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 questions and much more in our latest conversation with Juan Corona, Director of English Learners at Maywood Dis...
Nov 02, 2020•33 min
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? We discuss these topics and much more in our conversation with Valentina Gonzalez and Melinda Miller, autho...
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 3 min
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 ...
Oct 20, 2020•46 min•Season 2Ep. 7
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, Services for English Learners at Saddleback Valley Unified School District in California. This episod...
Oct 13, 2020•35 min
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 and challenges of a cross section of EL program directors as they strive to deliver equitable experien...
Oct 09, 2020•50 min
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 the information and inspiration they need to work through challenges together. This episode is part of our ...
Oct 07, 2020•47 min
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 destructive? We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Dr. José Medina. Dr. Jo...
Oct 06, 2020•54 min
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 directors as they strive to deliver equitable experiences for students this school year. You can find a...
Sep 30, 2020•40 min
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 strive to deliver equitable experiences for students this school year. You can find all episodes (video a...
Sep 28, 2020•35 min
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 conversation with Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria G. Dove. Together, they have co-authored five best-selling...
Sep 22, 2020•49 min•Season 3Ep. 11
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 environments? We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Dr. Stephen Fleenor. St...
Sep 15, 2020•46 min
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 is a retired superintendent of schools with over 20 years of experience in the social justice realm. ...
Sep 09, 2020•44 min
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 for students this school year. You can find all episodes (video and audio) on our " In This Together" channe...
Sep 08, 2020•36 min
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 directors as they strive to deliver equitable experiences for students this school year. You can find all ...
Sep 04, 2020•27 min
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 will be given access to some in school learning opportunities. This episode is part of our "In This T...
Sep 02, 2020•31 min
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 discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Carolyn Grenz. Carolyn currently serve...
Sep 01, 2020•30 min
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’s success in connecting with families, supporting teachers, empowering diversity, and more. This episode i...
Aug 31, 2020•40 min
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 communication activities? We discuss these questions and much more in our second conversation with Dr. Karen...
Aug 25, 2020•48 min
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 it is safe to do so. To watch the entire "In This Together" docuseries, visit our new channel here ...
Aug 19, 2020•30 min
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 and faces unique challenges due to its rural location. Schools will start the first 4-8 weeks in a fu...
Aug 19, 2020•39 min
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 students will go back to remote learning, English learners and other vulnerable student populations w...
Aug 19, 2020•33 min
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 languages. Students will start the year with remote learning through the first quarter while the dis...
Aug 19, 2020•38 min
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 students from preschool to 8th grade. 1,400 of their students are English learners, 90% are minority, an...
Aug 19, 2020•41 min
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 Gregory of Clarkson University on this special episode of Highest Aspirations. Gretchen Oliver is the Ass...
Jul 21, 2020•46 min•Season 4Ep. 10
How have recent events changed the way educators access professional development? Are the days of giant annual conferences destined to be replaced by less formal, town hall style meetings? What does this mean for professional organizations that spend so much time planning for large conferences? We discuss these questions and share some great reading suggestions around race, equity and language learning with Rebecca Raab. Rebecca is President of Virginia TESOL and a doctoral candidate at Virginia...
Jul 07, 2020•48 min
How is the relationship between EL Specialists and content teachers similar to that of a driver and a mechanic? Why is it so important to question old habits when it comes to completing compliance-related tasks? What are some ways we can increase collaboration and capacity while also streamlining workflows like meetings and monitoring forms? We discuss these questions and much more with Thomas Johnson, ELL Coordinator at Fredericksburg City Schools in Virginia. Thomas and his team have discovere...
Jun 23, 2020•40 min
This episode is part of a series profiling our Ellevation Take the Pledge Scholarship winners. Each year, we award five $2,000 scholarships to deserving English learners so they can pursue a higher education. One of this year’s winners is Isabella De Souza, a graduating senior from Milford, Massachusetts. Isabella will be studying nursing and Spanish at the University of Massachusetts Lowell this fall. She is passionate about being multilingual, an asset which she hopes to use to help her commun...
Jun 16, 2020•40 min
What affordances does a forced entry into virtual learning offer for professional development? How can professional learning opportunities focused on language and content also integrate family engagement, social-emotional learning and more? How might districts maintain strong learning experiences for teachers while also facing budget cuts as a result of the pandemic? We discuss these questions and much more with Christina Lo. Christina is an energizing, reflective leader who serves with passion ...
Jun 09, 2020•38 min
How might partnerships with families, community organizations, and city officials create more equitable learning opportunities for English learners? Why is it so important for schools to understand the varied experiences of remote learning for students and their families? How can we leverage this opportunity to offer more relevant and flexible professional learning opportunities for teachers? We discuss these questions and more in our conversation with Laura Grisso, Executive Director of Languag...
May 26, 2020•29 min
What can districts do to support educators with relevant professional learning to help mitigate learning loss associated with school closures? Why might family engagement be more important than ever and what can schools do to establish and strengthen relationships? How do we use this experience to emphasize the importance of taking a true whole child approach? We discuss these questions and much more with Lynmara Colón, Director of English Learners at Prince Williams County Public Schools, VA. L...
May 19, 2020•32 min
