Highest Aspirations

In this episode of Highest Aspirations, Sandra sits down with Rocío Figueroa, Senior Instructional Content Manager at Ellevation, to explore how personalized professional development can transform teaching and learning for English learners. Drawing from her diverse experiences as a teacher, instructional coach, administrator, and consultant, Rocío shares practical strategies for tailoring professional learning to meet the unique needs of educators across content areas and grade levels.

They discuss the power of data-driven approaches to PD, the value of leveraging internal expertise within schools, and the importance of building collaborative teacher communities. As a speaker at Ellevation’s upcoming IMPACT Conference, Rocío offers a preview of her session, which focuses on creating actionable and meaningful learning opportunities that empower educators to better support their multilingual students.

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The IMPACT Conference was born out of a desire to bring educators together during a time of unprecedented isolation and challenge. In this episode of Highest Aspirations, Ben McNelly and Steve Sofronas join us to reflect on the journey of the conference—from its inception during the height of the pandemic to its evolution into a dynamic virtual event that continues to serve educators nationwide.

They share insights into how the conference has grown to support English learners, the importance of fostering community among educators, and the ongoing commitment to making professional development accessible for all. As we look ahead to this year’s conference, Ben and Steve discuss how the theme of “Paving the way: Strengthening spaces where EL students can thrive” aligns with Ellevation’s mission to create spaces where multilingual students can succeed.

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Welcome to Highest Aspirations, a podcast dedicated to empowering educators with insights and strategies to support multilingual learners in reaching their fullest potential. In this episode, we’re joined by Cheyen Herseth, an Elementary Multilingual Learning TOSA in Washington State and a WIDA Fellow, who has been instrumental in her district’s transition to the WIDA Framework.

Cheyen discusses her experiences leading this shift and how the WIDA Framework and Critical Data Process have reshaped her approach to supporting dually identified multilingual learners. She shares her perspective on navigating the complexities of implementing new frameworks while ensuring that students' diverse backgrounds and needs are honored.

Through her expertise, Cheyen provides valuable guidance on creating structured yet adaptable systems for multilingual learners, advocating for holistic assessment practices, and fostering collaborative networks that support students, families, and educators alike.

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Welcome to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. In this episode, we are joined by Yolanda Rios and Roxanne Rodriguez, leaders at Ellevation Education and co-leads of the SOMOS Employee Resource Group.

Yolanda and Roxanne share how their Latinx heritage has shaped their leadership styles and how they’ve used their cultural roots to foster a strong sense of community at Ellevation. We explore the importance of employee resource groups in creating spaces of belonging and how family values can influence leadership in the workplace.

Through their experiences, Yolanda and Roxanne offer valuable insights on embracing cultural identity at work, building inclusive teams, and paving the way for future leaders by honoring their heritage.

Welcome to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Juana Bordas, author of The Power of Latino Leadership – Ahora! and Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age.

Dr. Bordas discusses the vital role family and cultural connections play in shaping leadership within the Latino community. We explore how preserving cultural identity can empower the next generation of leaders, and Dr. Bordas shares key insights on cultural pride, education, and intergenerational leadership.

As a pioneer in leadership development and a lifelong advocate for advancing the Latino community, Dr. Bordas offers inspiration and actionable strategies for building future leaders who are deeply connected to their heritage.

Welcome to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. We have a very special guest with us today, the co-founder of CoolSpeak, Ernesto Mejia. Mejia is the proud son of Mexican immigrants, and a true example of the American dream. Diagnosed with the rare disease of Guillain-Barré (ghee-yan bar-ray) Syndrome at the age of 16 that left him temporarily paralyzed, he was not supposed to be a successful student, much less a College Dean of Students. But through his hardships, Mejia learned to never give up on life. He now speaks to students, parents and teachers about overcoming obstacles and never giving up on the American dream of education. 

In this episode, we cover the meaning and importance of youth empowerment, the work of his company CoolSpeak, and how we can align programs and speakers we bring into a district with the needs of the audience and goals of the school.

Welcome to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. We have a very special guest with us today, Dr. Rebecca Palacios. This episode is dedicated to all of our educators who are in back-to-school mode and I could think of no one better to get us talking about parent engagement and early childhood education than Dr. Rebecca Palacios. 

Dr. Palacios is a National Board Certified Teacher, and leading expert in early childhood education. With over five decades of experience, she is a pioneer in the field of dual language learning and specializes in curriculum planning and instructional design.

In addition to being a founding director of The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and formerly serving as its vice-chairperson, she is also a co-founder of the Texas National Board Coalition for Teaching and serves as its Treasurer. And she also serves as a Curriculum Board Member for Age of Learning, the leading education technology company that created ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy.

For full episode resources and links, find the episode recap post on our podcast page.

To expand your connection within the Ellevation community by join our⁠ ⁠Ellevation Educator Facebook Group.⁠

Welcome back to Season 13 of Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations.

In this episode, Steve and Sandra will be sharing the mic as they talk about change, why it can be intimidating to some and motivating to others, and what’s next for both of us moving forward. They discuss what we can do to mitigate the emotions change can cause, how organizational culture impacts change management - or "change readiness", and how change can be used as a catalyst for personal and professional growth. 

Enjoy the episode and the chance to learn more about the new podcast host, Sandra Medrano-Arroyo! Thank you Steve for 12 amazing seasons as host.

Sandra is bilingual and bicultural, with over 25 years in education supporting ELs. Since joining Ellevation, she has created dual language content and professional learning modules. Now, as the National Director of Multilingual Learner Success, she advocates across the country. Sandra enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, gardening, and family time. Fun fact: She learned Italian cooking from a Sicilian Nonna and always secretly hoped to host her own cooking show!

We made it to the last episode of Season 12 - and I couldn’t be happier with our guest and the topics we covered. Dr. Sonia Soltero has been a contributor and collaborator in our community since the very beginning. She is currently working with Chicago Public Schools to help support newcomers, so we are excited to bring her on again to share the experience with others. We cover a lot of ground in our conversation, focusing on…

Dr. Soltero is Professor and Chair of the Department of Leadership, Language, and Curriculum, and former Director of the Bilingual-Bicultural Education Graduate Program at DePaul University in Chicago. Soltero has numerous publications on bilingual education, English Learners, and Latino Education having been involved with dual/bilingual education for more than thirty years as a dual language teacher, university professor, professional developer, and researcher. Soltero has an extensive background in design and implementation of dual language and bilingual programs and has worked with school districts as well as bilingual universities across the US.

Welcome back to Highest Aspirations, an education podcast focused on providing educators with inspiration and strategies to help multilingual learners achieve their highest aspirations. In this episode, our interview is conducted by Sandra Medrano-Arroya, Ellevation’s National Director of Multilingual Learner Success, who speaks with Sofía Núñez of Empower the Voice. They leverage their vast collective experience as multilingual learner professionals to provide valuable insights on: 

Sofía Núñez is an energetic, committed education leader, public speaker and consultant. She is the founder and CEO of Empower the Voice, a non-profit focusing on increasing opportunities for Hispanic students through empowering families to participate in leadership, language acquisition and the transition to college and career. With over 12 years of experience in education, Núñez served school districts in multiple capacities. Her passion to support and empower families is evident in the programs she has directed, including parent workshops, English as a Second Language classes for adults, citizenship preparation, GED (Education  & computer literacy programs for families, and the creation of parent advisory committees, amongst others. She believes in the power of building dual-capacity and provides professional development for teachers, helping them implement transformative family engagement practices.

Click here to download the full episode ⁠transcript⁠ and visit our ⁠EL Community page⁠ for more resources.