On this episode of our Look for the Helpers series, we talk with Carol Salva and Tan Huynh about how educators can access high quality professional development from wherever they are while schools remain closed. We highlight VirtuEL, a free annual online conference for teachers of language learners featuring live breakout sessions, panels and keynote speakers. Carol and Tan have facilitated VirtuEL for the last three years and make all content available to anyone interested in using it.  During our interview, Carol and Tan also announce this year's VirtuEL date and keynote speaker! If you'd like to join us on our Look for the Helpers series to provide information or stories to fellow educators, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper.  You can find all of the resources we mention in the episode on our Look for the Helpers short video series.

We catch up with Ellevation's cofounders Jordan Meranus and Teddy Rice to talk about the challenges they are seeing, how Ellevation is adapting to best serve English learners, and what long-term school closures mean for educational equity. If you'd like to share your story on Highest Apirations, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper. You can find more resources on our Look for the Helpers short video series. 

How might we provide equitable instructional resources and services to English learners and their families? What can we do to support families who may not have internet access or adequate devices? What are some tools that teachers can use to keep English learners engaged? We discuss these questions and more with Katie Frances. Katie is a certified EL teacher in Fayette County, KY. She spent her first 8 years as a mainstream classroom teacher working with diverse groups of students. She currently teaches at Northern Elementary School where she and her teammate Jamie Combs service over 150 English Language Learners.  Follow Katie on Twitter here.  

How do we ensure that English learners and their families in rural communities have access to services that schools normally provide? What are educators doing to overcome the challenge of providing students with food when transportation is a challenge? How are schools addressing equity issues in areas where internet and device access is not widely available? We discuss these questions and more in our conversation with Kelly Aldinger. Kelly is a K-3 English as a New Language teacher in a small, rural district called Elba Central Schools, halfway between Rochester and Buffalo, NY.  She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching ESOL from Clarkson University  Kelly is a a passionate advocate for educational equity and inclusion and would love to connect with others who are similarly motivated!  Find her on Twitter! This episode is part of the Highest Aspirations "Look for the Helpers" series. If you'd like to share your story, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper. You can access all the resources that Kelly mentioned on out Look for the Helpers channel.

How can teachers and tech staff continue to collaborate to support English learners while schools are closed? Why might this be a good time for teacher professional development and how might schools implement systems to support it? What are some key resources that educators can use right now to help support their English learners? We discuss these questions and more with Dr. Yolanda Rios and Gretta Rogne of New Caney ISD in Texas. Dr. Rios has over 14 years experience in bilingual education and currently serves the New Caney ISD community as the Director of Multilingual by providing services for students and families of English Learners and Immigrants/Migrant students. This role has allowed her to provide educational access to students who are learning English by providing resources and training teachers on strategies to help their students succeed.  Gretta Rogne is the Director of Digital Learning. Over the course of her 13 year career, she has worked as a classroom teacher as well other educational roles. Her role is critical to support teachers and students as they transition to remote learning environments. This episode is part of the Highest Aspirations "Look for the Helpers" series. If you'd like to share your story, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper.

What can we learn about online learning from EL educators who have been doing it for over 8 weeks now? Why is backwards planning so important when designing online lessons? How might we go about striking the appropriate balance between synchronous and asynchronous strategies to ensure equitable access to instruction?  We discuss these questions and much more with Tan Huynh. Tan (@TanELLclassroom) 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 appeared on the podcast to discus collaboration with content teachers in Season 2 - you can find that episode here.

This episode is part of our "Look for the Helpers" series. If you'd like to share your story, take 2 minutes to fill out this form.  What are some strategies and resources teachers can use right now to help reach English learners while schools are closed? How might we sustain communication with teachers, families, and other stakeholders? Are there any silver linings to this very difficult situation? We discuss these questions and much more with Vanessa Colón, EL Coordinator at International Leadership Texas. Over the course of her 16 years in education, Vanessa has served English Learners as a bilingual teacher, district ELL specialist, campus administrator, and district EL coordinator. As life-long learner, she is currently pursuing a doctoral degree from Texas A & M – Commerce in Supervision, Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in Bilingual Education. As an EL advocate, she has presented at numerous local and state conferences, such as BEAM and TexTESOL. Vanessa Colón is also a contributing author in the Handbook of Research on Pedagogies and Cultural Considerations for Young English Language Learners. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her two children & husband and spending quality time with family, friends & a good book or podcast! During our 18 minute conversation, Vanessa shared some great resources. You can access all the links and see them in action on this 4 minute video.

This is the first episode of our “Look for the Helpers” series on the impact of coronavirus related school closures on English learners. During this challenging time, we believe it is more important than ever to amplify educators’ voices. For that reason, we are inviting anyone who works with English learners to share their stories on Highest Aspirations. Whether you have tips on keeping students and their families engaged, minimizing the social or academic impacts of social distancing, providing food and other necessities to vulnerable populations, or anything else, we want to hear from you. To participate, just go to bit.ly/ELLHelper, take 2 minutes to fill out the form, and we’ll get back to you to set up a time to talk. On our first episode of “Look for the Helpers”, we talk with Laurie Johnson and Andrea Barnett from Helen Tyson Middle School in Springdale, Arkansas. Springdale has a large ELL population and serves mostly Spanish and Marshallese-speaking ELL families.  With Marshallese being a language that does not have much in the way of translation support, Springdale’s English Language Development teachers, Instructional Facilitators, and Specialists are going above and beyond to help students and families who may be severely affected by social distancing. Feel free to contact Andrea and/or Laurie by email if you would like to learn more about what they are doing... [email protected] [email protected]

Why is reading culturally relevant books such an important part of language acquisition? What can educators do to make sure students have access to relevant and engaging reading materials - both at home and at school? How can providing access to books for immigrant families help promote educational equity?  We discuss these questions and much more with Hermenegildo Paulo, an inspirational educator and recent English Learner now working in Portland Public Schools in Maine. An educator and English Language Learner himself, Mr. Paulo cares deeply about overcoming inequities that impact the English Language Learner student population and their families. A native of Angola, Mr. Paulo is a passionate math educator who instructed students in kindergarten through college in classrooms of sometimes more than 80 students.  During his decade of math instructional experience in Angola, he strived to use best practice and initiate new programs to develop supportive relationships with his students and their families. Upon moving to the US, Mr. Paulo knew that his only way back into a classroom was through proficiency in English, a language that he did not speak. Starting in early 2017, he worked tirelessly to learn English, and found himself back in a classroom less than a year after moving across the world. Mr. Paulo holds a post-graduate certificate in Education Management from the Catholic University of Brasilia and a Bachelor's in Math Education from Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação de Luanda in Angola.  Now he works supporting English Language Learners and their families as a Language Acquisition Technician and Interpreter at Reiche School in Portland, ME. He is excited to share information about his new program, Reading Refuges, which helps overcome home literacy inequity. Mr. Paulo works with students and their families to curate a home library, complete with first language and English books. Books are then placed into storage crates, with a seat on top of them, so children have a portable, comfortable place to enjoy a good book at home.

How can Newcomer Academies help immigrant students get off to a good start in on their academic journeys? Why is community and family engagement so important and how can educators implement strategies that work? How do we go about streamlining EL programs while also mitigating concerns around change management? We discuss these questions and in the first in a series of episodes featuring Ellevation Educators of the Month, an award program we kicked off on October of 2019 to recognize and celebrate educators who go above and beyond in supporting the needs of their multilingual students. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Geniene Delahunty of Boone County Schools in Kentucky. Geniene was nominated by her colleague Kathy Hammonds, who is also featured in this episode. Dr. Geniene Delahunty is the Director of Language Learners at Boone County Schools, KY. Geniene has been working in education for 18 years and is still as passionate about serving the needs of students as she was on day 1. Being born and raised in South Africa lends a unique perspective to her life and educational career. She is dedicated to equity in education, and addressing differences - not barriers (for example ‘language’). Active on Twitter (@geniened) to connect with other educators and community leaders, Geniene is always eager to learn. Geniene and her husband adopted 4 boys from Taiwan (at ages 7, 10, 12 and 13). When not at work Geniene can be found on her 15 acre mini-farm, with ducks; chickens; dogs and her bearded dragon. Kathy Hammonds started her teaching career near her hometown and taught Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade. While working there she attended Union College where she received her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. After a few years, she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where she taught 3rd and 4th grade as well as serving as a Literacy Specialist and Interventionist. This is where her passion for working with English learners started and grew. She returned to Kentucky to work as a classroom teacher in Boone County, where she now works as an English as a Second Language Teacher in her building. She enjoys working with my teachers every day as a team to support the learning of all students. Her team also works closely with their families and community.

This is a very special episode of Highest Aspirations, not only because of our well known and highly respected guest, but also because almost all of the questions come directly from our listeners. We’d like to thank everyone who contributed to this episode by submitting questions for Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of Enrique’s Journey and we’d love to keep the conversation going. You can use our voicemail feature to share your comments so we can share them in future episodes.  We also want to offer a special thanks and congratulations to Emily Golightly from Carteret County Schools in Morehead City, NC who is the winner of our drawing to win a copy of "Enrique’s Journey". During our conversation, Sonia and I discuss her inspiration for writing "Enrique’s Journey", how themes in the book connect directly with the students we work with, what we can do to help curb the cycle of violence that force so many to flee countries like Honduras, and much more. For those who may not be familiar with her work, we invite you to learn more by visiting her website at enriquesjourney.com. You can also read her column here. You can stay connected with us by joining our ELL Community at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. There you can leave comments about this episode and others. You can also engage with great content like our short video series, blog posts, and articles. Finally, please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

How does Exc-ELL help teachers better serve their English learners and Dual language learners? How do we go about coaching others when observing classrooms and how does using observation protocols help administrators understand what teaching vocabulary, reading comprehension, and other strategies look like? How might we create a culture of giving and receiving feedback? Plus, we come back to the Seal of Biliteracy to ask how all this work might help more students access it. For more information on Dr. Calderón's expansive work, check out the show notes on Part 1. 

On this episode of Highest Aspirations, we feature part 1 of a 2 part series with Dr. Margarita Calderón, former Professor Emerita and Senior Research Scientist at Johns Hopkins University and author of several publications about multilingual education. During our conversation, we address the following questions: Why is it that many students are not receiving the Seal of Biliteracy after being on track for the recognition during their primary school years? How can we ensure that English learners and dual language learners are given the opportunity to engage in rigorous content area courses? Why is focusing on Tier 2 vocabulary, or connectors and transition words, so important to developing reading comprehension skills? How can a whole-school approach to professional development help content teachers infuse academic language into their lessons? Why are we still not seeing the progress we’d like in the areas of reading and writing for English learners and how can we to improve? For the past ten years Dr. Calderón, has been an Expert Consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights helping States such as Massachusetts and school districts come into compliance. As President of Margarita Calderón & Associates, Inc., Dr. Calderón and her team of 10 Associates conduct comprehensive professional development and coaching on ExC-ELL in many schools, districts, and state-wide Institutes throughout the country internationally (e.g., Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South America).  She was Co-Principal Investigator with Robert Slavin on the 5-Year Randomized Evaluation of English Immersion, Transitional Bilingual, and Two-Way Bilingual elementary programs funded by the Institute for Education Sciences/U.S. Dept. of Education. The Carnegie Corporation of New York funded a five-year empirical study to develop Expediting Comprehension for English Language Learners (ExC-ELL). Its purpose is to train math, science, social studies, language arts, ESL and special education teachers for integrating language, literacy and content in ALL classrooms. Another program, Reading Instructional Goals for Older Readers (RIGOR), was developed for Newcomers with Interrupted Formal Education. She developed the evidence-based Bilingual Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (BCIRC) program for dual language instruction which is included in the What Works Clearinghouse. Currently, Dr. Calderón collaborates with George Washington University on a Title III five-year grant to implement and further study “A Whole-School Approach to Professional Development with ExC-ELL.” Other research has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education, U.S.Department of Labor, National Institutes of Child Health and Development, TexasEducation Agency, school districts, and State Departments of Education. She collaborated on longitudinal studies with Diane August, Maria Carlo and Catherine Snow on the National Study of Students Reading in Spanish and Transfer of Skills. Dr. Calderón has over 100 publications, including her most recent collaborative work featuring other well known experts in multilingual education, Breaking Down the Wall: Essential Shifts for English Learners' Success. 

How do we move the needle from over-scaffolded, over-scripted dialogues to student-generated conversations that leverage academic language? What does a math-based conversation look like in a linguistically and culturally diverse classroom?  Why is it so important for teachers to come together to talk about communication in the classroom and how it fosters learning?  We discuss these questions and much more with Jeff Zwiers. Jeff is a senior researcher at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and the director of professional development for Understanding Language, a research and professional learning effort focused on improving instruction and assessment of English learners and other diverse students. He consults for national and international teacher development projects that promote language, literacy, lesson design, and formative assessment practices. Jeff’s research focuses on developing classroom instruction that fosters high-quality oral language and constructive conversations across disciplines. This is our second episode with Jeff Zwiers. Many listeners will be familiar with his book “Academic Conversations”, which provides Clear ways to support students in developing authentic, meaningful classroom conversation skills. Zwiers' research and work has impacted tens of thousands of classrooms across the country in providing equitable access to grade-level content for all learners, reflective of college-and-career readiness standards.”

What does a language rich math classroom look and sound like? How do we get past simple repetition to reach a “harmony of concept and language” for English learners in math classes? How do we move from simply getting the right answer and move toward building metacognitive skills and why is this particularly important for English learners? We discuss these questions and more in part 2 of our 2 part series with Grace Kelemanik and Amy Lucenta, authors of the book “Routines for Reasoning: Fostering the Mathematical Practices in All Students”.

How can building routines for reasoning help reduce cognitive load and anxiety for English learners in math classes? How can strategies like Ask-Yourself Questions, Annotation, Sentence Frames and Starters, and The Four Rs help provide equitable access to mathematical thinking? What are some effective ways of teaching students the academic vocabulary necessary to have a seat at the math table? We discuss these questions and more in part 1 of our 2 part series with Grace Kelemanik and Amy Lucenta, authors of the book “Routines for Reasoning: Fostering the Mathematical Practices in All Students”. 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. Grace Kelemanik has 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.” In this episode, we discuss routines that support these learners. 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. You can stay connected with us by joining our ELL Community. There you can leave comments about this episode and others. You can also engage with great content like our short video series, blog posts, and articles. Finally, please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

In this episode, we bring you a conversation Ellevation co-founders Teddy Rice and Jordan Meranus.  Jordan and Teddy talk about how Ellevation’s origin story is directly connected to an EL teacher working to maximize impact on her students, how diversity and inclusion contribute to innovation, what organizations like ours need to do to stay connected with schools, and what you can expect from Ellevation in the near future. Plus, they provide a sneak peek into what's coming next from Ellevation! Stay connected with us by joining our ELL Community. There you can leave comments about this episode and others. You can also engage with great content like our Whiteboard Wednesday short video series, blog posts, and articles. Finally, please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations. If you have ideas, email us at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to turn your idea into a future episode.

As you may know, Ellevation gives five $2,000 scholarships to deserving English learners every year. On this episode, we talk with Take the Pledge Scholarship winner Paola Martinez. Paola graduated from high school in Soledad, California and is currently studying business administration at the University of California Irvine. Like our other scholarship winners, Paola brings an important student perspective to Highest Aspirations. Listeners will appreciate her sincere reflection of her experience as an English learner, as well as the advice she offers for both students and teachers. Paola highlights her experience with Upward Bound, gives some great advice to EL students and teachers, and stresses the importance of reading in her educational journey. Stay connected with us by joining our EL Community. There you can leave comments about this episode and others. You can also engage with great content like our Whiteboard Wednesday short video series, blog posts, and articles. Finally, please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations. If you have ideas, email us at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to turn your idea into a future episode.

Have you ever avoided calling someone by name for fear of mispronouncing it? Have you given students nicknames to make it easier for you and fellow students to address them? How can mispronouncing, altering, or altogether changing students’ names affect their personal, educational, and social trajectories? Why is it important to change the narrative around names that some might consider difficult to pronounce and what can we do to begin? We discuss these topics and much more with N’Jameh Camara. N'Jameh Camara is an actor and author currently residing in New York. She is a proud first generation American of Filipina and Gambian roots. Having recently wrapped up the post-Broadway run of JUNK by Ayad Akhtar, she is currently performing in Macbeth at Classic Stage Company directed by John Doyle. She also did a year long run in the principal role of Nettie in the Tony Winning Revival of The Color Purple Broadway Tour, directed by John Doyle. Other credits include the World Premier of X: or Betty Shabazz vs. The Nation by Marcus Gardley, the Off-Broadway run of Julius Caesar and a Bobby and Kristen Anderson Lopez World Premier of Up Here at the La Jolla Playhouse, directed by Alex Timbers. Her voice can be heard on Amazon’s Audible, narrating audiobooks for young adults from Penguin Random House Publishing. For more information, check out the books, “Harbor Me,” “We Rise, We Resist, We Raise our Voices,” “A Peoples’ Future of the United States,” “You Bring the Distant Near,” and Fumbled and Gravity. N'Jameh received her Master of Fine Art from UC San Diego and has taught acting and movement workshops at various universities including Loyola University- New Orleans, UC San Diego, SUNY Oswego, Northern Arizona University and University of Central Missouri. She is a current member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association where she presented on Intersectional Arts Pedagogy in Singapore at the 2017 VASTA conference. As well as acting, N’Jameh enjoys writing and is currently working on her first book. She has also written and performed a one woman show about a young Maya Angelou, Marguerite to Maya. The show was developed with the Ubuntu Theater Project and was performed at Studio 67 in Oakland, CA, The Alameda Juvenile Detention Hall and the Eugene O'Neill Tao House for New Play Development. Other writing credits include The Monologue Project.

What are some misconceptions about dyslexia and how do they affect English learners? What are some strategies educators can use to help identify dyslexia in English learners? How does family engagement come into play once a student is diagnosed with dyslexia and what challenges might emerge with families of English learners? We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley. Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D. is an author and co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute. She received her doctorate in literacy with a specialization in reading and dyslexia from San Diego State University and the University of San Diego. She is also completing her TESOL certification. Dr. Kelli is a certified special education advocate assisting parents and children through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan process. She has training in mediation and also serves as an expert witness in the area of dyslexia. Dr. Kelli is a Past-President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. She is a dyslexia consultant working with schools to improve services offered to students with dyslexia and training teachers. She co-created and produced “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” and she is a frequent speaker at conferences. She is the author of the well-received book, Dyslexia Advocate! How to Advocate for a Child with Dyslexia within the Public Education System. Stay connected with us by joining our EL Community at ellevationeducation.com/elcommunity. There you can leave comments about this episode and others. You can also engage with great content like our Whiteboard Wednesday short video series, blog posts, and articles. Finally, please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

Michelle Benegas, of Hamline University and the ELM Project dropped by to talk about site-based EL teacher leadership, the evolving (and elevated) role of the EL teachers, and how Ellevation is serving as a conduit for conversations about EL progress. Learn more about EL teacher leadership and professional development by listening to our full interview with Michelle and her colleague Amy Stolpestad.

Dr. Yue Vang, Director of the Office of Multilingual Learning at St. Paul Schools in Minnesota stopped by the booth to discuss equity for multilingual learners, a collective approach to EL education, and how the new ESSA regulations might make a positive impact for EL programs

Kristina Robertson, EL Program Administrator at Roseville Public Schools in Minnesota, chatted with us about the our collective responsibility to educate English learners, how ESSA might helping support teachers who work with ELs, and her favorite features of Ellevation for both administrators and teachers.

Laura Gardner of Immigrant Connections stopped by to discuss the ABC’s of family engagement, looking at EL students holistically, and a new awareness of what it means to create a welcoming environment for EL students and their families. For more on family and community engagement strategies, check out our full interview with Laura. 

David Holbrook of TransACT stopped by our booth at the WIDA Conference in Providence, RI to talk about the impact of ESSA on EL programs, shifts from Title 3 into Title 1, and family engagement. You can read David's bio and find his recent contributions on TransACT's website. To learn more about ESSA's impact on English learners, be sure to listen to our full podcast episode David Holbrook and Ellevation's President and co-founder Teddy Rice.

What are civil rights of English learners and how can schools sometimes unintentionally violate them? How can civil rights issues affect EL reclassification rates, access to advanced courses, and more?  Why do violations happen and how can schools avoid them? We discuss these questions and more with Dr. Ayanna Cooper. Dr. Ayanna Cooper is an author, keynote speaker and advocate for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. She is the author of Creating and Sustaining Equitable Schools with English Learners (in press), co-editor of Black Immigrants in the United States: Essays on the Politics of Race, Language, and Voice (with Ibrahim, in press), and co-author of Evaluating ALL Teachers of English Learners and Students with Disabilities: Supporting Great Teaching (with Staher Fenner & Kozik). Her projects involve providing technical assistance internationally and in the U.S. to State Departments of Education, school districts and non-profit organizations. Dr. Cooper recently returned from an English language Specialist project in Kuwait. She was also recently elected to TESOL's Board of Directors for 2020-2023.

How might a conceptual framework help educators better communicate around EL program management, instructional practices, and more? How can using a framework encourage educators to assess their practice and identify where they can improve? What benefits does all this have for multilingual learners? We discuss these questions and much more with Ellevation’s own Adam Howard. Adam is currently a project manager here at Ellevation Education, where he works with school districts across the country to onboard and roll-out a suite of software that manages data analysis, teacher development, and student instruction. He has an extensive background in education, having spent nearly ten years in the English Language Development classroom supporting learners from all over the world. Adam has spent his career focused on integrating 21st-century technology into the classroom, disrupting the outdated, and promoting equitable learning opportunities to empower all students.  His background in educational technology contributed to his development of the SADI model, a conceptual framework that helps educators level set around English learner instruction and program management. The acronym stands for Simplification, Accommodation, Differentiation, and Integration. It is loosely based on the SAMR model, created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura that categorizes four different degrees of classroom technology integration. If you’d like to refer to the SADI model as you listen, you can find it at bit.ly/sadimodel. Be sure to subscribe to Highest Aspirations on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode. Also, please consider leaving us a rating and review on iTunes to let everyone know how we’re doing. This will help us get the word out and bring in more great guests. Finally, we love to crowdsource from the community! If you have an idea for a topic or guest for an upcoming episode, please reach out to [email protected].

How does growing up in a diverse community impact the educational outcome of English learners? What kinds of learning experiences have the most impact on diverse learners? What advice would a recent high school graduate and former English learner give to students facing similar challenges? We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Take the Pledge scholarship winner Camila Garcia.  Camila recently began studying English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign after graduating high school in Beardstown, IL. As we discuss in the episode, Camila is an avid reader, a quality which she believes helped her achieve English proficiency. She is particularly fond of The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.   Her story is an inspirational reminder of how all students can reach their highest aspirations when provided with the necessary support and opportunities in school. 

What does the research say about the benefits of bringing teachers of color into our classrooms? Are teacher licensure exams creating barriers to enter the teaching profession - particularly for teachers of color? How might alternatives like community based assessments help bring in more aspiring teachers of color? We discuss these questions and much more with Emery Petchauer. Emery Petchauer is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. His research has focused on the aesthetic practices of urban arts, particularly hip-hop culture, and their connections to teaching, learning, and living. He is the author of Hip-Hop Culture in College Students’ Lives (Routledge, 2012), the first scholarly study of hip-hop culture on college campuses, and the co-editor of Schooling Hip-Hop: Expanding Hip-Hop Based Education Across the Curriculum (Teachers College Press, 2013).Dr. Petchauer also studies high-stakes teacher licensure exams and their relationship to the racial diversity of the teaching profession. Theories of social psychology and spatial studies inform this work, as do many years of working individually with preservice teachers to pass these exams. Dr. Petchauer has received teaching awards at both the high school and college levels, including the Board of Trustees Distinguished Teaching Award at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the nation’s first Historically Black University. His most recent book, Navigating Teacher Licensure Exams offers practical, empirically sourced insights into the high-stakes licensure exams required in most states for teacher certification. This unique resource foregrounds the experiences of diverse preservice teachers, including teachers of color, to understand how they organize their preparation efforts, overcome self-doubt and anxiety, and navigate the high-pressure space of this important testing event. 

What is translanguaging and how does it affect language learning and pedagogy? What are the implications of language loss in both school and home environments? What kind of support do teachers of multilingual learners need most as they progress through their careers? We discuss these questions and much more in part 2 of our 2 part conversation with Dr. Sera Hernandez of San Diego State University. Dr. Hernandez teaches university courses on multilingual education, bilingualism, biliteracy, language policy and English language development. Her research focuses on the impact of state and federal language and education policies on language and literacy practices in Spanish and English in schools, homes, and communities across California, the U.S. and internationally. Her work strives to better understand the language and literacy development of emergent bilinguals (i.e., DLLs, ELLs) starting in early childhood and specifically how educational language policies and program models facilitate or undermine language learners’ access to equitable schooling experiences. You can stay connected with us by joining our EL Community at ellevationeducation.com/elcommunity. There you can leave comments about this episode and others. You can also engage with great content like our Whiteboard Wednesday short video series, blog posts, and articles. Finally, please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

What has changed in bilingual teacher education over the last 5-10 years and how have those changes affected the field? How have policy changes and initiatives like the Seal of Biliteracy affected dual language programs and bilingual education? What are some of the most effective ways of preparing preservice and inservice teachers to work with dual language and English language learners?  We discuss these questions and much more in part 1 of a 2 part series with Dr. Sera Hernandez, Assistant Professor of Dual Language and English Learner Education at San Diego State University. Dr. Hernandez earned her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education with a degree in Language, Literacy, and Culture. With an interdisciplinary academic background, her research bridges the fields of educational linguistics and the anthropology of education to examine the sociocultural, linguistic and political contexts surrounding educational language policies and bilingualism and biliteracy practices in the U.S. and abroad. Her research focuses on the impact of state and federal language and education policies on language and literacy practices in Spanish and English in schools, homes, and communities across California, the U.S. and internationally. Her work strives to better understand the language and literacy development of emergent bilinguals (i.e., DLLs, ELLs) starting in early childhood and specifically how educational language policies and program models facilitate or undermine language learners’ access to equitable schooling experiences. Her research and teaching also involve multiple international programs that examine equity issues around language policies and teacher education, namely in Mexico, the Republic of Palau, and Switzerland. Dr. Hernandez has worked in public K-12 schools and universities for 20 years and has facilitated trainings for over 1,500 teachers and administrators across the U.S. in the OCDE Project GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) model. She is currently a lead trainer for the California Association for Bilingual Education’s Binational Project GLAD model which works with bilingual educators on both sides of the border to foster and build collaborative binational relationships and better schooling experiences for binational students in the U.S. and Mexico as they become bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural.

Why are advanced STEM classes a good fit for many English learners? What strategies can teachers leverage to maximize impact on diverse learners in STEM classes? How might we remove barriers that prevent many English learners from taking advanced classes throughout their academic careers? We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Dr. Stephen Fleenor. Stephen is a scientist-turned-educator who is inspired by the principles of sheltered instruction and growth mindset, particularly in the service of English learners. In 2014, Stephen earned his PhD in Developmental Neurobiology and sought to empower the next generation of thinkers as a high school science teacher at a Title I school in San Antonio. He has developed innovative approaches to working with ELs and economically disadvantaged students, and has presented his ideas across various districts, as well as at regional conferences. A central component of Stephen’s pedagogy is student ownership of personal growth throughout the school year. This approach has been particularly effective in promoting language and content acquisition for ELLs, and under his leadership his department closed the gap in EL performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) in Science. In 2017, Stephen was awarded the Edgewood ISD District Teacher of the Year Award and the KENS5 ExCEL Award, and went on to serve as a science instructional coach for Edgewood ISD.  In addition to his PhD from Oxford, Stephen holds an M.Ed. in School Leadership from the University of the Incarnate Word and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin.  Stephen lives in San Antonio with his wife, a fellow educator.

What if schools were run like Disney? How would this philosophy affect the educational experiences of all students, and particularly ELs? What can we learn from Disney about providing access to opportunities that keep students coming back? We discuss these questions and much more with Lynmara Colón, Director of English Learner Programs at Prince Williams County Public Schools in Maryland. Lynn brings the perspective of a teacher, assistant principal, and principal—positions she has held since joining education in 2003. As principal of an elementary school in 2014, she served over 1,000 students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade and was able to increase reading engagement by leading a culture of literacy, personalized learning, and collaborative learning teams. Lynn believes all schools should be run like Disney; providing magical experiences to every student regardless or their background. She now heads the office that provides comprehensive registration services to English learners and immigrant children, including translation and interpretation services, to a school division serving over 90,000 students. These students represent 124 countries and 149 languages. Colón holds two master’s degrees: a degree in curriculum and instruction, and the other in educational leadership. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in education through Old Dominion University.

How can shadowing EL students help educators, schools, and districts improve their instruction and outcomes? What are some ways we can link quantitative data from assessments with qualitative data gathered while shadowing students? What are the protocols that teachers should use when shadowing students and what action steps should be taken after the experience? We discuss the questions and much more with Dr. Ivannia Soto. Dr. Soto is professor of Education at Whittier College in California, where she specializes in second language acquisition, systemic reform for English language learners (ELLs), and urban education. She began her career in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where she taught English and English Language Development to a population made of up 99.9% Latinos, who either were or had been ELLs. Before becoming a professor, Dr. Soto also served LAUSD as a literacy coach and district office administrator. She has presented on literacy and language topics at various conferences, including the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), the California Association for Bilingual Association (CABE), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the National Urban Education Conference. As a consultant, Soto has worked with Stanford University’s School Redesign Network (SRN) and WestEd, as well as a variety of districts and county offices in California, providing technical assistance for systemic reform for ELLs and Title III. Soto is the co-author of The Literacy Gaps: Building Bridges for ELLs and SELs, as well as ELL Shadowing as a Catalyst for Change and From Spoken to Written Language with ELLs, all published by Corwin Press. Together, the books tell a story of how to systemically close achievement gaps with ELLs by increasing their oral language production in academic areas.  Dr. Soto is Executive Director of the Institute for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching (ICLRT) at Whittier College, whose mission it is to promote relevant research and develop academic resources for ELLs and Standard English Learners (SELs) via linguistically and culturally responsive teaching practices. You can find a full transcription of our conversation and more resources on our blog post about the episode.

How do students deal with the stigma sometimes associated with English learners and immigrants in our schools and communities? What are some of the main factors that help ensure success for English learners? What can educators do to best support English learners? We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Take the Pledge scholarship winner Melany Quintero. Melany is a recent high school graduate from Pembroke Pines, Florida, just outside Miami. She is beginning her higher education journey at Dartmouth College this fall, where she is studying Biomedical Engineering. She came to the US from Cuba at age 9 and as you’ll hear in the episode, she attributes much of her English learning to the Hannah Montana series. Melany’s story exemplifies the educational journey of so many English learners across the country. For more information about Ellevation’s Take the Pledge Scholarship for English learners, visit takethepledge.net. You can read the full transcription of our conversation with Melany here.

How might we create and nurture a classroom and school culture that encourages respectful conversations where everyone has a chance to participate?  What are some practical ways to increase quality conversations with English learners? What is QSSSA and how might it help engage all students in high quality classroom conversations?  We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with John Seidlitz, founder and CEO of Seidlitz Education.  Seidlitz Education's mission is to support school districts and teachers with increasing academic achievement for English Language Learners. They provide research-based consultations, trainings, coaching, and products with innovative educational tools that focus on ways we can help give students the gift of academic language. We are always looking for user-friendly ways to help teachers give students rich background knowledge and the ability to communicate in academic settings. 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 also been a 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™. You can find a full transcription of our conversation with John Seidlitz here. Be sure to subscribe to Highest Aspirations on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode. Also, please consider leaving us a rating and review on iTunes to let everyone know how we’re doing. This will help us get the word out and bring in more great guests.  Finally, we love to crowdsource from the community! If you have an idea for a topic or guest for an upcoming episode, please reach out to [email protected].  As always, you can find more free resources, including our Whiteboard Wednesday short video series, curated news articles, blog posts, and 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.

How might EL Specialists establish and nurture relationships with content teachers who work with ELs? What are some simple strategies that can help make co-planning and co-teaching easier for all  kinds of teachers? How can we encourage content teachers allow their EL students to create as a more effective way of learning. We discuss these questions and much more in this lively conversation Tan Huynh. Tan Huynh (@TanELLclassroom) 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. Currently, he and others are preparing for the third annual VirtuEL conference, which is open to anyone for free online on Saturday, June 15th from 9am to noon eastern time. You can find out more about the conference by visiting http://bit.ly/VirtuEL. For more resources from the episode, visit Ellevation's EL Community.

What are “Grow Your Own” (GYO) teacher programs and how are they being deployed to address the bilingual teacher shortage? What can we learn about these programs from those who have experience implementing them? What supports do GYO teacher candidates and schools need to help them thrive? We discuss these topics and much more with Amaya Garcia and Alexandra Manuel. Amaya Garcia is deputy director for English learner education with the Education Policy program at New America. She provides research and analysis on policies and programs related to dual language education, bilingual teacher preparation and career pathways, bilingual education, English language proficiency and early education. Prior to joining New America, Garcia was a policy analyst at the DC State Board of Education and a research associate at the American Institutes of Research. Previously she worked in a variety of research labs conducting studies on topics including school finance, reading comprehension, infant learning and memory and early language development. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland-College Park, a master’s degree in cognitive studies in education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from the University of Iowa. Alexandra (“Alex”) Manuel has been the executive director for the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) and the first in the nation, WA State Paraeducator Board since February, 2018. Prior to her new role, she served as PESB’s Deputy Director and previously the Director of Educator Pathways. Her experience as a strategic leader has focused on education policy that expanded access to educator preparation and advancing equity to support student success. Over the last several years she has focused on addressing educator shortage and educator diversity in the workforce. Her experience includes resource development, government relations, community engagement, policy development, system change, capacity building and immigrant integration. Alex is focused on providing greater access to the educator workforce by lifting up community assets including language and culture. Alex brings skills as a strategic leader in systems integration and strategic planning, community engagement and change management from her employment and consulting experience in both private and public organizations including Highline College, Seattle University, City of Auburn, the YMCA, City of Seattle, and University of Washington. Alex earned her Bachelor’s degree at George Mason University in Organizational Development and Social Change and her Masters degree in Education from Seattle University.

How do school principals impact EL reclassification rates? Why is it important to consider the underlying spirit of policies that are passed down from above rather than simply looking at compliance? How might leaders create opportunities for school staff to engage in meaningful conversations about EL student success? We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with professors Madeline Mavrogordato and Rachel S. White.  Madeline Mavrogordato is an associate professor of K-12 educational administration in the Department of Educational Administration at Michigan State University . She utilizes quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate how education policies shape outcomes for underserved student populations, particularly immigrants and English learners. In addition, she studies how to develop and support effective school leaders who are prepared to serve students from diverse backgrounds in today’s climate of high stakes accountability and evaluation. Her work is informed by her experience serving as a bilingual teacher in Texas and California. Mavrogordato’s work has appeared in a range of publications including Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Educational Administration Quarterly, and Educational Policy. She currently serves as an associate editor for the American Educational Research Journal.  Dr. Rachel S. White is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Foundations and Leadership Department of Old Dominion University’s Darden College of Education and Professional Studies. Rachel teaches graduate courses in education policy & politics, as well as advanced research design and analysis. Rachel’s research agenda is framed by three areas of interest: 1) issues of power and democratic accountability in local and state education policymaking processes, 2) relationships between institutional structures and education policymaking and implementation, and 3) how school and district leaders come to understand and implement policy in ways that lead to the enactment of social justice for historically marginalized students. As such, Rachel examines the politics of education policy making and implementation, with a focus on the ways in which decisions made by political and educational leaders at the school, district and state level impact K-12 educational experiences of marginalized students.

How can state level agencies help promote the successful implementation of the Seal of Biliteracy in school districts? Why is it important to track data on who is earning the seal, and how might organizations go about doing it? What are some ways to ensure equitable access to the seal of biliteracy for all students and how are states like Washington providing resources to make that happen? We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Angela Davila and Patty Finnegan from Washington State’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Angela Davila is the WA state World Language Program Supervisor, OSPI.  Previously she coordinated foreign language programs worldwide for the Department of Defense Education Activity in Arlington, VA. She has also served as World Language Curriculum Coach/Developer for the Bellevue School District, World Language Facilitator for the Highline School District, and Spanish teacher in Bellevue and Highline school districts for a total of 26 years. She also directed Language Immersion Camps in five languages at Camp Waskowitz in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains while working in the Highline District.  Patty’s work as a teacher, teacher educator, state-level administrator, and educational researcher continues to be fueled by her passion to serve traditionally marginalized students. She has led professional learning on effective program development and instructional practices for English learners and students with disabilities. Patty serves as Special Projects Program Supervisor with the Washington State’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Migrant & Bilingual Education office and facilitates Washington’s K-12 Dual Language Initiative.

How might ELL and LOTE teachers provide low stress opportunities for output? How is the concept of productive struggle different in the ELL and LOTE classroom and what can these groups learn from each other? What is the role of motivation in language learning and how might cultural input and technology help boost it? We discuss these questions and more in part 2 of our conversation with Anna Matis. Anna Matis is an educational consultant and the product development manager for Seidlitz Education. Her love of language learning stems from childhood experiences as an immigrant and ESL student herself from Budapest, Hungary. Being proficient in multiple languages, she is passionate about second language acquisition for all ages, sheltered instruction strategies, and research pertaining to heritage language learning and long-term ELLs. She has led professional development, coached teachers, and created educational products for both teachers and administrators working with ESL students. She has presented locally and nationally on best practices for quality ESL instruction, as well as effective training strategies when working with English language learners. Anna recently published the book 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Foreign Language Classroom for LOTE teachers with John Seidlitz, and also co-authored Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education. She began her foreign language teaching career as a high school French teacher at Aldine ISD in Houston, TX, and has worked as an ESL Instructional Coach in Round Rock ISD. Anna has an M.A. in Foreign Language Education from the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.A. in Communication Studies and Art History from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX. She joined Seidlitz Education from Region 13 ESC, where she served a dual role of Bilingual/ESL Specialist and Program Manager for the Bilingual/ESL team. Be sure to subscribe to Highest Aspirations wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss this episode or any of the others we have coming up!

Do teachers of languages other than English (or LOTE teachers) collaborate enough? What are some ways these educators could learn from one another to help build better language programs for all students? What are some common misconceptions about what it means to be a “good language teacher” and how might understanding them help our students achieve greater language competency? We discuss these questions and much more in Part 1 of a 2 Part conversation with Anna Matis.   Anna Matis is an educational consultant and the product development manager for Seidlitz Education. Her love of language learning stems from childhood experiences as an immigrant and ESL student herself from Budapest, Hungary. Being proficient in multiple languages, she is passionate about second language acquisition for all ages, sheltered instruction strategies, and research pertaining to heritage language learning and long-term ELLs. She has led professional development, coached teachers, and created educational products for both teachers and administrators working with ESL students. She has presented locally and nationally on best practices for quality ESL instruction, as well as effective training strategies when working with English language learners. Anna recently published the book 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Foreign Language Classroom for LOTE teachers with John Seidlitz, and also co-authored Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education.  She began her foreign language teaching career as a high school French teacher at Aldine ISD in Houston, TX, and has worked as an ESL Instructional Coach in Round Rock ISD. Anna has an M.A. in Foreign Language Education from the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.A. in Communication Studies and Art History from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX. She joined Seidlitz Education from Region 13 ESC, where she served a dual role of Bilingual/ESL Specialist and Program Manager for the Bilingual/ESL team. In Part 2 of our conversation, we’ll talk more with Anna about creating low stress opportunities for language output, the role of motivation in language learning, and the importance of infusing cultural connections into instruction. Be sure to subscribe to Highest Aspirations wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss this episode or any of the others we have coming up!

In the second of a 2 part series, we continue our conversation with Eddie Williams, the teacher featured in Helen Thorpe’s book The Newcomers.  How might teachers handle the draw of smartphones, texting, social media in their classes, particularly when working with English learners and newcomers? What is the appropriate balance between structure and agency when working with English learners? How do effective coaches encourage new teachers to increase their impact without becoming overwhelmed? All that and what Eddie hopes readers will take away from the book.  We pick up right where we left off with a discussion about one of the most common challenges that all teachers face.  For more information about the episode and the resources Eddie recommends, please visit Ellevation's ELL Community. 

How might an EL teacher and his dynamic newcomers class react to having a journalist embed herself in their classroom for an entire school year? What partnerships might they form to learn more about students and what does this tell us about the resources schools have and do not have at their disposal? What are some of the best things about working with students who come with such a wide array of backgrounds, experiences, and skills? We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Eddie Williams.  Eddie’s newcomers class at Denver’s South High School was profiled as part of Helen Thorpe’s latest book entitled The Newcomers. In her book, Thorpe describes Eddie by stating,  “He was like a gardener, excited by seedlings. Where others might see students with limitations, or students who were lagging behind their peers, Mr. Williams saw a room filled with kids who had lived through titanic experiences, teenagers who could do anything at all, once they accepted whatever sort of history they had brought with them and grasped the full extent of the opportunity lying ahead. He often told me that he felt lucky to work in a room like this one - a room that spoke of just how big the world was, and how mysterious.”  After speaking with him as a long awaited follow up to last season’s episode with Helen Thorpe, I think this description is far superior to any bio I could provide. Humble, passionate, and thoughtful, Eddie embodies the kind of educator who helps makes a difference in students’ lives by seeing all the assets they bring to our schools and communities.  Eddie and I had a lot to discuss, so this is part 1 of a 2 part series. If you haven’t heard our conversation with Helen Thorpe, you can find it on Highest Aspirations Season 1 / Episode 19 anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

What are some effective and practical ways to differentiate reading comprehension strategies for English learners? How does motivation, relationship building, and autonomy impact student growth? How might family engagement strategies like home visits help provide actionable insight leading to better reading comprehension and perhaps more importantly, a joy in reading? We discuss these topics and much more with Larry Ferlazzo.  Larry  teaches English, Social Studies and International Baccalaureate classes to English Language Learners and mainstream students at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. He has written nine books, the latest of which is titled The ELL Teacher’s Toolbox (with co-author Katie Hull Sypnieski). He and Katie are presently, editing a series of practical classroom books for Social Studies, Science and Math teachers. They are also preparing a second edition of our The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide.  In addition, he is writing a fourth book on student motivation, Building Intrinsic Motivation in the Classroom: A Practical Guide. Larry has won several awards, including the Leadership For A Changing World Award from the Ford Foundation, and was the Grand Prize Winner of the International Reading Association Award for Technology and Reading. In the past, he has taught courses in the teacher credential program at California State University, Sacramento and the University of California – Davis. Larry also writes a popular education blog, a weekly teacher advice column for Education Week Teacher and semi-regular posts for The New York Times and The British Council. His articles on education policy appear in the Washington Post and in publications such as ASCD Educational Leadership, Social Policy, and Language Magazine. In addition, he hosts a weekly radio show on BAM! Education Radio. Larry was a community organizer for nineteen years prior to becoming a public school teacher - which is where we begin our conversation in this episode.

What are some essential strategies that district leaders should put into place to make sure all students have the ability to engage in deeper learning? How can school leaders and teachers collaborate more effectively to maximize impact on diverse groups of students? What are some ways to strike the appropriate balance between structure and agency when implementing project-based learning practices? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Carmen Coleman, Chief Academic Officer of Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky. In 2018, Dr. Coleman launched the “What’s in Your Backpack?” video series, with each episode focusing on a specific aspect of the Backpack of Student Success Skills development. The program focuses on providing students with a backpack full of universal essential skills, such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication. Students fill their virtual backpacks with examples of their work and defend that work during the school year. Dr. Coleman previously served as an associate clinical professor at the University of Kentucky (UK) in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies. She was the program coordinator for the Principal Preparation Program and the director of the Next Generation Leadership Academy. Before joining UK, Dr. Coleman served as superintendent of Danville Independent Schools. Previously, she was director of elementary schools in Fayette County. She began her career in Scott County, where she worked as a teacher and principal. This episode is a follow up to S1/E10, when we spoke with Jefferson County's Donna Neary about "Accelerate to Graduate", her team's project-based learning initiative that helped newcomers graduate before aging out of high school. We were curious to learn more about the role school leadership plays in implementing this kind of program. As you will hear, Dr. Coleman provided us with that and much more!

What is the Workshop approach and how might it help English learners improve their reading and writing skills? What is the appropriate balance between direct instruction and independent student work? How might we implement workshop style activities in classes with diverse groups of learners? We discuss these questions and much more with Valentina Gonzalez. Valentina is an educational consultant working with educators across the nation to support English learners. She works with schools and districts to provide professional learning experiences that are tailored to meet the needs of the participants. She specializes in creating presentations that are engaging and interactive.  Valentina started her journey as an educator in 1997 as a third grade language arts teacher in Katy, Texas. She has served as an educator in many capacities since then, including teaching second and fourth grade. After leaving the classroom, she worked as an ESL Instructional Support Specialty Teacher on her campus serving and co-teaching in first-fifth grade classrooms. As a district leader, she has served as a facilitator for campuses and as a professional development specialist. Currently, Valentina shares her time as an independent contractor traveling to deliver professional development and working for a school district.   For more information and resources about Valentina and this topic, check out our blog post on Ellevation's ELL Community.

What does the research show about how dual language programs are impacting social and academic gains for students - particularly English learners? How might we promote buy-in to these programs from those who may still be uncertain about them? What role does language learning play in ensuring educational equity and how can dual language programs help?   We discuss these topics and much more with Conor P. Williams. You may recognize the name as this is Conor’s second appearance on Highest Aspirations, and given his expertise and passion for this topic, we were happy to have him back. If you missed his previous episode, I encourage you to check it out - it is the first episode of Highest Aspirations.  Conor is a 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. Williams 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 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, Commonwealth, The Daily Beast, Talking Points Memo, and elsewhere.