Highest Aspirations

What are some ways to address the challenge of differentiating for a wide variety of learners in both language learning and content mastery as we shift between in remote, hybrid and face to face instructional settings? How might we go about measuring student progress over the course of this academic year and what data should we be examining to ensure equitable access to instruction moving forward?...

How are EL students and their teachers doing now that the back to school season has transitioned into what is normally a very busy time of the year? What can EL educators do to prepare for upcoming state assessments? How is collaboration between EL Specialists and content teachers evolving as schools begin to assess student progress since the start of the school year?  We discuss these questi...

How might we expand on the workshop model for reading and writing to ensure English learners have the accommodations they need to learn? What is the role and responsibility of teachers during shared, guided, and independent reading and writing times?  How can well-designed reading and writing activities help build learning communities and allow teachers to get to know their students better? W...

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 d...

How are school districts implementing remote, in person and hybrid models all at the same time? What impact is this having on teachers, students and families they serve, particularly as it pertains to educational equity? What are some ways we can effectively identify and mitigate learning loss among English learners? We discuss these questions and much more with Rowena Mak, District Coordinator, S...

Dr. Adrian Johnson, Superintendent of Schools at Hearne ISD in Texas, talks about how his district is taking a gradual approach to bringing students and teachers back to school buildings, what they have learned about school community exposure to COVID, making the most of quality time with students and more. This episode is part of our "In This Together" docuseries , where we follow the triumphs an...

High School Literacy Coach Melissa Cabrera joins ESOL Director Vicky Saldala to discuss how she and her students are dealing with changes in learning environments, why differentiating and grouping students is still a challenge, how they are identifying and coping with learning loss and more. Melissa and Vicky's transparency and willingness to discuss difficult topics provide listeners with th...

How is lesson planning directly related to dismantling or supporting systems of oppression? Why is it so important to recognize that approaching education from a monolingual lens has not served many of our students and what can we do to change it? How does the C6 Biliteracy Instructional Framework help educators design learning opportunities that are culturally supportive rather than culturally de...

From Maywood District 89, IL, Director of ELs Juan Corona and Assistant Superintendent Maribel Taboada discuss building a culture of collaboration between EL specialists and content teachers, planning for a hybrid model, overcoming technology issues and more. This episode is part of our "In This Together" docuseries , where we follow the triumphs and challenges of a cross section of EL program dir...

Prince William County Director of EL Programs and Services Lynmara Colón discusses professional development, the power of productive struggle, her district's plans organize a summit to support EL education in a hybrid environment and more. This episode is part of our "In This Together" docuseries , where we follow the triumphs and challenges of a cross section of EL program directors as they striv...

How do we go about creating successful co-teaching and co-planning partnerships to support English learners? What are some protocols that co-teaching and co-planning pairs should have in place to help mitigate any conflicts that may arise between co-teachers? How can school leaders support and amplify the practice to maximize impact on students? We discuss these questions and much more in our conv...

What are some of the affordances we can leverage to engage English learners in STEM classes in remote and hybrid learning environments? How might we make synchronous meetings more engaging to promote growth in content area knowledge, language skills and collaborative work? What are some tools and strategies we can use to incorporate effective visuals, manipulatives and other supports in remote env...

What is implicit bias and what does it mean for teachers of multilingual students? How can educators take steps to recognize their own implicit biases so they can better serve students? How can weaving cultural responsiveness into curriculum and pedagogy create more opportunities for communication and collaboration? We discuss these questions and much more with Megan Fuciarelli. Megan Fuciarelli i...

We catch up with ESOL Director Vicky Saldala to discuss Broward County's Parent University program, differentiating for the wide spectrum of English learners, leveraging staff diversity, and more.  This episode is part of our "In This Together" docuseries , where we follow the triumphs and challenges of a cross section of EL program directors as they strive to deliver equitable experiences fo...

Director of ELs Juan Corona and Assistant Superintendent Maribel Taboada discuss implementing remote communication strategies for students and families, providing teachers with real time data for their ELs, planning for differentiated instruction and more. This episode is part of our "In This Together" docuseries , where we follow the triumphs and challenges of a cross section of EL program direct...

Lynmara Colón provides an update on differentiation, thriving in a virtual environment, learning to love new teaching strategies and more. Prince William County Public Schools is the second largest district in Virginia and serves almost 92,000 students, 25% of whom are English learners. While most students will go back to remote learning, English learners and other vulnerable student populations w...

How does increasing efficiency through the use of technology allow for more collaboration between EL specialists and content teachers? What are some best practices for involving students in goal setting and tracking and how might we implement processes to make it happen? How can educators continue meeting with students, families and other stakeholders to document progress in a remote setting? We d...

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Adrian Johnson talks about how his roots as an ESL / Migrant teacher has informed his work as Superintendent of Schools at Hearne ISD, a rural district in central Texas.  Dr. Johnson and his team recently deployed “Hearne Online”, a remote learning initiative designed to serve all students in the district as they transition back into school. We talk about Hearne’...

How might tried and true theories of learning help us navigate the uncertainties of remote and hybrid learning models? How can backwards design help teachers spend more time providing support and feedback to students in remote environments? How might we strike the appropriate balance between synchronous and asynchronous learning when planning interpersonal, interpretive and presentational communic...

Director of English Learner Language Learners Juan Corona and Assistant Superintendent Maribel Taboada talk with us about the challenge of maintaining strong connections with families and community, the advantages of planning for remote, hybrid, and in person scenarios, and more. They come to us from Maywood District 89, a public elementary school district outside of Chicago, IL serving 5,000 stud...

Dr. Adrian Johnson talks with us about providing equitable access to services and instruction for students without internet access, creating safe in-person opportunities for ELs and their families to get the information they need in their home languages, and more. Hearne ISD is located in Robertson County, TX just north of Texas A&M University. The district is 95.5 economically disadvantaged a...

Director of EL Programs and Services Lynmara Colón discusses the challenge of providing clear and effective communication among all stakeholders, the new opportunities that remote learning has provided for professional learning, and more. Prince William County Public Schools is the second largest district in Virginia and serves almost 92,000 students, 25% of whom are English learners. While most s...

Bilingual / ESOL Department Director Vicky Saldala highlights the challenge of families who cannot be home to support their children's’ learning, the importance of understanding students’ needs, the new face of professional development, and more. Broward County Public Schools is the sixth largest district in the country and the second largest in Florida, with 32,500 ELs representing 147 different...

EL District Coordinator Rowena Mak discusses the challenge of satisfying the needs of all families, the affordances of remote learning for students and teachers, and much more. Saddleback USD is a TK-12 school district in Southern California with almost 5,000 English learners. Schools will begin the year in a fully remote environment before giving families a choice to enroll in a hybrid model when...

What affordances does online learning provide that traditional classes may now? How might online learning help English learners keep learning regardless of what back to school plans look like around the country? What tech tools can teachers use to help support English learners if they are not able to come to school? We discuss these issues and much more with Dr. Gretchen Oliver and Dr. Karen Grego...