Highest Aspirations

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 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" channel. You can also find free tools to help ensure your English learners and their families receive equitable access to instruction and services on our Equity in Action page.

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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 serves as Title III Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for the Hillsboro School District in Oregon. Prior to joining the Hillsboro School District as a middle school Spanish and English learner (EL) teacher, Carolyn taught Spanish at The Dalles Middle School and English to adult immigrants at Columbia Gorge Community College.

As a seasoned educator, Carolyn strives to ensure that the educational experience of ELs is future and asset-oriented, with high aspirations for success. She asserts that effective classrooms draw upon students’ internal strengths, rather than their deficits, which allows them to focus on their goals and to be equipped to navigate through complex concepts, think analytically, and communicate ideas effectively in both social and academic situations to remain competitive in our global society.

If you are interested in learning more, you can email Caroyln at [email protected].

Finally, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

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 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" channel. You can also find free tools to help ensure your English learners and their families receive equitable access to instruction and services on our Equity in Action page.

Please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

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 Gregory and Dr. Gretchen Oliver from Clarkson University in New York. We released our first interview in March 2020 as schools began closing as a result of the global pandemic. We are grateful to bring Karen and Gretchen back to find out what they have learned since then and what they are planning as they prepare new and experienced teachers to work with English learners.

Gretchen Oliver is the Assistant Director of TESOL programs and an Assistant Professor in the Education Department at Clarkson University, Capital Region Campus, in Schenectady NY. She has prior experience as a K- 12 French teacher and taught English as Foreign Language in Grenoble, France. Dr. Oliver's research focuses on teaching STEM to English learners, teacher education and professional development, and ESOL-focused leadership practices.

Karen Gregory is the Director of TESOL programs and an Assistant Professor in the Education Department at Clarkson University, Capital Region Campus, in Schenectady NY. She has prior experience as a K- 12 Spanish and ENL teacher. Dr. Gregory's research focuses on content instruction for English learners, teacher professional development, and whole school improvement.

You can learn more about the work that Karen and Gretchen are doing by visiting the Clarkson University TESOL website.

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. You can also find free tools to help ensure your English learners and their families receive equitable access to instruction and services on our Equity in Action page. 

Please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

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 district evaluates the situation on the ground. 

To watch the entire "In This Together" docuseries, visit our new channel here. You can also find free tools to help ensure your English learners and their families receive equitable access to instruction and services on our Equity in Action page.

Please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

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 will be given access to some in school learning opportunities. 

To watch the entire "In This Together" docuseries, visit our new channel here. You can also find free tools to help ensure your English learners and their families receive equitable access to instruction and services on our Equity in Action page.

Please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

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 fully remote environment while monitoring the situation on the ground. 

To watch the entire "In This Together" docuseries, visit our new channel here. You can also find free tools to help ensure your English learners and their families receive equitable access to instruction and services on our Equity in Action page.

Please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

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, and 60% come from low income families. After planning for all three scenarios, District 89 will start the year fully remote. 

To watch the entire "In This Together" docuseries, visit our new channel here. You can also find free tools to help ensure your English learners and their families receive equitable access to instruction and services on our Equity in Action page.

Please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.

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 Assistant Director of TESOL programs and an Assistant Professor in the Education Department at Clarkson University, Capital Region Campus, in Schenectady NY. She has prior experience as a K- 12 French teacher and taught English as Foreign Language in Grenoble, France. Dr. Oliver's research focuses on teaching STEM to English learners, teacher education and professional development, and ESOL-focused leadership practices.

Karen Gregory is the Director of TESOL programs and an Assistant Professor in the Education Department at Clarkson University, Capital Region Campus, in Schenectady NY. She has prior experience as a K- 12 Spanish and ENL teacher. Dr. Gregory's research focuses on content instruction for English learners, teacher professional development, and whole school improvement.

This episode was originally released on March 17, 2020. 

Please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.