What vital roles do social and cultural capital play in determining the opportunities available to new arrivals? How can peers be leveraged to help newcomers cross the we/them divide while growing academically? What does it mean for new arrivals to “cross the finish line” and what are a few key steps educators can take to help them get there? We discuss these questions and much more with Pamela Broussard. Pamela Broussard is a passionate keynote speaker, presenter, and high school New Arrival Center teacher from Houston, Texas. She has more than  30 years of teaching experience ranging from elementary to master's degree prep courses. She has taught Regular Ed., Special Ed.,  ESL/EL/ML, SLIFE, and New Arrivals.  She has taught in the USA and abroad.  In addition to teaching, she is Rotary International Peace Fellow. She has traveled to more than 35 countries including working in Afghanistan for seven years. She has spent time in: refugee camps, war zones, orphanages, trash heaps, and human trafficking zones.  These experiences and trainings have given her a wealth of experience with Social Emotional Learning, Cultural Responsive Teaching, and Trauma-Informed Teaching. When she's not teaching, you can find her with hands covered in paint, glue stuck to her fingers, and collage supplies across her desk doing art. You’ll find multimedia resources - including a transcript of this episode, accompanying blog posts, videos, collaboration opportunities, and more - on our learning community. For episode resources and additional content visit our EL Community page. Find the full episode transcript here.

How can concepts like “teacher identity” and “learning leader” transform how educators show up in the classroom? What is the difference between directive and generative scaffolding, and how can one be significantly more constructive for ELs? What roles can deep culture, identity, and instructional power play in crafting more equitable teaching styles? We discuss these questions and much more with Tanji Reed Marshall, who was highly recommended by our friend Jeff Zwiers form Stanford Graduate School of Education. Tanji Reed Marshall, Ph.D., is the director of p-12 practice, leading Ed Trust’s Equity in Motion assignment analysis work. Prior to joining Ed Trust, Tanji worked in the Office of Academic Programs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to prepare the school of education’s accreditation with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Before that, she supported prospective secondary English teachers who were working to obtain licensure through the school of education. You’ll find multimedia resources - including a transcript of this episode, accompanying blog posts, videos, collaboration opportunities, and more - on our learning community. For episode resources and additional content visit our EL Community page. Download the full episode transcript here.

How does the teaching outlined in his book 7 Steps to a Language Rich classroom help bridge the gap between research and practice? What outcomes or impact has John and his team seen on student performance in classrooms where the 7 steps methodology has been implemented? What would John say to educators who may be interested in trying the 7 Steps but may have lingering questions about the potential loss of agency or the level of fidelity needed to effectively implement? On this episode, we bring back our friend John Seidlitz to catch up on the work he has been doing for the newest version of his well known 7 Steps to a Language Rich Classroom book. It is always great to connect with John but the interview you’re about to hear is just one part of our exploration of this topic. You’ll find multimedia resources - including a transcript of this episode, accompanying blog posts, videos, collaboration opportunities, and more - on our learning community. For episode resources and additional content visit our EL Community page.  Find the full episode transcript here. John Seidlitz is an independent educational consultant and the author of Sheltered Instruction Plus: A Guide for Texas Teachers of English Learners; Navigating the ELPS: Using the New Standards to Improve Instruction for English Learners; and a contributing author for The SIOP® Model for Teaching History-Social Studies for English Learners. He is the co-author of numerous publications including the 7 Steps to Developing a Language-Rich Interactive Classroom®. Mr. Seidlitz has been a member of the SIOP® National faculty and guest lecturer for many regional and national language development conferences. He taught social studies and ESL, served as a secondary ESL program coordinator, and held the position of education specialist at ESC Region 20 in San Antonio, Texas. In 2005, Mr. Seidlitz founded Seidlitz Education which is dedicated to the mission of Giving Kids the Gift of Academic Language™.

How can relationship building and interpersonal connection play a vital role in English learners developing a love of reading? What can educators do to encourage students to move outside of their comfort zone at school, especially when it comes to reading academic content? How can providing students with leadership opportunities enhance learning and inspire students to think in new ways? We discuss these questions and more with Shreya Rohatgi, a first-year college student at the University of Oklahoma who earned one of Ellevation’s scholarships last year. Shreya is a biochemistry major with a minor in psychology. She is also intentionally taking classes that invoke her creative side, which she feels is an important part of a well-rounded education. She is also a member of the Presidents Leaders Club, where she has been lucky to be part of what she calls patchwork of people whose individual talents and experiences come together to create something powerful. We caught up with Shreya in the middle of our application period for Ellevation’s 2022 scholarship. We hope our conversation with her inspires you to encourage your students to apply. We’ll accept applications through May 12th and you can find all the information you need on our Community page. You can also find multimedia resources - including a transcript of this episode, accompanying blog posts, videos, collaboration opportunities, and more - on our learning community.  As always, thanks for listening to Highest Aspirations.

What is the relationship between decoding and comprehension when reading, and why is it important for educators to prioritize both? Why are key literacy resources like school librarians or educational media specialists and classroom libraries growing scarce and what are the consequences? How can listeners begin to take steps on a micro and macro level to improve flawed education policies that are impacting multilingual learners? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Kathy Escamilla and Dr. Sue Hopewell. For episode resources, additional content and much more visit our EL Community page. Find the episode transcript here.  Dr. Kathy Escamilla is a Professor Emerita of Education in the Division of Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She held the Bob and Judy Charles endowed chair in this division. Dr. Escamilla’s research focuses on issues related to the development of bilingualism and biliteracy for Spanish-speaking emerging bilingual children in US schools. Her research has also examined assessment practices for emerging bilingual learners. Sue Hopewell is the Director and Co-Founder of Literacy Squared® and an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the division Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy in the School of Education. Her research focuses on issues of language, culture, equity, and identity especially as they impact, or are affected by, bilingualism and the related literacy practices at the elementary school level

We are back with part two of our series exploring the challenges that US born children of immigrants. In part one of the series we spoke with sociologist, author and professor Dr. Joanna Dreby about the work she has done in this space. This week we hear from three undergraduate and graduate students who understand this experience firsthand and worked with Dr. Dreby on her research. These interviews will give listeners a powerful firsthand look at how they can better serve these students in their schools. For more episode resources and takeaways, plus additional content on other topics in multilingual education, visit our EL Community Page. Watch Falmari’s full interview or read the transcript here. Watch Rachel’s full interview or read the transcript here. Watch Iliana’s full interview or read the transcript here.

How are the challenges and experiences of English learners born in the US different than those who have recently arrived and why is so important for educators to understand them? In what ways does family members’ citizenship status and fear of deportation or separation affect these students? What kinds of social-emotional supports can educators leverage to help support these students in the classroom, and what policy changes can they advocate for at a local level? We discuss these questions and much more in a special two-part series with University of Albany professor and author Dr. Joanna Dreby and three of her former and current students who are also English learners born in the US. In this episode, Dr. Dreby shares her experience and expertise in working with students who have grown up as children of immigrants. As you'll hear in our conversation, the challenges they face stretch well beyond learning English. All too often, these students find themselves growing up far too quickly as a result of their parents’ immigration status and lack of familiarity with the US educational system. They are often put in positions where they are expected to act as adults in their homes, their communities, and even in the court system. The trauma all this creates has a direct impact on social-emotional and academic progress, and forces many of these students to question their identities. Check back next week for part two featuring three of her graduate students, and visit the EL Community page for episode takeaways, resources and more! Find the full episode transcript here. Dr. Dreby’s research explores family dynamics under conditions of increased globalization, with specific expertise on international migration, gender, and children. She is author of two award-winning books Divided by Borders: Mexican Migrants and their Children (University of California Press 2010) and Everyday Illegal: When Policies Undermine Immigrant Families (University of California Press 2015), and the award-winning article "The Burden of Deportation on Children in Mexican Immigrant Families" (Journal of Marriage and Family 2012). She is co-editor of the volume Family and Work in Everyday Ethnography (Temple University Press 2013). Dr. Dreby has published more than 30 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters on a range of topics including child care fatalities, transnational families, gender and generational relations in families, work-family balance, and the impacts of immigration enforcement policies on children. In 2017, Dr. Dreby was a Fulbright Scholar to Costa Rica and she received a Fulbright-Garcia Robles Grant in 2004-2005 for field research in Mexico. Her research on children and youth has been funded by the Foundation for Child Development (2009-2012), and her current project titled “the Aftermath of Immigration Enforcement Episodes” is funded by the Russell Sage Foundation (2019-2022). She uses a variety of qualitative methods, emphasizing ethnography, comparative research and in-depth interview techniques. She has a background in social services and retains interest in community based work. Dr. Dreby received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the CUNY Graduate Center in 2007.

Here are some questions we discuss in this episode with our guest Marcy Voss. Why are multilingual learners so often overlooked and underrepresented in gifted and talented programs in schools? How can educators better identify the many gifted English learners, and adopt an asset-based approach moving forward? What are some strategies teachers can use to support language needs without compromising the depth and complexity of the content and instruction? We discuss these questions and more with Marcy Voss. Marcy is an Educational Consultant who has recently retired after 36 years in public education. During her career, Marcy taught elementary and middle school students, as well as coordinated Gifted and Special Programs in several districts. As Special Programs Coordinator for Boerne ISD, Marcy helped develop and implement their Two-Way Dual Language Program. Marcy currently serves as an ELL Coach, curriculum writer, and staff development trainer. Her passion is helping ELL students to think at higher levels through the use of differentiated curriculum that incorporates depth and complexity. She is also interested in identifying and serving gifted ELL students. Marcy is the author of the Academic Language Cards which provide activities using sentence stems requiring higher level thinking. Find the full episode transcript here. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

Given the fact that passive listening is happening all the time at school, why is creating deliberate, high-quality listening exercises for multilingual learners so important? What are some authentic ways to assess listening comprehension that will better gauge ELs’ understanding while also preparing them for important state assessments? How can in-class listening activities help ELs to build background knowledge and master academic vocabulary - two of the biggest hurdles facing language learners? We discuss these questions and much more with our guest Monica Brady-Myerov. Monica Brady-Myerov is a content area specialist in audio and its use in the classroom and an expert in podcasting, fact-based reporting and narrative storytelling. She is a 25-year veteran public radio journalist, and is the founder and CEO of Listenwise, a listening skills company.  She is the author of the upcoming book: Listen Wise: Teach Students to Be Better Learners to be released by Wiley in April 2021. The book has personal anecdotes from the author and accessible excerpts from the latest neuroscience of listening and auditory learning, making it a critical resource that will explain why listening is the missing piece of the literacy puzzle. Find the full episode transcript here. Get access to all accompanying episode links, additional resources and much more on our EL Community Page.

What benefits does guided reading offer when compared to more traditional whole group instruction? How can guided reading be used to better support multilingual learners and foster cultural responsive teaching strategies? How can schools and districts design and implement professional learning opportunities to support teachers as they roll out guided learning strategies? What different factors and considerations should happen at a school in order to successfully implement the lesson study model of teaching? We discuss these questions and much more with our guests from Kingsbury Charter Elementary School in California. Joining me are Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Melanie Sembritski, Superintendent Dr. Wesley Sever, and second grade teacher Kelsi Itturralde. You can find their full bios on our show notes and in the accompanying blog post at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity/

What is the difference between active and passive vocabulary and how does the transfer from one to the other happen? What are some simple yet effective ways that educators can build in opportunities for multilingual learners to internalize and be able to use academic vocabulary in speaking or writing? How can we build students’ confidence in speaking as they develop new language skills in and out of the classroom? We discuss these questions and much more with Natalia Heckman on this episode of Highest Aspirations. Trained in Russia as a technical writer and a translator, Natalia never thought about becoming a teacher, but after her first year in a classroom, she knew that teaching was her calling and her mission. Natalia has taught English and ESOL classes, assisted teachers as a secondary ELA and Social Studies Instructional Coach, and served as an ESL/Bilingual program specialist. She currently pursues her passion for linguistics and education as an educational consultant with Seidlitz Education. The trainings she authored include “Moving ELs forward on EOC Writing” and “Building Better Sentences”. Natalia holds a bachelor’s degree in literature from the University of Houston at Clear Lake and a master’s degree in school administration from Lamar University. Find the full transcript here. Visit our EL Community page to find episode transcripts, resources, takeaways and more.

How might we design and ensure access to equitable professional learning opportunities, specifically to address the unique needs of multilingual learners? What are some tools that can be used to monitor the progress of educators through professional learning and how do we measure its impact on student progress and learning? What are some strategies to design and implement equitable professional learning opportunities that are both introspective and connected to practice? We discuss these questions and much more with Silvia Romero-Johnson and Mariana Castro, authors of the new book, Advancing Equity in Dual Language Education: A Guide for Leaders. One note on the title - Silvia and Mariana define leaders with a wide lens. The information and resources shared in the book and in this episode are relevant and useful for any educator working with multilingual learners - particularly in dual-language programs. We would actually go so far as to say that it is useful for ALL educators. In this interview, we focused on one chapter of the book specifically dedicated to equitable professional learning. You can read access more resources, including a transcript of this episode, on the accompanying blog post on our learning community.  Find the episode transcript here.  Guest Bios Mariana Castro, Ph.D. is Deputy Director of the Wisconsin Center of Education Research at the University of Wisconsin Madison and a leader and researcher at WIDA, a project with the mission of advancing the academic achievement of multilingual learners. Castro has served the field of education as a science teacher, an ESL and bilingual educator and administrator, as a teacher educator and as a researcher. Her work as a qualitative researcher has focused on issues at the intersection of policy and practice in the education of multilingual learners.  Castro’s research on the language practices and language development of multilingual learners has provided a foundation to her work leading the development of language standards for K-12 students and early years, in both English and Spanish.  Dr. Silvia Romero-Johnson is currently serving as Director of Bilingual Programs and Instructional Equity in the Verona Area School District in Verona, WI. She has served in the education field in a variety of capacities including: Interim Chief Academic Officer and Assistant Superintendent for the Office of English Learners in the Boston Public Schools in Boston MA. As the Executive Director of the Office of Multilingual and Global Education in the Madison Metropolitan School District in Madison, WI, she led the district’s transition from transitional bilingual education to dual language immersion education. She was the principal of Nuestro Mundo Community School, MMSD’s first two-way bilingual immersion charter school. 

In this episode, we talk about some exciting changes and improvements we have planned for Highest Aspirations. We also preview some of the topics we will be covering beginning with our first episode on January 18th. Learn more and stay up to date by joining our community at bit.ly/getmlresources. You’ll receive our weekly community brief with news and multimedia resources you can use with your colleagues and students right away.

The lack of teachers who have the training necessary to effectively support multilingual learners has been plaguing school districts across the country for years. The pandemic has only exacerbated the problem putting multilingual learners at greater risk. Panel members from school districts and organizations around the country came together during our annual Impact Conference to discuss how they are responding to this challenge and the plans they have moving forward. Special thanks to Amaya Garcia from New America for moderating the panel and providing perspective on what the research data is telling us. Thanks also to our panelists - Dr. Yolanda Rios, Alice Solis, Magda Grape, and Jeremiah Lack. This episode was taken from our Impact Conference that took place on December 6, 7, and 9. We will be sharing more resources and content from all Impact sessions on our weekly Community Brief email, which you can get by joining our community here: bit.ly/mllresources. Highest Aspirations will be back in January 2022. Until then, we wish you a happy and safe holiday season!

How can we help colleagues, families and community members become advocates for dual language programs? What does it mean to truly embrace biliteracy? Why is embracing bilingualism good for all students? We discuss these questions and more in part 2 of a 2 part series with Sandra Medrano-Arroyo. Sandra Medrano-Arroyo presently works at Ellevation Education as the Dual Language Instructional Content Specialist, where she has spearheaded the creation of two new instructional practices specific to the needs of Dual Language programs.  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. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Sandra has a natural ability to bridge the gap between research and practice by breaking down concepts and findings into bite-sized pieces that educators can use right away, which is one of the many reasons I am happy to have her as colleague at Ellevation and an advocate in the field of multilingual education. As always, thanks for listening to Highest Aspirations - I hope you enjoy part 1 of our informative conversation. If you have an idea for a topic or guest for a future highest aspirations episode, please feel free to reach out at [email protected]. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

On this special episode of Highest Aspirations, we're sitting down to speak with 2021 Ellevation Scholarship Winner Sirenia Garcia from Deer Park ISD in Texas. Sirenia was born and raised in Texas and plans on attending the University of St. Thomas in Houston in the fall, where she will be studying Music Education and minoring in psychology. She hopes to become a school counselor or school principal - we love to hear that! As you'll hear in the episode, Sirenia is very open about the struggles she faced in school as a multilingual learner, as well as the important role that her teachers had in encouraging her to persevere. She shares great advice for current students on staying diligent and motivated despite challenges they might face. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. If you'd like to hear more conversations with scholarship recipients, check out the Scholarship Winners playlist on our Spotify.  If you have an idea for a topic or guest for a future highest aspirations episode, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

On this special episode of Highest Aspirations, we're sitting down to speak with 2021 Ellevation Scholarship Winner Jesse Ding. Jesse Ding graduated as the class valedictorian from Wilmington High School in Wilmington, Massachusetts. She is planning to study computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. In the future, she hopes to become a robotics software engineer and utilize her knowledge and expertise to program personalized assistive robots for those in need. As you'll hear in the episode, Jesse is very dedicated to giving back to her community and using her strengths in STEM and robotics to find ways to improve the lives of those around her. We hope you enjoy our conversation, and to hear more conversations with scholarship recipients, check out the Scholarship Winners playlist on our Spotify.  If you have an idea for a topic or guest for a future highest aspirations episode, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

How might growing up as a multilingual learner shape the message that educators communicate to their EL students and families about home language and learning English? What are some of the most important sources of research on dual language programs and how can they help school leaders and educators shape valuable learning experiences for all students? What are the three pillars of dual language and what role does each of them play out in high-quality programs? What challenges do we face in addressing the shortage of bilingual educators and what are some possible solutions? We discuss these questions and more in part 1 of a 2 part series with Sandra Medrano-Arroyo. Sandra Medrano-Arroyo presently works at Ellevation Education as the Dual Language Instructional Content Specialist, where she has spearheaded the creation of two new instructional practices specific to the needs of Dual Language programs.  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. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Sandra has a natural ability to bridge the gap between research and practice by breaking down concepts and findings into bite-sized pieces that educators can use right away, which is one of the many reasons I am happy to have her as colleague at Ellevation and an advocate in the field of multilingual education. As always, thanks for listening to Highest Aspirations - I hope you enjoy part 1 of our informative conversation. If you have an idea for a topic or guest for a future highest aspirations episode, please feel free to reach out at [email protected]. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

On this special encore episode, we revisit the topic of collaborating, co-planning, and co-teaching with content teachers with Tan Huynh. Tan is a career teacher specializing in language acquisition.  Tan has taught students from fifth to twelfth grade in public schools, private boarding schools, and charter schools.  Internationally, Tan has taught in schools in China, Laos, and Vietnam. He shares teaching strategies on his blog, Empowering ELLs, and has provided professional development training in places such as China, Thailand, Singapore, Italy, and Canada. Tan’s goal is to support all teachers who are committed to empowering English learners whether it be in a tweet, a blog post, a book, a training, a course, or over coffee. Tan and I discuss how EL specialists can establish and nurture relationships with content teachers who work with multilingual learners. You’ll leave the episode with some simple strategies that can help make co-planning and co-teaching easier for all teachers as well as some ways to encourage content teachers to allow their multilingual students to participate more fully in their instruction. Tan will be presenting at our Impact 2021 Conference, a free virtual event that will take place over three days on December 6th, 7th, and 9th. If you are interested in joining us for Impact 2021, please visit our website at ellevationeducation.com/elcommunity and join our community. We’ll send information on sessions and registration on our weekly community brief emails that all community members receive.

In this special episode of Highest Aspirations, we feature one of our 5 Ellevation scholarship winners, Paola Gutierrez. Paola recently graduated from Tahquitz High School in Hemet, CA. She is currently attending UCLA where she is studying Human Biology on a pre-med track. As an aspiring physician, she looks forward to caring for people in low-income communities in the future. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Paola surfaces some of the challenges she has faced as a multilingual learner, but also many of the assets she and her fellow students bring to their schools and communities. She also offers some useful advice to educators about how they can best support their multilingual learners and put them on a path to success. As such, this conversation is particularly important for listeners who work with multilingual learners of any age. If you have an idea for a topic or guest for a future highest aspirations episode, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

On this special encore episode, we revisit the topic of ensuring multilingual learners have highly qualified teachers to help them achieve their Highest Aspirations - with guests Amaya Garcia and Alexandra Manuel.  The lack of teachers who have the training necessary to effectively support multilingual learners has been plaguing school districts across the country for years. The pandemic has only exacerbated the problem, putting multilingual learners at greater risk. We will be addressing this challenge at our upcoming Impact 2021 virtual conference, a free event that will take place over three days on December 6, 7, and 9th. New America’s Amaya Garcia, one of this episode’s guests, will be moderating a panel from school districts and organizations around the country to discuss how they are responding to this challenge and the plans they have moving forward. Amaya will also provide a perspective on what the research data is telling us. If you are interested in joining us for Impact 2021, please join our community and we’ll send information on sessions and registration on our weekly community brief emails.

How can teachers help students assert positive identities so they have the confidence necessary to achieve academic success and advocate for social justice in their schools and communities? What are some strategies teachers can use to infuse language concepts into content lessons while simultaneously providing students with the skills they will need to be successful in school and beyond? Why is it so important to have a network or “professional family” to rely on for professional learning and support and what are some ways to find one? We discuss these questions and much more with 2021 Minnesota Teacher of the Year Natalia Benjamin. Natalia Benjamin teaches high school Ethnic Studies and Multilingual Learners in Rochester, MN. She is dually licensed in K-12 ESL and reading and holds a master's degree in Language Acquisition and Teaching. She advocates for multilingual and multicultural education and is part of Education Minnesota's Facing Inequities and Racism in Education - Racial Equity Advocates (FIRE-REA) program, where she has worked on Cultural Competency Trainings. She is a member of several organizations that support teachers and students: Education Minnesota League of Latinx Educators, Employees of Color Resource Group, Rochester Education Association, and the Women Issues Committee for the National Education Association. She is passionate about the liberation of marginalized students and works on important issues such as identity work, Heritage Speakers, and humanizing pedagogies in education.

What current limitations do we face in our educational system when it comes to data collection about students with limited or interrupted formal education (or SLIFE students)? How can project-based learning and group work help support SLIFE students and their classmates so they can better learn from one another? What are a few steps educators can take to be more equitable and mindful of SLIFE students in instruction and assessments? We discuss these questions and much more with Orly Klapholz. Orly's expertise includes Special Education and second language acquisition with specialized training in Orton Gillingham curricula. She has extensive experience teaching multilingual students, particularly those with limited or interrupted formal education, and has presented her research at numerous conferences and trainings. In 2021, she co-founded Inlier Learning with Merary Martinez-Cobian, taking a tech-forward approach to creating integrated solutions for the multilingual population. As is the case with most of our guests, we learned about Orly’s work through a member of our ELL Community. If you have an idea for a topic or guest for a future highest aspirations episode, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

How can teachers structure one-to-one student conferences to help ELs own their academic growth while also building relationships? What are some innovative ways we can leverage everything from testing data, student work artifacts, and portfolios to help students and teachers set and measure progress towards goals? How can schools make these conferences and learning celebrations more widely practiced and systematic across their classrooms? We discuss these questions and more with Sarah Said. We first featured Sarah on Highest Aspirations back in 2018, and we are excited to bring her back. Sarah Said is the Director of Language and Equity Programs at the Elgin Math and Science Academy in Elgin IL.  Sarah has spent 17 years working with language learners. Currently she is launching the Stand Up Stumps, which is a social justice based public art project in Elgin. Sarah has written various articles in EdWeek Teacher and Confianza and appeared on Highest Aspirations to discuss cultural responsiveness back in 2018. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

What’s in a name, or in this case, a label? Why do many prefer the term “Emergent Bilingual” over other terminology like English learner, LEP, or even multilingual learner? On the 40th anniversary year of the Castañeda v. Pickard Case, what progress have we made and what do we still need to do to ensure the civil rights for our multilingual learners? How might a name/title change lead to significant changes in how we perceive and educate our multilingual learners? We discuss these questions and much more with Araceli Garcia. Araceli grew up on the South Side of San Antonio and is the daughter and granddaughter of Mexican immigrants. She is the first person in her family to attend college, and her passion for immigrants’ rights stems from seeing her family and community insist on dignity while struggling to navigate their immigration and socioeconomic status. A graduate of Stanford University, Araceli has received several awards for her academic excellence and community service including the John Gardner Fellowship for Public Service, Newman Civic Fellow Award, and Stanford's Porras Award for Visionary Leadership. Most recently, Araceli served as an inaugural Education Policy Fellow with IDRA, where she focused on rights of emergent bilingual (English learner) and immigrant students. Araceli graduated from Stanford with a bachelor’s degree in Chicanx/Latinx Studies and a minor in education. Currently, she is pursuing a law degree at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, where she was named an Equal Justice Scholar and plans to continue serving low-income and racially marginalized communities. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

What are some ways mindfulness activities can help multilingual students succeed and how can teachers get started using them successfully? How can educators proactively elevate the voices of their students while decreasing teacher talk time? How can we apply concepts from exercise and other training programs to academic language instruction? We discuss these questions and more in Part 2 of a two-part series with Gina (Lahpay) Lappe and Kent Dwyer. One key to their success has been intentional and sustained collaboration - which as many of us have experienced, can be more difficult than it seems. we’ll get into how they went about creating systems that made it easier for them and their colleagues to work together to support all learners. Gina Lappe is heading into her 10th year teaching inquiry-based science. She started teaching in Great Smoky Mountains National Park before heading into the classroom at an Expeditionary Learning Charter School in North Carolina. She currently teaches middle school science at an international school in South Korea. She is passionate about using science as a pathway to get students curious about and connected with the world around them. Please feel free to reach out to Gina via email at [email protected] and Instagram @Lappe_labs. Kent Dwyer has been an educator for 17 years, focusing primarily on language acquisition. He taught Spanish in Pennsylvania for 11 years, serving as a demonstration teacher at Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School and then as a master teacher at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. From 2016 to 2021, Kent worked in international education to support English language acquisition, first in Qatar and then in South Korea. Kent has facilitated professional development sessions on topics including digital storytelling for language acquisition, tiered units of instruction, differentiated instruction, interpersonal language use within the classroom, data-driven decision making, integrated performance assessments, and the use of technology to promote communication. He can be reached through his professional instagram at kent.dwyer or via email at [email protected]. Here is a link to their Edutopia article. Here is a link to Choice Words. Here is a link to Fluency through TPR Storytelling. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

What are some easy ways that content teachers and ELL specialists can collaborate to better support their multilingual learners? How can schools and teaching teams build out systems for housing key instructional resources to support practices like scaffolding? What can educators do to ensure multilingual learners have equitable access to high-quality instructional materials and content - particularly in STEM courses? We discuss these questions and more in Part 1 of a two-part series with Gina (Lahpay) Lappe and Kent Dwyer. One key to their success has been intentional and sustained collaboration - which as many of us have experienced, can be more difficult than it seems. we’ll get into how they went about creating systems that made it easier for them and their colleagues to work together to support all learners. Gina Lappe is heading into her 10th year teaching inquiry-based science. She started teaching in Great Smoky Mountains National Park before heading into the classroom at an Expeditionary Learning Charter School in North Carolina. She currently teaches middle school science at an international school in South Korea. She is passionate about using science as a pathway to get students curious about and connected with the world around them. Please feel free to reach out to Gina via email at [email protected] and Instagram @Lappe_labs. Kent Dwyer has been an educator for 17 years, focusing primarily on language acquisition. He taught Spanish in Pennsylvania for 11 years, serving as a demonstration teacher at Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School and then as a master teacher at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. From 2016 to 2021, Kent worked in international education to support English language acquisition, first in Qatar and then in South Korea. Kent has facilitated professional development sessions on topics including digital storytelling for language acquisition, tiered units of instruction, differentiated instruction, interpersonal language use within the classroom, data-driven decision making, integrated performance assessments, and the use of technology to promote communication. He can be reached through his professional instagram at kent.dwyer or via email at [email protected]. Here is a link to their Edutopia article. Here is a link to Choice Words. Here is a link to Fluency through TPR Storytelling. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

What are some steps that educators can take now to build positive relationships with students and their families this school year? What experiences can educators pull from to build empathy and appreciation for multilingual students and their families? How might we go beyond language so we can also build an understanding of diverse cultures, and how might that investment play out in interactions with families?  We discuss these questions and more with Rosalie Metro, an Assistant Teaching Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Rose has taught social studies at the high school level, and currently teaches TESOL classes for pre-service teachers as well as supervising student teaching interns. Metro is the author of two books, Teaching US History Thematically: Document-Based Lessons for the Secondary Classroom, and Teaching World History Thematically: Essential Questions and Document-based Lessons to Connect Past and Present, both published by Teachers College Press. Metro has also been researching Burma/Myanmar’s education system and working with refugees from that country since 2001, and does Burmese language interpreting for her local school district. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

Why are content-specific and intentional language supports so critical for effective instruction of multilingual learners? How can we advocate for multilingual learner perspectives to be included in key processes regarding curriculum and instruction at school, district and state level? What role do professional development and formative assessment play in the effectiveness of high-quality instructional material? We discuss these questions and much more with Crystal Gonzales, Executive Director of the English Learner Success Forum, or ELSF. At ELSF, Crystal collaborates with national experts, organizations, educators and content developers to increase the supply of quality K-12 instructional materials that meet the needs of the growing EL population. Previously, as a program officer at the Helmsley Charitable Trust, she collaborated with national K-12 organizations with a focus on teacher professional development, quality instructional materials, and advocacy for underserved communities. In this role, she worked with EL experts to elevate the needs of ELs among grantees and her grantmaking peers. Crystal began her career as a 4th grade bilingual teacher in Houston ISD. She is currently a member of Education Leaders of Color, Latinos for Education, and is a Pahara NextGen fellow. Crystal holds a master’s in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from the University of New Mexico. She is a proud native New Mexican and currently resides in NYC. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

How might we seize the opportunity of a new school year as a chance to gather information on their multilingual learners, specifically the learning they may have done in languages other than English? How can teachers who aren’t comfortable speaking languages other than English facilitate and support their students’ learning in their home languages? What techniques can educators use to provide feedback to their students in the most meaningful and supportive way?  We discuss these questions and more in these questions in Part 2 of our 2 part series with Dr. Margo Gottlieb, author of the new book “Classroom Assessment in Multiple Languages” and co-founder and lead developer for WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison. For Margo’s full bio and a blog post with takeaways from our two part series, visit ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

How might new approaches to assessment create more equitable opportunities for multilingual learners? In what ways could local and professional accountability help motivate teachers to encourage students’ home language use? Why is it so important that relationships and a deeper understanding of our students be at the center of how we design and analyze assessments?  We discuss these questions and more in these questions in Part 1 of our 2 part series with Dr. Margo Gottlieb, co-founder and lead developer for WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Starting her career as an elementary school teacher and bilingual coordinator, she served as the longstanding director of assessment and evaluation at the Illinois Resource Center.  In addition, she has been a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Santiago, Chile and has keynoted, presented, and consulted in over 21 countries and almost every state in the U.S. In recent years, Margo’s scholarship has focused on designing language development standards frameworks, co-constructing linguistically and culturally sustainable curriculum, promoting student agency through assessment as, for, and of learning, and evaluating language education policy in K-12 settings. Over her career, Dr. Gottlieb has published more than 90 articles, monographs, handbooks/ guides, encyclopedia entries, and chapters as well as authored, co-authored, or co-edited over 30 books on language standards, academic language use, and classroom assessment. As everyone, the worldwide pandemic forced her to pivot; as a result, she has actively participated in podcasts, webinars, blogs, and has even learned how to tweet. Besides co-authoring Beyond Crises with Debbie Zacarian and Margarita Calderón, Margo’s most recent books include Assessment in Multiple Languages: A Handbook for School and District Leaders and its companion, Classroom Assessment in Multiple Languages: A Handbook for Teachers (Corwin, 2021). Throughout her educational career Margo has been a staunch advocate and warrior for multilingual learners. You are welcome to contact her at [email protected] or @margogottlieb. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

Welcome back to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast that focuses on how we can help maximize impact on multilingual learners.  If you’d like to join us on the podcast or if you have an idea for a topic or guest, we want to hear from you. Take less than a minute to fill out our form at bit.ly/haptopics.  As always, if you’re looking for great resources and ideas to help support multilingual learners, subscribe to Highest Aspirations wherever you get your podcasts. If you have feedback, please consider leaving us a review on whichever platform you are using to listen. You can find more free resources such as podcast episode highlights, blog posts, and more at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. You can join the community there to get a weekly email with fresh content you can use and share with others. We’ll be coming to you with new episodes every Tuesday from now until the end of the year. In the meantime, good luck preparing for the new school year - it is certainly an exciting time to be an educator!

Welcome to our season wrap up episode - and what a season it was. We’ve released 49 episodes and covered so many topics since August of 2020 - definitely a record for the 3 and a half year history of Highest Aspirations. For our season finale, we thought we'd take some time to reflect on what we’ve learned through so many rich conversations with our incredible guests. We’ll also talk about some of our plans for the start of the new school year. In a bit of a role reversal, I handed the interview mic over to my colleague Haley Sandifer, Ellevation’s Marketing Coordinator. A big part of Haley’s role is collaborating with me to create, edit, and share our free ELL Community content - including the Highest Aspirations podcast. Before joining Ellevation, she worked as a Communications Fellow through Leadership for Educational Equity at a parent advocacy group in Denver, CO. She originally became interested in education during her time with Teach for America teaching first grade in Richmond, CA. We have really enjoyed sharing these episodes with you over the past year, and hope you found the conversations to be beneficial or entertaining in some way. Highest Aspirations will return with weekly new episodes in the fall - in the meantime, feel free to submit any guests or topics that you hope to hear next season, and listen back to any episodes you may have missed. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

What supports can a designated immigrant/refugee program provide for students and families that go beyond what a typical school or district may be providing? After the past year of interrupted learning, what can we learn from educators who have worked with SIFE students and newcomers - particularly when it comes to social-emotional needs? How are refugees actively benefiting or improving the communities they are in, and in turn how can community partnerships play a vital role in supporting refugee students and families? We discuss these questions and much more with Rebecca Masters. Rebecca Masters is a Senior Youth Coordinator for New American Pathways, an Atlanta based nonprofit with the mission of Helping Refugees and Georgia Thrive. Their vision is for new Americans in metro Atlanta to become successful, contributing, and welcomed members of Georgia’s communities. They fulfill these goals by offering the most comprehensive, fully integrated continuum of services targeted to meet the specific needs of refugees and other immigrants in Georgia. Our conversation with Rebecca focuses on educational services that supplement the amazing work schools are doing to support their newcomers. Special thanks to Julie Allen of International Community School in Clarkston, GA for introducing us to Rebecca. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

How does trauma that migrant children experience manifest in the classroom, and what impact does it have on their ability to communicate and develop relationships at school? What can educators who do not share the lived experiences of their students do to best support them, and why is better representation so crucial? How can those entering higher education or other realms where they may be underrepresented or experience imposter syndrome draw motivation and support from their community? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. José Luis Zelaya. Dr. Zelaya is a Dreamer born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. At 13 years of age, he was obligated to flee Honduras and embark on a journey to the United States as an unaccompanied minor. He fled Honduras after living for many years as a street child in absolute poverty and violence levels. After a dangerous 45-day journey, he was found in American soil by immigration officers and months later reunited with his mother and sister in Texas. With the help of his mother, he enrolled in school, and like so many of our students,, he started to build a new life in this country. A graduate of Texas A&M University Department of Education and the CEO of Dr. Zelaya Educational Consulting LLC. At Texas A&M, Dr. Zelaya pursued a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies, a master’s in education in Curriculum and Instructions, and a Doctorate in Urban Education. He attributes each of his academic accomplishments to his family, mentors, and community who have supported his dreams of educational progress. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Dr. Zelaya is also an inspirational example of the grit, tenacity and adaptability that so many migrant students bring to our schools and communities. It was a privilege to talk with him on Highest Aspirations - I won’t soon forget our conversation. We hope you enjoy it as well. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

Welcome back to the second episode in our two-part series with Professor K. David Harrison. Make sure to check out part one on Anchor or wherever you listen to podcasts, and visit our community page to find our key takeaways from the whole conversation, resources and more. How are languages inextricably connected to other aspects of society and what does that mean about preserving and valuing them? What strategies can educators of multilingual students use to incentivize their students to help keep their home languages thriving - even while they are drawn to use English as the language of record? How have globalization, technology, and emotional connections all played a vital role in preserving and valuing languages? We discuss these questions and much more with K. David Harrison, Professor of Linguistics & Cognitive Science at Swarthmore College and National Geographic Society Explorer. David Harrison is a linguist, author and advocate for the documentation and revitalization of endangered languages. He is currently serving as Associate Provost for Academic Programs and Professor of Linguistics at Swarthmore College. Since 2007, Harrison has been affiliated with the National Geographic Society, co-directing their Enduring Voices Project and providing cultural expertise for expeditions, publications and web-content. His early career research focused on Tuvan and other Turkic languages of central Siberia and western Mongolia. More recently, he has been engaged in fieldwork in India, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, and Vanuatu. His research explores the sounds, lexicon, grammar, and cultural knowledge found in the world’s languages. In his laboratory at Swarthmore College, Harrison works with students and speakers of minority and endangered languages to create Talking Dictionaries and other digital tools. Harrison co-starred in Ironbound Films’ Emmy-nominated 2008 documentary film The Linguists, bringing attention to efforts to preserve dying languages. He also serves as director of research for the non-profit Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages. His work has been awarded funding from the NEH, NSF, Microsoft Research, National Geographic Society, and private donors. Harrison has authored several books and lectures widely on the value of linguistic and cultural diversity. Our listeners will also be happy to know that Harrison began his career as an ESL teacher, which is how our interview begins. This is part 2 of a 2 part series. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

How are languages inextricably connected to other aspects of society and what does that mean about preserving and valuing them? What strategies can educators of multilingual students use to incentivize their students to help keep their home languages thriving - even while they are drawn to use English as the language of record? How have globalization, technology, and emotional connections all played a vital role in preserving and valuing languages? We discuss these questions and much more with K. David Harrison, Professor of Linguistics & Cognitive Science at Swarthmore College and National Geographic Society Explorer. David Harrison is a linguist, author and advocate for the documentation and revitalization of endangered languages. He is currently serving as Associate Provost for Academic Programs and Professor of Linguistics at Swarthmore College. Since 2007, Harrison has been affiliated with the National Geographic Society, co-directing their Enduring Voices Project and providing cultural expertise for expeditions, publications and web-content. His early career research focused on Tuvan and other Turkic languages of central Siberia and western Mongolia. More recently, he has been engaged in fieldwork in India, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, and Vanuatu. His research explores the sounds, lexicon, grammar, and cultural knowledge found in the world’s languages. In his laboratory at Swarthmore College, Harrison works with students and speakers of minority and endangered languages to create Talking Dictionaries and other digital tools. Harrison co-starred in Ironbound Films’ Emmy-nominated 2008 documentary film The Linguists, bringing attention to efforts to preserve dying languages. He also serves as director of research for the non-profit Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages. His work has been awarded funding from the NEH, NSF, Microsoft Research, National Geographic Society, and private donors. Harrison has authored several books and lectures widely on the value of linguistic and cultural diversity. Our listeners will also be happy to know that Harrison began his career as an ESL teacher, which is how our interview begins. This is part 1 of a 2 part series. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

How can we combat an “English-only” approach in education and what is the importance of calling out cross linguistic connections for English learners? What is “metabilingual awareness” and how does it inform how we understand and develop language? How should equity be considered, both for students enrolling in dual language programs and in the recruiting and retaining of multilingual educators? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Sonia Soltero. 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 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. During the episode, we mention that Highest Aspirations will be featuring teacher shout-outs submitted by listeners from now through the end of the school year. If you would like to participate, you can record a short audio message on your phone or computer and email it to [email protected]. For more information on recording and submitting your message, check out our blog post. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away. Finally, the 2021 Ellevation Scholarship is still accepting applications through the end of the week - if you are interested in the application, visit this page to learn more and apply.

What unique challenges and opportunities do parent-driven mentor programs pose for EL students and families? How can schools and districts create mission aligned programs that support ongoing goals while offering new opportunities? What existing district programs and community partnerships can schools tap into in order to create a more robust and sustainable parent outreach program? We discuss these questions and more with Francisco Meza and Elba Solis of Whittier Union High School District in Southern California. With the help of other educators, parents and community members in their district, Francisco Meza and Elba Solis have created a successful parent mentor program that helps families of English learners become more involved with helping the district achieve their goals while simultaneously providing them with valuable learning opportunities. As you’ll hear in the interview, the program has provided great value for all who have been involved...and it is replicable in other districts who are trying to do similar things. During the episode, we mention that Highest Aspirations will be featuring teacher shout-outs submitted by listeners from now through the end of the school year. If you would like to participate, you can record a short audio message on your phone or computer and email it to [email protected]. For more information on recording and submitting your message, check out our blog post. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away. Finally, the 2021 Ellevation Scholarship is still accepting applications - if you are interested in the application, visit this page to learn more and apply.

How does “toxic stress” for students in the intersection of immigration and education manifest itself, and what are the long term effects it can have if not addressed? What are the most pressing concerns that educators have about their English learners as a result of the pandemic and what do they need to support them? How can educators, policy makers and community organizations contribute to an environment that allows English learners and their families to thrive in an academic setting? We dig into these questions and more with our guest, Rosario Quiroz Villarreal. Rosario Quiroz Villarreal is a policy entrepreneur at Next100 focused on increasing educational equity for immigrant students and students of color, including by removing the systemic barriers their families face when seeking opportunity. She has written numerous articles centering and celebrating the lived experience of immigrants and advocating for policy solutions to challenges. Among other projects, she has worked with a diverse coalition of immigration and education advocates to draft a toolkit for K–12 educators that prepared them to support their students, families, and colleagues when the DACA decision came down from the Supreme Court. Rosario has worked on social justice issues and with youth throughout her career. She spent five years as a bilingual educator, teaching in public and charter school settings in Texas and New York. She was recognized as a Champion of Change by the Obama administration for her work with immigrant English learner students. Rosario also worked with the Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County, North Carolina, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health in NYC, and Momentum Alliance in Portland, Oregon. As you’ll hear in our conversation, her passion for this work stems from lived experiences, thorough research and valuable time in educational settings. During the episode, we mention that Highest Aspirations will be featuring teacher shout-outs submitted by listeners from now through the end of the school year. If you would like to participate, you can record a short audio message on your phone or computer and email it to [email protected]. For more information on recording and submitting your message, check out our blog post. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away. Finally, the 2021 Ellevation Scholarship is still accepting applications - if you are interested in the application, visit this page to learn more and apply.

What tools can we provide teachers to help make their instruction as efficient and effective as possible - particularly as we transition between remote, hybrid and in person settings? How can we give quality formative assessments in a virtual, hybrid and in person settings to gauge student progress, especially for ELs? What strategies for front-loading academic vocabulary and building opportunities for student agency will best support and engage our English learners? We discuss these topics and more with Ellevation’s own Pamela Burgreen. Pam was a high school math teacher in New York City and Long Island for 10 years. After leaving the classroom, Pam worked on middle and high school math curriculum and assessments before starting with Ellevation in early 2020. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Pam brings multiple perspectives into the conversation around English learners and math.  During the episode, we mention that Highest Aspirations will be featuring teacher shout-outs submitted by listeners from now through the end of the school year. If you would like to participate, you can record a short audio message on your phone or computer and email it to [email protected]. For more information on recording and submitting your message, check out our blog post. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away. Finally, the 2021 Ellevation Scholarship is still accepting applications - if you are interested in the application, visit this page to learn more and apply.

What effects do we see on educators from the second-hand trauma that they experience in the classroom? How can teachers best support their students to share their lived experiences and how can teachers respond when they do? Are there ways that the responses to trauma that immigrant children face can inform our response to the trauma students and teachers experienced during the pandemic? We discuss these questions and more with Dr. Edith Treviño, known by her colleagues as Dr. ET. Dr. ET served as a bilingual and ESL specialist for Region One in Edinburg TX for two years. Her time at Region One was spent empowering 37 districts, universities, and charter schools in sheltered instruction, educational technology,ESL, Bilingual, and innovation for all teachers and students. Dr. ET has empowered educators at the local, state, and national level. Dr. ET is co-author to “The Death of My Mexican Name" published by Rethinking Bilingual Education. Dr. ET’s research is focused on Teacher perceptions of Mexican Immigrant students’ lived experience with border violence on the Texas-Mexico Border. ET holds a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Bilingual Studies from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, a Master of Education degree from Sul Ross State University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania. During the episode, we mention that Highest Aspirations will be featuring teacher shout-outs submitted by listeners from now through the end of the school year. If you would like to participate, you can record a short audio message on your phone or computer and email it to [email protected]. For more information on recording and submitting your message, check out our blog post. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away. Finally, the 2021 Ellevation Scholarship is still accepting applications - if you are interested in the application, visit this page to learn more and apply.

What data can be used to measure learning loss in English learners, and what long term impacts are most pressing? How is tech being used to accelerate learning for ELs and empower students to continue their learning outside of class? How can building out a robust STEM program motivate students to develop foundational skills? We discuss these questions and more with Dr. Adrian Johnson, Superintendent of Schools in Hearne ISD in Texas. Dr. Johnson is regular contributor to Ellevation’s ELL Community. He has appeared on the In This Together docuseries as well as other episodes of Highest Aspirations. Dr. Johnson brings the important perspective of how rural school districts are working to best support their English learners. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away. During the episode, we mention the 2021 Ellevation Scholarship - if you are interested in the application, visit this page to learn more and apply.

What family engagement strategies are most effective in linguistically diverse communities? How might we empower families and siblings to help support EL student outcomes? How might recent policy changes impact schools with significant refugee or immigrant populations and inform the future of education? We discuss these questions and more with Julie Allen, current Principal/CEO of the International Community School. She has worked in education, specifically serving low-income and historically oppressed communities, across Metro Atlanta for oven ten years. Ms. Allen believes that all students deserve an education that will allow them to live choice-filled lives, and she is committed to leading this charge in her current role. You can read her full bio in the blog version of this episode. As you’ll hear in the episode, there is a lot we can learn from schools like International Community Schools.  If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

How can the challenges that teachers continue to face in remote classrooms lead to positive changes - particularly when it comes to facilitating discussions and practicing language? How can teachers set their English learners up for success, both with accessing academic vocabulary and creating lower-stakes entry points of participation for students? What tools, lessons and takeaways from this year will be key in informing instruction and addressing where students are when we are back in the classroom? We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Kristian Lindsey, a middle school math teacher and interventionist who works with a linguistically diverse group of students at Lively Middle School in Austin, TX, a city she has called home for almost 30 years. You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away. During the episode, we mention the 2021 Ellevation Scholarship - if you are interested in the application, visit this page to learn more and apply.

What steps can we take to strategically support English learners through learning loss while also prioritizing social and emotional well-being? What approach can districts take with professional development to support educators in identifying learning loss and teaching language development in this environment? How can schools use this experience with distance and remote learning to reimagine in-person learning in the fall? We discuss these questions and much more with Vicky Saldala, Director of the Bilingual /ESOL Department for Broward County Public Schools in Florida.  Victoria B. Saldala is a veteran educator with 32 years of extensive experience developing, executing and supporting academic programs to meet the diverse needs of language learners. In her current position as the Director of the Bilingual/ESOL Department for Broward County Public Schools, Mrs. Saldala is directly responsible for coordinating all curriculum and compliance support for the English for Speakers of Other Languages Program, the Dual Language Program, and the World Languages Programs. In addition, her team is responsible for district Interpretations/Translations. She works collaboratively with the community to ensure non-English speaking families receive support and information through the International Welcome Center. Mrs. Saldala holds a Master of Science in Reading Education, a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, certification in Principal Leadership, and an endorsement in English for Speakers of Other Languages. Mrs. Saldala was recognized as the 2016 Latino Administrator of the Year by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) for her commitment to Latino students and the community in addition to various local recognitions.  If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

What strategies can educators use in remote environments to increase learning capacity and promote student agency? What similarities and differences can we draw between what a language rich classroom looks and sounds like in-person versus virtually? How can routines support teachers and students when we transition back to in-person settings and begin to address “unfinished learning”? We discuss these questions and more in part two of our two-part series with Grace Kelemanik and Amy Lucenta, co-founders of Fostering Math Practices and authors of the book Routines for Reasoning.  We brought Grace and Amy back to Highest Aspirations to talk about how things have changed since we talked in January, 2020 - just before the pandemic. Grace Kelemanik comes to us with more than 30 years of mathematics education experience. As a frequent presenter at national conferences, she meets and continues to support countless math educators on their journey as thinking facilitators. She has served as an urban high school math teacher, Education Development Center Project Director, and extensively supports new and pre-service teachers through the Boston Teacher Residency program. In an interview posted on their website, Grace addresses a familiar setting in our classrooms: “English Learners come into our classrooms expected to learn mathematics, which is new to them, in a language that is new to them, in a culture that is new to them.” Today, you will walk away with routines that support these learners. In fact, these routines will provide a structure for all of your students to get down to the business of discussing, defending, communicating, connecting and reflecting on the learning of mathematics. Most recently, Amy Lucenta served as a secondary mathematics Clinical Teacher Educator for the Boston Teacher Residency Program. Her experience spans K-12, teaching both middle and high school, then extending into elementary as a math coach. Her passion for helping struggling learners focus on developing the standards for mathematical practice is evident in the book and in our conversation, where she continues to explore how to develop mathematical thinkers through establishing routines that lead to success. Ellevation is committed to keeping you informed and inspired with resources to help you support your English learners. If haven't done so already, we invite you to join the ELL Community here.

How can incorporating routines into remote learning reduce stress and uncertainty for students while also supporting language development and discourse? What are some strategies that provide English learners with opportunities to develop mathematical thinking in remote and hybrid learning environments? How has the unfinished learning caused by the pandemic shifted teachers’ mindsets, and what COVID Silver Linings have surfaced? We discuss these questions and more in part 1 of our 2 part series with Grace Kelemanik and Amy Lucenta, co-founders of Fostering Math Practices and authors of the book Routines for Reasoning. We brought Grace and Amy back to Highest Aspirations to talk about how things have changed since we talked in January, 2020 - just before the pandemic. Grace Kelemanik comes to us with more than 30 years of mathematics education experience. As a frequent presenter at national conferences, she meets and continues to support countless math educators on their journey as thinking facilitators. She has served as an urban high school math teacher, Education Development Center Project Director, and extensively supports new and pre-service teachers through the Boston Teacher Residency program. In an interview posted on their website, Grace addresses a familiar setting in our classrooms: “English Learners come into our classrooms expected to learn mathematics, which is new to them, in a language that is new to them, in a culture that is new to them.” Today, you will walk away with routines that support these learners. In fact, these routines will provide a structure for all of your students to get down to the business of discussing, defending, communicating, connecting and reflecting on the learning of mathematics. Most recently, Amy Lucenta served as a secondary mathematics Clinical Teacher Educator for the Boston Teacher Residency Program. Her experience spans K-12, teaching both middle and high school, then extending into elementary as a math coach. Her passion for helping struggling learners focus on developing the standards for mathematical practice is evident in the book and in our conversation, where she continues to explore how to develop mathematical thinkers through establishing routines that lead to success. Ellevation is committed to keeping you informed and inspired with resources to help you support your English learners. Join the ELL Community here.