Stay ConnectedOn the Highest Aspirations Podcast, we engage in important conversations about the most rapidly growing student demographic in the United States – English Language Learners. We speak with educators and students, researchers and policy makers, and parents and community members about how we can help all students reach their highest aspirations.
Join us on this important journey as we bring the vibrant ELL Community together around the topics that matter most to the students we serve.
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 Tech researching the induction and mentoring experiences of new ESOL and bilingual teachers in U.S. public schools. Her passion is seeking innovative ways to support teachers and reduce attrition in the ESOL/bilingual field. As a former K-12 ESOL teacher in Virginia and North Carolina, she struggled to find support as an itinerant teacher and ultimately left the field (twice). You can read about her attrition story here: A Statistic’s Five Years. These challenges led her to where she is today—supporting teachers. To contact Rebecca, email her at rebecca.raab@vt.edu.
For more information about VATESOL, please visit www.vatesol.com or email vatesol@gmail.com. Also, check out their blog, VATESOL Together. If you are interested in joining their Summer Book Club (they are reading The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez), sign up here: bit.ly/vatesolreads. Be sure to stay in touch with VATESOL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to participate in their exciting upcoming events!
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 discovered some great ways to maximize efficiency so they can spend more time working with students and their families. They hope to continue improving workflows to help increase impact on their English learners using the many lessons learned during the time that schools were closed due to the Covid-19. You can connect with Thomas by sending him an email at tjohnson@cityschools.com.
For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning at distance.ellevationeducation.com.
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 community through a career in medicine.
During our conversation, Isabella talks about what it was like to learn English in school after growing up in a household that only spoke Portuguese, why some English learners like her gravitate to STEM courses, what an asset-based approach to teaching looks like from the student perspective, how she navigated being a senior during the pandemic, and more.
Isabella’s responses to our questions serve to remind us that we should always look to our students when designing learning experiences, whether they are remote, blended, or in person. It is easy to see why she was selected as one of our 2020 scholarship winners.
For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning here: https://distance.ellevationeducation.com/
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 and dedication. As an educator and central office leader, she brings more than 14 years of experience to the profession. Currently serving as the Supervisor of English Learner Instruction for Prince William County Public Schools, she supports school administrators and teachers as they work with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Christina holds a master’s degree in intercultural studies and TESOL with endorsements in ESL, Spanish and administration. She is passionate about curating and providing high quality professional development that builds the capacity of each participant, no matter their title or role.
For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning here: https://distance.ellevationeducation.com/
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 Language and Cultural Services at Tulsa Public Schools in Oklahoma. In her current position, she works with the local schools and community leaders to support the growing population of diverse students and families around the city, including English learners, immigrant and refugee students, multilingual students and Native American students.
In Tulsa Public Schools, Grisso led the implementation of the first one-way dual language classes in the state of Oklahoma. In November 2013, she was inducted into the Oklahoma Bilingual Education Hall of Fame. Grisso has also served as the National Liaison and Vice-President of the Oklahoma Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages association and locally with the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations (COHO) and the Greater Tulsa Hispanic Affairs Commission education committee.
Grisso is passionate about social justice and working collaboratively to ensure educational equity for diverse student groups. She is grounded in her belief that all students bring unique talents and perspectives to the learning experience. She prioritizes language and culture and believes those are the keys to the core of self and must be valued in the learning community.
For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit the Ellevation Distance Learning Website here.
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. Lynn also 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.
This is Lynn's second appearance on the Highest Aspirations podcast. You can find her first episode titled "Run Schools Like Disney" here. You can find more information on the how Prince Williams County Schools is supporting home learning on this comprehensive website.
For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit the Ellevation Distance Learning Website here.
How might school closures result in a shift toward quality rather than quantity when educating our English learners and how can we sustain that effort moving forward? Why should empathy-building and perspective-taking be first and foremost when designing learning experiences for vulnerable student populations? How might we elevate the role of the EL Specialist while also bringing content teachers on board to serve English learners and their families?
We discuss these questions and more on this edition of our Reimagining EL Education series, featuring Sarah Ottow, Founder and Director of Confianza. Sarah has over twenty years of experience in teaching, training, and coaching for English language learner success. As a professional development specialist, her work focuses on improving cultural understanding, communication, and collaboration. She enjoys working in public and private schools, non-profit organizations, and corporations across the US and internationally, teaching learners from pre-K to adults. Sarah founded Confianza in 2015.
Sarah is also the author of The Language Lens for Content Classrooms: A Guide for K-12 Educators of English and Academic Language Learners published by Learning Sciences International. You can find a variety of useful articles and blog posts on Confianza's blog.
For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit our Ellevation Distance Learning website.
On this episode of our Reimagining EL Education series, we reconnect with our friend Conor Willams of The Century Foundation to talk about finding a path toward a better future for English learners as a result of this crisis. While he acknowledges that no one has all the answers, Conor provides some powerful insight about the importance of taking a whole child approach to distance and brick and mortar education, the challenge of linguistic isolation as a result of social distancing, the value of strong social relationships, and more.
In response to the many questions he was fielding from educators, advocates, and other stakeholders, Conor started an EL Virtual Learning online community of practice for educators, administrators, researchers, and policymakers to share ideas and best practices for supporting English Learners at a moment when many schools are closing. If you are interested in joining the forum, please contact Conor via email at williams@tcf.org. You can also follow him on Twitter at @conorpwilliams and find much of his work in The 74 Million.
For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit the Ellevation Distance Learning website.
On this edition of our Reimagining EL Education series, we talk with Lori Villanueva, Superintendent of Coalinga-Huron Unified School District in California's Central Valley.
She and her staff created an inspirational music video to share with students and families during school closures. The video has had a resounding effect on boosting morale, making connections, and keeping the lines of communication open in the school community. We also discuss what the future of EL education might look like in the face of learning loss, budget constraints, and technology challenges. Superintendent Villanueva points to strengthening partnerships with families and meeting students where they are as key elements of success moving forward.
For more information and free resources to help engage English learners and their families from wherever they are, visit our Ellevation Distance Learning website.
On this edition of our Look for the Helpers series, we bring in Daniela Anello, Head of School at DC Public Charter School. Daniela talks about how her school is maintaining communication with the community they serve during the pandemic. She also highlights why it is so important to embrace vulnerability and learn from mistakes during this time. Finally, she describes why the tenets of transparency, trust, and community are so important as we move through this crisis and beyond.
You can find all of the resources we mention in the episode on our Look for the Helpers short video series. If you'd like to join us on our Look for the Helpers series to share your story with the ELL Community, go to bit.ly/ELLHelper.
For more information and free resources to help engage multilingual learners from wherever they are, visit Ellevation Distance Learning.
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