Leading Multilingual Learning

Leading Multilingual Learning

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Leading Multilingual Learning episodes

  • What Learners Deserve with Dr. Piedad Kaye

    Today's guest Dr. Piedad Kaye has spent 40 years working in multilingual education – as an educator, researcher, and district leader. Most recently, Piedad served as Director of Bilingual, ESL, and Foreign Language Education for Mannheim School District 83 outside Chicago, where she helped build an asset-based bilingual and biliteracy program. Her research has focused on bilingual education, biliteracy, and the professional development of bilingual and ESL educators. And this past school year, Piedad retired after four decades in the field – which makes this a particularly special moment to have her with us. She has spent a career thinking about what multilingual learners deserve, what educators need in order to serve them well, and what it actually takes to build those systems in practice.

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    48 min
  • Building The Best in Co-Teaching with Jill Ayabei

    Today's guest is a true gem of the Gem State. Jill Ayabei is the Federal Programs Coordinator for the Multilingual Division at West Ada School District — the largest district in Idaho, serving nearly 39,000 students from 91 countries who speak 85 languages. Jill has led West Ada's multi-year initiative to build an integrated co-teaching model for multilingual learners, moving the district away from a magnet school pull-out approach toward a model where ML specialists and content teachers co-plan, co-deliver, and co-assess instruction together. She was recognized for her work on the grant proposal that secured the Idaho EL Enhancement Grant, first awarded in 2023 and renewed through 2029.

    34 min
  • Challenging Educator Mindsets with Melissa Lambert
    In this episode we welcome special guest Melissa Lambert. Melissa is a senior district and state-level education leader with more than two decades of experience advancing outcomes for multilingual learners. She partners with state education agencies and districts nationwide to align curriculum, assessment, professional learning, and implementation systems around strong Tier 1 instruction. She is currently the Executive Director in the Office of School Leadership & Engagement for Yonkers Public Schools – New York's fourth-largest school district, serving over 23,000 students across 39 schools. A former teacher, founding principal, central-office administrator, and consultant, Melissa specializes in translating policy, research, and high-quality instructional materials into practical, scalable systems.
    44 min
  • Reflecting Holistic Bilingualism with Mario Palma & Jordan Montalvo
    Today we welcome on two very distinguished guests. Mario Palma is the founder of Palma Multilingual Educational Solutions and a former Vice President of Multilingual Teaching & Learning at American Reading Company. He has 25+ years of experience across public health and public education, starting as a bilingual teacher in New York City and moving into national-level work helping districts design and strengthen ESL, bilingual, and dual language programs. Jordan Montalvo works alongside Mario as the Director of Research and Innovation at Palma Multilingual Educational Solutions. She is also an instructor at Western Washington University, supporting incoming bilingual teachers. She previously worked at Amplify, supporting their dual language education and curriculum development. Jordan has taught in self-contained dual language and early elementary ELL classrooms and served as a Dual Language Program Facilitator in Everett Public Schools.
    51 min
  • Staying Focused On The Mission with Nadia Madan-Morrow
    Today's guest is Nadia Madan-Morrow, principal of Place Bridge Academy in Denver – one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse schools in the country. Nadia has spent her entire 24-year career devoted to MLs in Denver Public Schools. She started as a bilingual teacher, became an instructional coach, and led the district's Multilingual Education Department as Executive Director before becoming Chief of Academics for the entire district. As the daughter of immigrants, this work is especially personal to her, and the Academy's success is a credit to the tireless efforts of the dedicated team she leads.
    39 min
  • Teaching Language Across Content with Ryan Zak
    Today's guest Ryan Zak is the Director of Multilingual Programs and Community Outreach at Township High School District 211 — the largest high school district in Illinois. Ryan's career has spanned the full multilingual pipeline — from biliteracy teacher and instructional coach, to English Learner Program Coordinator, to directing a PreK–8 two-way dual language program. He joined D211 in 2025, and in his first year he assembled a multilingual leadership team, organized a district-wide symposium, got all 16 academic departments engaged in ML professional learning, and expanded the Seal of Biliteracy from five languages to nearly seventy.
    43 min
  • Building Cultures of Belonging with Dr. Andrew Fenton

    Today's guest Dr. Andrew Fenton is the Director of Teaching and Learning for Lake Forest School District 67 in Illinois, where he leads curriculum and instructional work across the district's K-8 schools. He began his career as a middle school teacher before moving into school leadership roles. He holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western Illinois University and is a graduate of Lake Forest College. Throughout his career, Andrew's work has centered on strong instruction, student growth, and helping educators build meaningful learning experiences for every student.

    36 min
  • Systems, Not Silos with Dr. Melissa Kanney
    Our guest Dr. Melissa Kanney is the English Language Development Supervisor for Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland. Prince George's County is home to America's 12th largest ELD program, supporting over 33,000 Multilingual Learners. Dr. Kanney has served in many roles within the district, including as a teacher, coach, and instructional specialist. She earned both her Master's in Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Development from the University of Maryland, and is currently pursuing her National Board Certification (NBCT) in English as a New Language.
    31 min
  • Bold Humility & Endless Curiosity with Todd Nesloney
    Our guest Todd Nesloney is the Director of Culture and Strategic Leadership for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA). He's also served as an award-winning principal of a PreK-5th Grade campus of over 775 students in a rural town in Texas. Todd has written six books, including the runaway smash "Kids Deserve It" and his newest book "Building Authenticity: A Blueprint for the Leader Inside You." He has been recognized by the White House, John C Maxwell, the Center for Digital Education, National School Board Association, the BAMMYS, and others for his work in education and with children.
    44 min
  • In Pursuit of Justice with Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld
    Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld is Professor Emerita in the School of Education and Human Services at Molloy University in Rockville Centre, New York. Before entering the field of teacher education, she was an English-as-a-foreign-language teacher in Hungary, and an English-as-a-second-language teacher in New York City. She also taught Hungarian at New York University. She was the recipient of a doctoral fellowship at St. John's University, New York, where she conducted research on individualized instruction. She has published extensively on working with multilingual learners. She received a Fulbright Award to lecture in Iceland in the fall of 2002. She has published 35 books, 14 of which are US national bestsellers. You can find her latest book by following this link.
    40 min

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