In this episode of Highest Aspirations, Sandra Medrano-Arroyo speaks with Paula Polk about her journey from classroom teacher to language coach and district leader. Paula shares insights on coaching with integrity, empathy, and justice, strategies for supporting multilingual learners, and practical approaches to building teacher expertise. Listeners will learn how to expand their impact in education while fostering collaborative, student-centered learning environments.

Key questions we address:

1. How can educators transition from classroom teaching to coaching and leadership roles while maintaining a focus on student outcomes?
2. What are practical strategies that language coaches and teachers can use to support multilingual learners effectively?
3. How can educators foster a collaborative culture and reflective space that empowers teachers to grow professionally while improving student language proficiency?

For additional episode and community resources:

• Download the transcript here.
• Order Paula Polk’s book Enhancing Instruction for Multilingual Learners: Coaching Practices to Empower Students
• Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Community Brief
• For additional free resources geared toward supporting English learners, ⁠visit our blog. 

Paula Polk’s journey into educational leadership began as a language coach before embarking into district leadership as an ESL Facilitator. In this role she coaches Language Coaches, Specialists and ESL Teachers  PK-12 as they work with stakeholders on campuses including principals, teachers and multilingual students and families. This role affords her the opportunity to curate professional learning for teachers, coaches, coordinators and administrators as they create spaces for multilingual students to thrive. Her upcoming book with ASCD: Enhancing Instruction for Multilingual Learners: Coaching Practices to Empower Students will detail her coaching journey and practices for multilingual students and their teachers.