting our EL Community at www.ellevationeducation.com/elcommunity. 

We have a repeat guest on Highest Aspirations today. I first talked with Dr. Joanna Dreby and some of her students back in March of 2022. We discussed the challenges that US-born children of immigrants face in school, family, and social environments. The two episodes we did were really eye-opening for me and many of our listeners. Joanna and one of the students we profiled in the series - Falmari Rojas-Barrios - will be joining us at our upcoming IMPACT conference to talk more about this topic, but we also decided to put this episode together around some of the other work Joanna and her team are doing at the University of Albany. Dr. Eric Macias has been an integral part of this work, and he joins us in this interview to make connections between what they are doing with undergraduate students and how we might be able to apply their learnings to K-12 settings as well.  We dig into an impactful independent study experience they designed at the University of Albany to facilitate meaningful discussions among undergraduate students on immigration, the strategies they used to create a conducive environment for sharing personal migration stories, how K-12 educators can create inclusive and supportive environments for students to share their immigration experiences, and much more.  As always, thanks for listening to Highest Aspirations and please enjoy our conversation with Dr. Joanna Dreby and Dr. Eric Macias.  , and visit our EL Community blog for additional episode takeaways and a library of free resources for educators of multilingual learners.

How has a misinterpretation of “self-care” led to burnout in the education field? How can heightened emotional intelligence improve our ability to understand and manage our emotions, particularly when advocating for our MLLs? What are some improvements or changes we can call for in the educational ecosystem to provide better, meaningful emotional support for educators? Dorina Sackman-Ebuwa in an honest, vulnerable, and sometimes emotional conversation about how a misinterpretation of “self-care” has led to burnout in the education field, how heightened emotional intelligence improves our ability to understand and manage our emotions, particularly when advocating for our MLLs, and some improvements we can call for to provide better, more meaningful emotional support for educators.  Dr. Dorina Sackman-Ebuwa is known as The Lab Coat Teacher and affectionately “Miss Dorito” by her students and colleagues from around the world. A Top 4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year and Florida Teacher of the Year, polyglot Dorina takes her 26-year ELL/Bilingual/ELSVA classroom experiences and doctoral research on Transformative Emotional Intelligence and travels the globe inspiring, motivating, empowering, and elevating educators with professional and personal learning that starts from within. From trainings from the heart using her YouTube Channel BELIEVE_Café, to her authentic and humorous real talk “Keyshops” on reflequity® through Emotional Intelligence, Dorina Sackman-Ebuwa encourages all to B.E.L.I.E.V.E.! ® - Be the Educators who Lead to Inspire and Empower Via Empathy! When not wearing the many hats of an educator, Dorina dons a Stetson and works on her “Franch”, tending to her beloved special needs rescue cows, goats, chickens, ponies, mini donkeys, and barn cat named “Cool Ranch”. Find Miss Dorito on twitter @Dorina_BELIEVE or visit www.dorinasackman.com

How can we determine the difference between pushing our language learners to productive struggle vs. past their frustration point? What can educators do to intentionally address or decrease the impact that our own implicit bias may have on our expectations for our students? How can we support students, particularly multilingual learners, in un-learning low self-esteem or self-confidence for their own learning abilities? We address these questions and more with Amy King and Yvonne Williams from WCEPS, who each have over 20 years of experience in multilingual education in a variety of roles. They specialize in providing highly effective professional learning opportunities to help educators best serve their multilingual learners. Download the full episode transcript here and find additional episode resources and takeaways on our EL Community blog. Finally visit our EL Community Facebook page where you’ll find valuable tips from others as well as the connections you need to help you grow professionally. There is also a thread dedicated to this particular episode. Yvonne is the Director of Multilingual Learner Educator Engagement at WCEPS.  She collaborates closely with LEAs to discuss educator goals and needs to develop the best path to topics that align with those goals. Prior to WCEPS, she spent three years with WIDA, as a Professional Learning Specialist working in both international and domestic settings. She has worked in education for 25+ years, teaching a variety of language learners from grades Kinder to High School. She also worked as a District ELL Trainer, ELL Instructional Coach, Family Literacy Coordinator, and High School Parent Involvement Coordinator. Yvonne was born in Chihuahua Chihuahua Mexico and came to the US when she was 5. Her experience as an English language learner adds passion to her work. She is joined by her two sisters as first-generation graduates with a master's degree. Her journey as an EL student has provided her with insights that promote high expectations, recognizing potential and leveraging the cultural assets that bilingual students bring to school communities. She now lives in Washington State with her husband but lived in Las Vegas, Nevada for over 23 years prior to moving to Washington. Her two bi-racial sons are proud to hold bachelor's degrees and live in Nevada and Washington states. She believes in family first and values the value that public education can provide for all students. She earned her bachelor’s in business administration from Angelo State University in Texas and her Master's in Bilingual Education from NOVA Southeastern University, Florida. Her endorsements include TESL, Bilingual, and Computer Literacy. Amy King has more than 20 years of experience in the field of English language teaching and learning both in the US and overseas. Before joining WCEPS, Ms. King was a Senior Professional Learning Specialist at WIDA for more than six years. She taught ESL in K–12 public schools, private language schools, and adult education programs. Internationally, she has taught in both Slovakia and South Korea. In Banska Bystrica, she was a visiting lecturer at Mateja Bela University. In Seoul, she worked at Shin–il High School as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant and at the Foreign Language Institute of Yonsei University. She was an English Language Fellow at Hanoi Metropolitan University in Vietnam through a program sponsored by the US State Department. She holds a BS in Speech and an MS in Journalism from Northwestern University near Chicago. She earned a TESOL Certificate from American University in Washington, DC and a Multiple–Subject Teaching Credential from National University in San Diego. In addition to certificates in Blended Learning, Microlearning and E–Learning, she earned a Master of Instructional Design from the Association of Talent Development. She is currently working on a MS in Educational and Instructional Technology through National University.

What role do identity and ‘social location’ play for educators  and how can we be more intentional about updating the education systems we work in? How can we implement a school wide system of support for educators and a culture that encourages collaboration and empathy? What is some advice or a good starting point for educators who feel overwhelmed at the idea of add-on work to successfully support language learners in their classes? We discuss these questions and more with Sarah Ottow, a longtime educator with over twenty years of experience in teaching, training, and coaching for English language learner success. She returned to Highest Aspirations to talk with us about creating school-wide systems of improvement for more equitable instruction for ALL students. As the founder of Confianza and author of  The Language Lens for Content Classrooms: A Guide for K-12 Educators of English and Academic Language Learners, she has many strategies to share that will help you efficiently apply language instruction in ways that will help all students, including multilingual learners. You can download the full episode transcript here. Visit our blog to find episode takeaways and resources as well as additional EL education content.

How can teachers use relationship building to improve learning outcomes for hesitant or disconnected students? How can we encourage our students to embrace and celebrate their bilingualism? We dive into these questions and more with Sonia Águila, a California dual language teacher who has been recognized in her district, her state, and nationally for the work she has done in the field of multilingual education. Born in Santa Barbara, California, Sonia Águila grew up in a small town near Guadalajara, Mexico. She returned to California at age 11 only knowing how to count to ten in English. After experiencing many challenges and even being discouraged from pursuing a higher education as a young student, she was eventually selected as her high school Salutatorian and Latino Student of the Year at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She followed her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher after  obtaining an Elementary Teaching Credential with an emphasis in Spanish and a Masters Degree in Education. Sonia is currently a 2nd grade Dual Language Immersion Teacher at Canalino Elementary School and the Dual Language Immersion Chairperson for Carpinteria Unified School District, where co-wrote the Plan Maestro for the Dual Language Immersion Program. She was Carpinteria Unified School District Teacher of the Year in 2017,   California Bilingual Teacher of the Year in 2022, And National Bilingual Teacher of the Year un 2023. Download the full episode transcript here, and find more free resources for multilingual educators on our website.

How can we apply the four aspects of self-determination theory to increasing opportunities for intrinsic motivation to flourish? What can teachers do in their classrooms to make their students, particularly MLLs, feel more connected to their learning? Why is it important to find a healthy balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for students?  In his second appearance on Highest Aspirations, we get into the topic of student motivation and what we can do to spark it, and maybe more importantly, to sustain it with Larry Ferlazzo. Ferlazzo has been teaching English and Social Studies to English Language Learners and English-proficient students at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento for twenty-one years.  He is the author or editor of thirteen books on education, writes a teacher advice column for Education Week and hosts an accompanying podcast, and hosts a popular resource-sharing blog. Download the full episode transcript and visit our blog for more resources and free EL educator toolkits.

What is the difference between all student talk and discussions? How can teachers plan for meaningful discussion opportunities for all students, particularly MLLs? What research-proven strategies are there for  creating, maintaining and repairing community and relationships in the classroom? We discuss these questions and more with Dr. Mariana Castro.  Dr. Mariana Castro is the Director of the Multilingual Learning Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also a lead curriculum designer and instructor for the Discussion Project. You can read Mariana’s full bio on our show notes and in the blog post featured on the EL Community. This season, we’ll cover a variety of important topics, including fostering motivation among students, empowering teachers and students with agency, nurturing strong relationships with students and their families, and much more. But these conversations are just the entry point into a wide variety of free, high-quality multimedia content. As always, our team will transform each episode into digestible blog posts, useful graphics, and compelling posts on social media and post them on our EL Community page.  Speaking of social media and community, I am excited to announce the launch of our new Ellevation Educator Facebook Group. The group’s primary goal is to foster meaningful connections among educators who support English learners in their schools. In this inclusive space, we encourage members to engage in thoughtful discussions, exchange valuable insights, and share best practices that empower multilingual students on their language journey. This group warmly welcomes all levels of expertise - whether you're an experienced educator, seasoned advocate of English learners or just starting to explore the world of multilingual education. To join, just search for Ellevation Educator Community under the Groups tab on Facebook. Then go ahead and post on the group to let us know what you learned from this episode.  Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. Download the episode transcript here.

How can we support educators in the wake of a significant change, such as integrating newcomers into schools after dissolving all designated newcomer centers? What techniques can be used to best support teachers who are inexperienced with newcomers, including structuring PD and harnessing campus leadership? What is a good approach when preparing staff, families, and other stakeholders for a significant structural change to a school program such as this? We’re closing out Season 10 of the Highest Aspirations podcast with a topic that is important for everyone working in schools. While your district may not currently have large numbers of newcomers, it is almost certain teachers in your schools will be lucky enough to work with students coming to this country for a variety of reasons. We can learn a lot from colleagues working in places where newcomers have been part of the fabric of their school communities for decades. One such school district is Katy ISD, just outside of Houston, Texas. Katy has been known for its newcomer centers for years - so much so that people from other districts have visited them to learn more about how to create similar programs. But the disruption caused by the pandemic forced district leaders at Katy to make significant changes - and the result has been magical.  I sat down with Kimberly Mitchell, Instructional Officer for Secondary ESL at Katy ISD to talk about how the challenge her district was facing turned into an opportunity, and how other districts can learn from their journey. From change management to rolling out PD programs with very little time, Kimberly shares a wealth of ideas and resources that will encourage you to rethink traditional newcomer programs and energize teachers in the face of significant transitions.  I hope you enjoy this last episode of the season. We’ll be back in August for Season 11, but in the meantime, please visit our EL Community to access all our free resources, including every episode of the Highest Aspirations podcast.  Kimberly Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on literacy from the University of Texas at Arlington. She began her career in Alvin, Texas teaching English as a Second Language at the high school and junior high levels. Since then she has worked in the Office of Other Languages for Katy ISD in Texas. Currently, she is the Instructional Officer for Secondary ESL. She is passionate about supporting campus staff in effectively providing ESL program services for secondary emergent bilingual students Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.Download the episode transcript here.

What are some key rulings during the history of EL policy and their impact on education equity and access? What challenges are multilingual students currently facing in education and how have policies helped overcome or exacerbate them? How can we better advocate for ELs in policy and legislation? We discuss this question and more with Ellevation co-founder, President, and in-house policy wonk, Teddy Rice.  In addition to being Ellevation’s President and co-founder, Rice also happens to be our in-house policy-wonk. One of his favorite parts of his job is to facilitate a session for new Ellevation employees he calls EL Policy and Market Landscape. It has been a highlight of the onboarding process for new hires ever since Ellevation was founded over 10 years ago.  Recognizing the value of the information he shares in this session, we have attempted to share some key elements in this interview. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. Download the episode transcript here.

How is AI currently being used to support MLLs in K12 education? What challenges and concerns currently surround the increasing presence of AI in the classroom? How might this technology transform the work of educators moving forward? We get into these topics and more with our guest Chris Mah. Chris is a first-year doctoral student in the Stanford Graduate School of Education. He is interested in researching all things writing, multilingualism, and technology. Before Stanford, he taught high school Language Arts in Minneapolis, also serving as an advisor at a school where 100% of first-generation students were accepted into college. Prior to teaching, Chris worked in online marketing, and he is also interested in bringing together his experiences and promoting equitable design and use of EdTech tools. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. Download the episode transcript here.

What are three mathematical mindsets that can guide instruction for MLs and help them thrive? How can teachers approach academic conversations and building in differentiation in a way that won’t feel overwhelming? What can teachers do to ensure they are building in time for high-quality interactions while delivering instruction?  We discuss these questions and much more with Adrian Mendoza. Adrian joined us at our IMPACT conference last year and we just had to bring him back for a podcast interview. He has provided Professional Development to educators in districts and educational service centers for more than 7 years, working with teachers and parents in United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Adrian joined our friends at Seidlitz Education from his previous role as an Instructional Math Coach in San Marcos CISD. His commitment leads him to innovate in the education area, and his present action research project is about the importance of Building Mathematical Growth Mindset Communities.  Adrian is an author of the book Teaching Math to ELs, which we highly recommend.  Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. Download the episode transcript here.

Welcome back to a special episode of Highest Aspirations. Our guests this week are 3 students from Lowell High School in Massachusetts. I was introduced to them through our friend Jessica Lander, who has appeared on the podcast and facilitated an inspiring session at our annual IMPACT conference last year. She also happens to be the teacher of our three guests, Lucas, Ana Sofia, and Kasi - all of whom are students at Lowell High School who came to the US in the last 5 years.  You’ll hear elements of their testimonios as they share their immigration stories, their experience contributing to and sharing a class recipe book called “Tasting History” with their classmates and beyond, and some recommendations for any teachers listening on how to help their MLL students be more successful in their schools and communities. You can find more information about Tasting History and much more on Jessica’s website: jessicalander.com.  Thanks for listening to Highest Aspirations and please enjoy this conversation with some amazing students and their contributions to their school and community.  Link to episode transcript download. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

Is the term “Long Term English Learners” limiting opportunities and academic achievement for this subgroup of students? How can we help these students by uncovering the “hidden curriculum” of language in lessons in order to scaffold support from input to output? What strategies can be used for a school-wide implementation of these practices that foster an environment where all multilingual learners can thrive? We’ll discuss these questions and much more with our guests Beth Skelton and Tan Huynh. You’re likely familiar with their work and they have come together to write a new book - Long Term Success for Experienced Multilinguals - a fitting title.  Check out their bios in our show notes and accompanying blog post. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. Download the episode transcript here.

How can we support or encourage reluctant colleagues to increase collaboration in order to support MLLs? How can we help educators unlearn the often negative perceptions of dreaded observations by administrators and fellow teachers so they can collaborate more effectively? Do schools that have effective collaborative practices in place retain more teachers? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld and Valentina Gonzalez. Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld is TESOL professor at Molloy University , Rockville Centre, NY.  Before entering the field of teacher education, she was an English as a Foreign Language teacher in Hungary (grades 5-8 and adult), an English as a Second Language teacher in New York City (grades K-3 and adult), and taught Hungarian at New York University. A Fulbright Scholar and sought after national presenter, Andrea is the coauthor or coeditor of 27 books on education and numerous chapters and research articles related to the needs of diverse learners. Valentina Gonzalez is an educational consultant and content creator for Seidlitz Education. She is also a longtime educator serving emergent bilingual students and their families from around the globe. Her personal experience as an immigrant from Yugoslavia and language learner fuel her desire to advocate for multilingual children and support teachers with the best research-based teaching methods. Valentina is the co-author of Reading & Writing with English Learners: A Framework for K-5. Her work has also been published in numerous journals and professional publications such as Edutopia, MiddleWeb, TEPSA, Ed Week, and School Library Journal. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. Download the episode transcript here.

How can we give colleagues feedback in a way that is timely and actionable, and what impact can we expect when this is done effectively? What foundational elements to a working relationship must be present before feedback can be given and received? What kinds of information do principals and school leaders need to have and to share prior to beginning an observation and feedback cycle? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Esteban F. Hernández is Director of Research and Accountability for the Alisal Union School District in Salinas, California. Originally from Puerto Rico, Dr. Hernández graduated from the UPR with a BA in Elementary Education with an emphasis on teaching English to Spanish speakers. He has been an educator for more than 30 years and has served as teacher, school principal and director. As an English learner himself, Dr. Hernández strives to advocate for equity for all students so they can develop English language fluency to penetrate content and succeed as individuals and in future college and career opportunities. Dr. H. holds an M.A with emphasis in curriculum and instruction, and a PH.D. in Educational Leadership with research dissertation titled: "The Influence of In-Situational Coaching on the Reading Achievement of English Learners in Fifth Grade." Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. Download the episode transcript here.

What are some benefits we have seen from the rise of virtual professional development opportunities since the pandemic? How can educators drive self-directed professional learning that can lead to deeper knowledge and sustained results? How can school leaders best support high-quality PD opportunities? This week we bring back two familiar contributors to Highest Aspirations - Dr. Carol Salva and Tan Huynh along with one guest who somehow is making her first appearance, Katie Toppel. These three incredible people provide our community with a wealth of resources to ensure we are well-equipped to maximize the potential of multilingual learners. In this interview, we focus on how educators can engage in self-directed professional learning - specifically for multilingual learners. They’ve recently released a book on the topic, appropriately titled DIY PD: A Guide to Self-Directed Learning for Educators of Multilingual Learners. Dr. Carol Salva is an author and Seidlitz Education consultant. She works with schools, state leaders, and local education agencies to support multilingual learners at all language levels. She is the co-author of both Boosting Achievement, Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education, and also DIYPD: A Guide to Self-Directed Learning for Teachers of Multilingual Learners. Dr. Salva has taught Elementary, Middle, and High school. She is a Certified Gomez & Gomez Dual Language Trainer, and a Certified Abydos Writing Trainer. Tan Huynh (@TanKHuynh) is a career teacher, consultant, and author specializing in language acquisition and literacy development. Tan has taught students from 5th to 10th grade in public, private, charter, and international schools.  He has served as a language specialist and is currently a secondary social studies teacher.  Tan shares teaching strategies on his blog and podcast with the hopes of celebrating teachers who answer the call to serve multilingual learners. Dr. Katie Toppel is an English Language Development Specialist at the elementary level, serving multilingual learners through collaboration, co-teaching, and small-group instruction. Dr. Toppel is the newest member of the SIOP author team and co-author of the book DIY PD: A Guide to Self-Directed Learning for Educators of Multilingual Learners. She is also the co-founder of #MLLChat_BkClub on Twitter, which is a virtual book club aimed at improving instructional practices for multilingual learners. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. Download the episode transcript here.

What are some common misconceptions about EL/SLIFE students and ESL instruction? How can professional development be leveraged to help educators support multilingual learners? What are some particularly effective instructional strategies for multilingual learners in mainstream classrooms? We discuss these questions and more in an impassioned discussion with Nebraska’s 2022 Teacher of the Year Lee Perez. Perez is the first ESL teacher to win Teacher of the Year award in Nebraska, the recipient of the 2021 Award for Teaching Excellence through the Nebraska State Education Association, was named a Cox Communications Education Hero for the Omaha area, and is currently a 2023 Horseman Awards for Teaching Excellence finalist. He is a fifth- through eighth-grade English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska. He has traveled around the state speaking to current and aspiring educators to share best practices in EL education and advocate for better teacher preparation to serve ESL students. We sat down with him to hear some of the most important messages he wants educators to know about working with this student population and to share what strategies and approaches he has found success with in his ESL education career. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. Download the episode transcript here.

How has family engagement evolved post-pandemic remote learning? Why has online professional learning had staying-power after schools reopened? What are some predictions for trends and changes in store for education in 2023? We’re concluding Season 9 of Highest Aspirations by reflecting on what has been a year full of learning how to best serve our students. We’ll also get into some predictions for 2023. Sandra Medrano Arroyo, my colleague at Ellevation, joins us today to discuss some of our learnings from 2022 as well as some predictions and hopes for 2023. Sandra is in a unique position to provide this information given her background and current work. She works with me here at Ellevation Education as our Dual Language Instructional Content Specialist, where she has spearheaded the creation of two new instructional practices specific to the needs of Dual Language programs. She has also brought her knowledge and expertise to various conferences over the course of the year, with impactful presentations at NABE and La Cosecha among others. In over 23 years in education, she has served the needs of emergent bilinguals and various sub-groups in a number of roles: teacher, academic coordinator, school director, recruiter, instructional specialist, and program planner. Prior to Ellevation, Sandra served as the Manager of Multicultural Education for the 11th largest school district in the US, overseeing the ESOL program for over 34,000 students, including a two-way dual language program that served over 9,000 students. Since 2016, she has also served as a PD Consultant for the National Association for Bilingual Education. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more. Download the episode transcript here.

This interview is episode 9 from Season 9 of Highest Aspirations, a podcast from Ellevation where we engage in important conversations about the most rapidly growing student demographic in the United States - English Language Learners. What impacts have we seen on recent policy changes to reclassification or exiting of ELs with disabilities? How can schools prioritize collaboration and improve their current processes for determining reclassification for SPED ELs? What strategies can we use to ensure that these students are integrated into general education classrooms without compromising on learning in a supportive, language rich environment? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Sara Kangas, who returns to HA after joining us back in 2018 to discuss how schools are accommodating English Learners with disabilities and the impacts that EL and disability status have on reclassification or exiting. We sat down to catch up with Dr. Kangas and learn about the latest challenges facing students and how schools can employ a collaborative approach in addressing inequities. Dr. Sara Kangas is an associate professor in the College of Education at Lehigh University.  She is an applied linguist whose research focuses on the school-age population of multilingual learners (MLs) with disabilities.  Using ethnography and interpretive policy analysis, Dr. Kangas investigates opportunity to learn for MLs with disabilities, with particular attention to the ways in which education policies, school structures, and ideologies affect their everyday learning experiences.  Grounded in interpretivist and critical frameworks, her research seeks to promote social justice through advocating and expanding the learning opportunities and educational rights of MLs with disabilities. ​ Dr. Kangas has published in top-tier journals such as the American Educational Research Journal, Teaching and Teacher Education, and TESOL Quarterly, among others.  Her scholarship has received the James E. Alatis Prize (2018), TESOL Award for Distinguished Research (2015), and the Wilga Rivers Memorial Graduate Student Award (2015).  Dr. Kangas earned her Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in applied linguistics at Temple University. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

What are the essential elements of success for learning communities to support immigrant students? How can incorporating storytelling into the classroom be used to build empathy and understanding for both students and educators? What are examples of innovative programs or collaborative approaches that are successfully improving outcomes for newcomers and immigrant students? We discuss these questions and much more with Jessica Lander. Jessica Lander is an award-winning teacher, writer and author. She teaches history and civics to recent immigrant students in a Massachusetts public high school and has won numerous awards for her teaching, including being named a Top 50 Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize in 2021, presented by the Varkey Foundation and being named a MA Teacher of the Year Finalist in 2022, presented by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Jessica writes frequently about education policy and teaching. She is the author of Making Americans: Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas, and Inspiration in Immigrant Education, a coauthor of Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success and the author of Driving Backwards. Download the episode transcript here. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community.

What challenges are teachers facing with the curriculum often provided by their district regarding multilingual learner instruction? What role do stakeholders such as content creators, educational leaders, and community advocates play in improving curriculum? Where are we already seeing positive changes in inclusive curriculum and how can we replicate them in other states and districts? We discuss these questions and much more with Renae Skarin, Renae Skarin is senior director, content, at the English Learners Success Forum, a collaboration of researchers, teachers, district leaders, and funders working to improve the quality and accessibility of instructional materials for English learners. She works with leading educational experts to design and implement a process for reviewing and providing feedback to curriculum developers on the strength of supports for ELs. Prior to joining the ELSF, she worked at Understanding Language, Stanford University, where she was a researcher, professional developer, curriculum developer, and project manager for projects specializing in issues of equity and accessibility for diverse learners and has a strong background in second language teaching and teacher education both in the U.S. and abroad. Download the episode transcript here. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

What are some flawed perceptions of immigrant and refugee students and how can these impact the education they receive? What policies or district practices have been barriers to newcomer or immigrant students receiving the full extent of education promised to them by law? How is “moving students through” the education system without adequate support or learning such a major missed opportunity for both them and their communities? We discuss these questions and more with the author of “The School I Deserve” Jo Napolitano, who spent nearly two decades reporting for The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Newsday before winning a Spencer Education Fellowship to Columbia University in 2016 in support of her reporting on immigrant youth. Her first book, The School I Deserve: Six Young Refugees and Their Fight for Equality in America, will be published by Beacon Press in Spring 2021. Napolitano has reported on many topics throughout her award-winning career, including crime and science. But education remains her primary focus, and for good reason: It was the only means  through which she would escape poverty. Born in Bogota, Colombia, Napolitano was abandoned at a bus stop by her birthmother when she was just a day old. Placed in an orphanage, she nearly died of starvation before she was adopted by a blue-collar family from New York. She was raised by a single parent and is a first-generation college graduate having earned her bachelors from Medill at Northwestern University.  She  believes no child’s life should be left to chance. Download the episode transcript here. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

What parameters do districts have for spending ARP ESSER funds, specifically relating to multilingual learners? How are some districts already using these funds to offer high impact supports for their language learners? What guidance can we offer educators who want to advocate for their district to include and even prioritize this population of students in their ESSER fund spending plans? We discuss these questions and more with Director of Policy and Advocacy Rosario Quiroz Villareal and Policy Analyst Cici Matheny of TNTP.  As you’ll here in our conversation, rosario and Cici have spent a lot of time learning about best practices for using ESSER funds and they have a lot of valuable information to share. Rosario Quiroz Villarreal is director of policy and advocacy focused on multilingual learners and immigrant students at TNTP,  an organization with the mission of ending the injustice of educational inequality by providing excellent teachers to the students who need them most and by advancing policies and practices that ensure effective teaching in every classroom. Rosario got her start in policy through Next100, a startup think tank created for—and by—the next generation of policy leaders. Her orientation to education started with multilingual learners, as a bilingual educator in Texas and New York, and as a multilingual learner herself. Cici Matheny is a policy analyst at TNTP and holds a master’s of public administration from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College, City University of New York. She worked with middle, high school and college students for eight years at a sports-based afterschool program in New York City before pivoting to education policy. At TNTP, she researches policy issues across the country impacting the teacher workforce and student outcomes in the wake of the pandemic. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

What does research show about the importance of literacy skills when solving math and specifically word problems? How can educators prioritize and build in academic conversations into their classroom routines? What can teachers do to marry math and language so that multilingual learners can engage with the content more deeply? We discuss these questions and much more with Diane Kue, an educational author, speaker, and consultant with eighteen years of teaching and instructional leadership experience. Her new book, Solved: A Teacher’s Guide to Making Word Problems Comprehensible applies practical, research-supported, strategic instructional approaches to equipping learners with life-long skills applicable beyond the classroom. She has presented locally to school campuses and districts, regionally for ESC and TexTESOL, and nationally for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. To download the full episode transcript, click here. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

What are some positive outcomes from the uptick in Virtual PD that came out of the pandemic? How can administrators roll out professional development in a way that is both sustainable and sustained? In what ways can educators take an asset-based approach in how they speak about their students, specifically multilingual learners? We discuss these questions and much more with Leticia Trower. Leticia has been passionate about language her entire life. She began her career in education as an elementary ESL teacher, and the majority of her work over the last twenty years has focused on language learners, professional learning for educators, and/or equity. She is currently Director of Professional Learning at Margarita Calderón & Associates, and a doctoral candidate in the Diversity and Equity in Education program at the University of Illinois. Her research interests include the impact of professional development in K-12 schools and the relationship between teachers’ language, beliefs, and practices. Find the episode transcript here. For all of our community blog posts, podcasts, and additional resources visit our EL Community page.

This interview is a bonus episode from Season 9 of Highest Aspirations, a podcast from Ellevation where we engage in important conversations about the most rapidly growing student demographic in the United States - English Language Learners. We got a chance to speak with Bryan Fernandez and Yerahm Hong, two recipients of the 2022 Ellevation Scholarship. Both of these students were enrolled in an EL program at some point during their K-12 education, and are currently freshmen at USC and UPenn, respectively. On this episode, we will highlight some experiences they had throughout their educational journeys to get to this point, and what advice they would give educators of multilingual learners. Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

How can educators shift their practice from tearing down students for translanguaging or using “Spanglish” to building this up? How can tactics like co-teaching and professional learning opportunities be leveraged to support multilingual students and create more equitable classrooms? What can educators do to incorporate their students’ entire linguistic repertoire and validate their experiences in the classroom to build confidence? Spanglish has historically been discouraged in both English and Spanish classrooms across the US. However, by discrediting this blended language we are not allowing students to use their entire linguistic repertoire. Not only is Spanglish, which is the blending of word parts from both Spanish and English, a significant part of many heritage Spanish speaking students’ identities, it is a valuable form of translanguaging. To explore this topic in depth, we spoke with Alexandra Medrano, a teacher in Colorado who shares her journey from discouraging to celebrating Spanglish in her classroom. She also highlights other strategies she uses to create a more supportive and welcoming learning environment. Alexandra (Alex) Medrano was a founding team member of DSST: Conservatory Green High School, a public charter school in North East Denver. The school is now in its fifth year, and her role has changed from founding Spanish teacher to Senior Academy Dean of Culture and instructional coach. For the last three years, she was the campus Multilinigual Education program coordinator, ensuring that emerging bilinguals receive effective instruction in their content courses by monitoring English proficiency data, analyzing gaps between emerging bilingual and monolingual students, and leading professional development to staff about the best practices to support emerging bilinguals. Additionally, she co-taught English language development integrated history courses, with explicit language instruction. Alexandra is a 2013 Colorado Springs Teach for America alumni and has earned a master's in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity from CU Boulder. This is her tenth year in education. For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community Find the full episode transcript here. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

What are culture learning targets and why are they critical for creating non-oppressive learning environments? How can individual teachers lesson plan in a way that can disrupt the status quo of a monolingual centric approach to learning? How can educators support their multilingual learners in making cross-linguistic connections and fostering a practice of metalinguistic awareness? Welcome back to Season 9 of the Highest Aspirations podcast, a show where we explore how we can help make an impact on our nation’s highest growing student demographic multilingual learners. Our first guest of the season is Dr. José Medina. Dr. Medina is the founder and Chief Educational Advocate for Dr. José Medina: Educational Solutions. Prior to establishing the boutique consulting firm, Dr. Medina served as Research Scientist and Director of Dual Language and Bilingual Education at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, DC. José provides dual language technical assistance, professional development, and job-embedded support to dual language programs across the United States and globally. He is a former dual language school principal and district leader who has also served as an administrator, educator, and advocate at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Dr. Medina is a co-author of the third edition and widely-used Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education and creator of the C6 Biliteracy Instructional framework, which we discuss during this interview. Dr. Medina is also a member of Ellevation's Instructional Advisory Board. To download the full episode transcript click here. For episode recap and resources, additional multimedia content and exclusive community webinars and toolkits, visit www.ellevationeducation.com/el-community