Highest Aspirations

What are some strategies that help create a more inclusive classroom environment for multilingual students? How are dual language programs evolving and what supports do schools need to get them off the ground? What if we ran our schools like Disney runs their parks? Why are STEM classes particularly well suited to multilingual learners and how can we ensure they have access?  We cover these questions and much more in Season 3 of Highest Aspirations, an education podcast, where we engage in important conversations about our country’s most rapidly growing student demographic - English Language Learners.  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 ep

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 c

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 l

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 e

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 al

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

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 teach

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 th

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 mo

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

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-

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, an

How might school districts form teams of educators with different skill sets to design and implement effective family engagement strategies? Why is it so important to create a solid action plan for family engagement and how might districts approach this work? How do family and community engagement practices positively affect EL student success in school and beyond?  We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with a great team from Cabarrus County Schools in North Carolina. In our first episode with three guests, we bring in ESL Counselor Stacey Diaz, High School ESL Teacher Emily Francis, and School Social Worker Doug Carr. As you’ll hear in our conversation, each person bring a unique skillset to best support EL students and their families in the district and community. This team based approach one of the key elements of success in Cabarrus and is replicable in other districts. As always, you can find more information on this episode and other important topics by visiting Ellevation'

How might a back to basics approach help EL educators ground themselves in practices that can provide the most impact for the students they serve? What are some of the pitfalls of constantly searching for "the next new thing" and how can we avoid them? How might we help bridge the gap between research and practice when vetting, implementing, and assessing educational tools and practices? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Jana Echevarria. Jana is a Professor Emerita at California State University, Long Beach.  She started out teaching in special education, but also taught in elementary, middle, and high school in general education, special education, ESL, and bilingual programs. She is a founding researcher of the SIOP Model,  and her research over the years has focused on effective instruction for English learners, including those with learning disabilities. Jana has presented her research in the U.S. and internationally, including at Oxford University (England), Wits Universit

How are districts assessing criteria to achieve the Seal of Biliteracy? What supports are available for teachers with diverse groups of language learners? How can the Seal of Biliteracy help mitigate larger issues, like home language loss and equity in education? We discuss these topics and much more in part 2 of our 2 part series on the Seal of Biliteracy with Martha Hernandez of Californians Together.  If you listened to Part 1, you know that Martha is both well versed and passionate about the history, current state, and future of the Seal of Biliteracy and its impact on language learners of all types.

How has the Seal of Biliteracy evolved from a California-based grassroots movement to a highly regarded program offered in 35 states and the District of Columbia? How might offering the seal of biliteracy help school districts strengthen their language programs for all learners? What pathways and checkpoints are built into the journey toward the Seal to help guide students toward the ultimate goal of biliteracy? We discuss these topics and much more in Part 1 of our 2 part series on the Seal of Biliteracy with Martha Hernandez. Martha, the oldest of nine children, is a first-generation college graduate and a role model for her siblings who also earned university degrees and are now serving as physicians, teachers, a computer programmer, an organic chemist and a doctor of pharmacy.  She attributes her family’s success to her mother who was an unwavering advocate for her children with a strong belief in the power of public education. Martha’s lifelong support of the United Farm Workers and bilingual educa

How is interpretation different from translation? When is interpreting necessary and how is it mandated in schools and other community institutions? What are some of the challenges and  pitfalls of “home grown” interpreting services? We discuss these topics and much more in our conversation with Michelle Gallagher. Michelle is the Managing Director of Cross-Cultural Communications, the leading national training organization for educational, social services and medical interpreters with more than 300 licensed trainers in 37 US States, Washington DC, Guam and six other countries. Michelle has more than 15 years of experience in facilitation and management of professional training programs for international audiences. She has taught at the Universidad Europea de Madrid and managed training organizations in Madrid and Maryland. She is also a freelance Spanish interpreter. Michelle received her BA in International Relations from Tulane University and her MBA in Marketing and General Management from the Unive

How might schools districts design programs that help teachers work with growing numbers of English Language Learners? What role does technology play in helping all students get the services they need? How is equity and advocacy work connected to school leadership? We discuss these topics and much more with Dr. Terri Bresnahan. Dr. Bresnahan began her teaching career in San Bernardino, California where she taught middle school math and Kindergarten/1st grade while earning her master's degree in Educational Technology from Azusa Pacific University. After 4 years in California, she returned to the midwest as a K-5 Computer teacher and technology facilitator while earning her CAS CAS in Educational Leadership. In 2005 she took her first administrative position as Director of Technology in Addison School District 4. She worked there for 5 years while beginning her doctoral degree at National Louis University. In 2010 she accepted the role of Director of Educational Technology in Park Ridge School District 64. In

How might we ensure that teachers are equipped with the empathy necessary to work with diverse groups of students? What kinds of professional development experiences are both practical and effective in supporting teachers who may not share the experiences of their students? What are simple steps anyone can take to learn more about cultural and linguistic diversity in their communities? We discuss these questions and much more with Laura Gardner.  Laura has 16 years of experience working in public education, refugee resettlement, and social work.  While in public education, she worked as a district level manager for immigrant family and community engagement as well as a school social worker. Laura also worked for Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) managing their national technical assistance initiative to federal Refugee School Impact Grantees.  Laura has facilitated professional development on building the capacity of teachers and school systems to engage immigrant families in their child