We had some great conversations at the 2019 WIDA Conference in Providence, RI,. Luckily we brought our recording equipment to capture some audio of the event. Here are five short (5-7 minutes) interviews we recorded with a variety of stakeholders in multilingual education. 

David Holbrook of TransACT stopped by our booth at the WIDA Conference in Providence, RI to talk about the impact of ESSA on EL programs, shifts from Title 3 into Title 1, and family engagement. 

Michelle Benegas, of Hamline University and the ELM Project dropped by to talk about site based EL teacher leadership, the evolving role of the EL teachers, and how Ellevation is serving as a conduit for conversations about EL progress.

Dr. Yue Vang, Director of the Office of Multilingual Learning at St. Paul Schools in Minnesota stopped by the booth to discuss equity for multilingual learners, a collective approach to EL education, and how the new ESSA regulations might make a positive impact for EL programs.

Kristina Robertson, EL Program Administrator at Roseville Public Schools in Minnesota chatted with us about the our collective responsibility to educate ELs, how ESSA is helping to support teachers who work with ELs, and her favorite features of Ellevation for both administrators and teachers.

Laura Gardner of Immigrant Connections stopped by to discuss the ABC’s of family engagement, looking at EL students holistically, and a new awareness of what it means to create a welcoming environment for EL students and their families.

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Finally, we love to crowdsource from the community! If you have an idea for a topic or guest for an upcoming episode, please reach out to stevens@ellevationeducation.com.