NAELPA Past Webinar Content

Carol Salva

Consultant

Seidlitz Education

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Dr. Carol Salva is an author and award winning educator with proven success working with under-schooled, multilingual learners classified as SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) or ELD (English Language Development) students. Carol routinely works with EL program leaders to support their educators in effective yet practical ways.
Dr. Salva is a Seidlitz Education consultant and a former elementary, middle and high school teacher. She lives with her husband and three children in Texas.

• 7:00 - 8:00 AM, Mar 10, 2020 Recorded Playback

  Success for SLIFE

• 7:00 - 8:00 AM, Apr 8, 2020 Recorded Playback

  Safety, Security, and Support for Teaching Multilingual Learners Online

• 7:00 - 8:00 AM, Nov 5, 2020 Recorded Playback

  NAELPA and US Department of Education – Local EL Program Leadership Webinar

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Nov 15, 2022 Virtual - Zoom

  Mango Presents: Effective Literacy Instruction for Secondary Newcomers PANEL

Dr. Joan Lachance

Associate Professor/Educational Consultant

UNC Charlotte

Dr. Joan Lachance is an Associate Professor of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She directs the TESL graduate programs and undergraduate TESL Minor. She is the co-author of the National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards and the Director of the CAEP Specialized Program Association in Dual Language Education called “EMMA: Education for a Multilingual Multicultural America.” She received her undergraduate degree in Secondary Education, Modern Languages and Linguistics from Florida International University. With Spanish as the language of program delivery, she completed graduate coursework to earn her master’s degree in School Counseling from Pontifical Catholic University in Poncé, Puerto Rico. Dr. Lachance completed her doctoral work in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis on Urban Education, Literacy, and TESL at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Dr. Lachance’s research agenda and professional learning via her consultancies encompasses dual language teacher preparation, academic literacy development, and authentic assessment with multilingual learners. Her work has resulted in numerous publications including articles, book chapters, technical reports, and state-level curriculum guides since joining UNC Charlotte. She serves on several journal editorial boards and is a board member of the Multistate Association for Bilingual Education, Northeast (MABE). With the publication of a forthcoming Corwin book, she is specializing one aspect of of her professional consultancies with collaboration and co-teaching for multilingual learners in the dual language context. She is also working to support dual language education for the preservation of Native American languages, currently and most-honorably collaborating with a K-8 school serving the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians [EBCI].

• 7:00 - 8:00 AM, May 12, 2020 Recorded Playback

  Principles and Characteristics of Effective Dual Language Programs

• 7:00 - 8:00 AM, Nov 5, 2020 Recorded Playback

  NAELPA and US Department of Education – Local EL Program Leadership Webinar

Supreet Anand

Deputy Director, OELA

Supreet Anand currently serves as the deputy director for the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) at the U.S. Department of Education. She has been working in the field of education for more than 25 years. As the deputy director for OELA, she supervises the National Professional Development grants, Native American and Alaska Native Children in School program, and the Asian American Pacific Islander Data Disaggregation Initiative program. Her work also focuses on informing policy decisions on English Learners (ELs) and supervising OELA’s role in disseminating information about educational research, practices, and policies for ELs through the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition.

• 7:00 - 8:00 AM, Nov 5, 2020 Recorded Playback

  NAELPA and US Department of Education – Local EL Program Leadership Webinar

Margarita Cruz

ESL Instructional Specialist

Aldine ISD

Margarita Cruz is a high school ESL Instructional Specialist at La Promesa. She holds a Bachelor or Arts in English and a Master of Education in TESOL. As a former ELL student, she felt the desire to become an educator from a young age. After graduating from SHSU in 2014, she returned to her hometown of Tomball where she served her community as an English teacher and ELL Specialist for 7 years. Two years ago, her education journey led her to Aldine ISD where she has now been a part of the La Promesa family for two years. Ms. Cruz is committed to being a lifelong learner in order to provide all students with the tools and support they need to be successful both inside and outside of the classroom.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Nov 15, 2022 Virtual - Zoom

  Mango Presents: Effective Literacy Instruction for Secondary Newcomers PANEL

Elise Diaz

Educational Consultant

Seidlitz Education

Elise White Diaz is well-versed in the challenges facing diverse students from difficult backgrounds.

Prior to her work in public education, Elise’s passion for trauma-informed pedagogy began when she moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to serve at a school for child laborers in the garbage dump. There she taught bilingual and ESL education at the secondary level, and learned so much from her students who overcame obstacles and went on to college.

Upon returning to the United States, Elise brought her experiences to a diverse district in North Texas. She wove together principles from culturally-relevant, trauma-informed education and language acquisition in innovative ways, bringing dramatic gains in standardized test (STAAR) scores. Soon after, she began to mentor and coach teachers in how to recreate these routines. Elise has served in various roles in Emergent Bilingual education, including co-teaching, instructional coaching, writing curriculum, and offering professional development to Texas schools.

As a consultant for Seidlitz Education, Elise enjoys supporting teachers in their important work of building language and connection across cultures and obstacles. She holds a Master’s degree from Fuller Seminary in Intercultural Studies and lives in the Dallas area with her husband and two children. She is a member of the National Association for Bilingual Education and Women-for-Orphans-Worldwide, and returns to Central America wherever she can.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Nov 15, 2022 Virtual - Zoom

  Mango Presents: Effective Literacy Instruction for Secondary Newcomers PANEL

Emily Francis

Educator

Concord High School

Astrid Emily Francis is a nationally recognized English as a Second Language teacher at Concord High School in Concord, North Carolina. She serves students in 9th-12th grade with various English proficiency levels. Emily is a native Spanish-speaker who is originally from Guatemala and came to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor. Her experience as an English Language Learner inspired her to become an ESL teacher and affords her a deep understanding of the challenges her students must overcome to find success. Emily earned a BA in Spanish and a MAT in ESL from UNC-Charlotte. She serves as a professional development facilitator, motivational speaker, and Keynote. Emily forms part of the Executive Board of The Carolinas TESOL (teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages).
Emily is the author of If You Only Knew: Letters from an Immigrant Teacher. Emily served as teacher liaison to the Cabarrus County Board of Education as
Teacher of the Year 2016. As a leader, Emily’s focus is to inspire students to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Nov 15, 2022 Virtual - Zoom

  Mango Presents: Effective Literacy Instruction for Secondary Newcomers PANEL

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Aug 8, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  NAELPA Q3 Webinar: Leading your District EL Program to a Strong Start

Denise Furlong

Assistant Professor/Director of Advanced Studies for Reading Specialist & ESL Programs

Georgian Court University

Dr. Denise Furlong holds an EdD in Literacy Education with a concentration in educating English learners from Rutgers University. She is an Assistant Professor and Director of Advanced Studies for the Reading Specialist and ESL Programs at Georgian Court University in New Jersey, USA. She has over 20 years experience teaching multilingual learners and coaching their teachers in a variety of educational settings. Her book, Voices of Newcomers: Experiences of Multilingual Learners, was published through EduMatch Publishing in 2022 and has been honored as an outstanding teacher resource for multicultural education. Through Furlong Educational Consulting LLC, Dr. Furlong provides professional learning support for educators through national conferences, presentations, and in-district coaching. Her research interests include authentic and meaningful professional learning for preservice and current educators, inclusive practices for learners with diverse strengths and abilities, and connective and responsive pedagogical practices in school communities.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Nov 15, 2022 Virtual - Zoom

  Mango Presents: Effective Literacy Instruction for Secondary Newcomers PANEL

Dr. Debbie Zacarian

Director

Debbie Zacarian, EdD & Associates

Dr. Debbie Zacarian provides professional development and policy analyses and assistance for K-16 educators of culturally and linguistically diverse populations. She has served as an expert consultant for school districts, universities, and organizations including the Massachusetts Parent Information Resource Center and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Federation for Children with Special Needs.

Debbie served on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst where she taught many courses for pre- and in-service administrators and teachers and was the co-principal investigator of a National Professional Development grant initiative supporting the professional preparation of educators of multilingual learners. She also served as a program director at the Collaborative for Educational Services where she provided professional development for thousands of educators, partnered with Fitchburg State University in co-writing a National Professional Development initiative supporting STEM education, and wrote the multilingual learner policies for numerous rural, suburban, and urban districts. Debbie also directed the Amherst Public Schools bilingual and language assistance programming where she and the district received state and national honors.

With an advanced degree in clinical psychology and a doctorate in educational policy and research, she is the author of numerous professional books including, most recently, the 2nd edition of Transforming Schools for Multilingual Learners: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Jan 19, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  TransACT Presents Transforming Schools for Multilingual Learners: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators

Dr. Jessica Costa

Director of Multilingual Learner Support

Instruction Partners

Dr. Jessica Costa, Director of Multilingual Learner Support with Instruction Partners, has worked for two decades either teaching students a love of language, learning, and themselves or providing professional development for teachers and educational leaders nationally and internationally to do the same. She brings a wealth of knowledge from her experiences as a Nationally Certified teacher of English as a New Language; state, district, and school-wide leadership roles, professional learning design and delivery, data-coaching for school improvement, and doctoral research focused on socially just school leadership preparation. Her passion for multilingual learners derives from listening to her father’s stories of his experience as a multilingual immigrant starting school in the United States as a teenager. Jessica gets excited about each training, meeting, or even the smallest of opportunities to connect and partner with educators to support quality instruction within responsive and affirming learning environments for multilingual learners.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Apr 27, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  NAELPA Q2 Webinar: Supporting Multilingual Learners during Foundational Reading Skills Instruction

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Nov 14, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  NAELPA Q4 Webinar: Promising Practices for Supporting Newcomers and their Families, including SLIFE

Dr. Merica Clinkenbeard

Director of English Language Development

Springfield Public Schools

Dr. Merica Clinkenbeard is currently the Director of English Language Development for Springfield Public Schools, in Springfield, Missouri. She is knowledgeable in compliance, instructional strategies, and professional learning, and contributes valuable connections within the field.

Merica has over 20 years of experience in the educational field at the local and state level. She is a certified K-12 Spanish and ESL teacher with a research focus on professional learning to promote language proficiency within the content. Prior to her current role, Merica worked at Missouri State University as an English Learner Instructional Specialist for the state. She has a B.A. in International Studies, a M.A. in Education, and a doctorate in instructional leadership from Lindenwood University.

She is the Vice President of the National Association of English Learner Program Administrators (NAELPA) and also serves as co-chair for the NAELPA Professional Learning committee.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Aug 8, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  NAELPA Q3 Webinar: Leading your District EL Program to a Strong Start

Georgina Mayorga-Schneider

Assistant Director of Language Programs

Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township

Georgina Mayorga-Schneider is a student leader focused on equitable student outcomes for all. As a daughter of immigrants and a heritage Spanish speaker, Georgina cares deeply about policies and programs grounded in access and equity. With over thirteen years of experience serving immigrant students and families, Georgina brings a diverse leadership background. Starting out as an English Learner teacher with over 100 students on her caseload, Georgina successfully met all compliance standards. Moving into the role of instructional coach, Georgina coached teachers on the SIOP model and piloting viable curriculum resources. At the state level, Georgina held LEAs accountable to federal and state grant guidelines that served English Learner students and gave regular consultation that resulted in appropriate staffing and resources across the state. Among professional development and program evaluation, Georgina also co-led the state in the creation of the Secondary English Learner Toolkit that many districts use to guide enrolling and scheduling secondary students. Georgina was called to the role of a building administrator at the height of quarantine during the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. Now, Georgina serves as a district administrator effectively managing approximately $1.5 million dollars to serve English Learner students through Dual Language Immersion in one of Indianapolis’ largest, most diverse school corporations.

Georgina has a B.A. in Secondary English Education and English as a New Language Certification from IUPUI; a M.A. in Educational Leadership and Administration and an Administrator's license from the University of Indianapolis; and a Bilingual Education Certificate from Purdue University.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Aug 8, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  NAELPA Q3 Webinar: Leading your District EL Program to a Strong Start

Victoria Saldala

Director of the Bilingual/ESOL Department

Broward County Public Schools

Victoria B. Saldala is Director of the Bilingual/ESOL Department for Broward County Public Schools (BCPS). She has served in this position for 19 years in addition to Curriculum Supervisor for four years. Prior to coming to BCPS, she was a district resource teacher and classroom teacher in Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 16 years. Mrs. Saldala earned a Master of Science in Reading Education from Florida International University, a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from St. Thomas University, and completed the Certification in Principal Leadership at Florida Atlantic University. She is endorsed in English for Speakers of Other Languages. Mrs. Saldala completed the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Superintendent Academy.

Mrs. Saldala is a veteran educator with 35 years of extensive experience developing, executing and supporting academic programs to meet the diverse needs of language learners. In her current position, she is directly responsible for coordinating all curriculum and compliance support for the English for Speakers of Other Languages Program, the Dual Language Program, and the World Languages Programs. In addition, she manages all district Interpretations/Translations. She works collaboratively with the community to ensure non-English speaking families receive support and information through the International Welcome Center.

Mrs. Saldala was recognized as the 2016 Latino Administrator of the Year ALAS for her commitment to Latino students and the community. She is the recipient of the Hispanic Women of Distinction award and the Biliteracy Award given by the Jose Marti Foundation and Hispanic Education Fund.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Aug 8, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  NAELPA Q3 Webinar: Leading your District EL Program to a Strong Start

Curt Emmel

Director of Federal Programs

Manassas City Public Schools

Mr. Emmel is the current Director of Federal Programs and Family Engagement for Manassas City Public Schools in Manassas, Virginia. He completed his M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Reading and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership at George Mason University. His professional passion is communication and education, specifically, how these foundational humanities contribute to the future opportunities of all students. He has spent his career instructionally advocating for students who are learning English and content knowledge concurrently. He is a staunch supporter of comprehensive and inclusive school-wide approaches to academic language development. When not focused on his professional duties, you can find him spending time with his family or mountain biking

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Nov 14, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  NAELPA Q4 Webinar: Promising Practices for Supporting Newcomers and their Families, including SLIFE

Margaret Gisala Rutaquio

Newcomer Facilitator

Garland Independent School District

MARGARET GISALA RUTAQUIO is an immigrant English and ESL educator. She completed her M.Ed focusing on Curriculum and Instruction in Bilingual/ESL at Texas A&M Commerce. After 17 years in the classroom, she moved to district level roles and became the Newcomer Facilitator for the past 8 years. Her work concentrated on creating programming and support for recently arrived English Learners (Emergent Bilinguals in Texas), creating and implementing a district-wide intake system to support newcomers, SLIFE, asylees, and refugees. This work led her to speak at different National and Statewide conferences, such as the National SLIFE Conference, Texas Migrant Interstate Program, Title III, Seidlitz, and a guest in Dr. Salva’s Boosting Achievement Podcast. She was featured in the book Motivating ELLs by Dr. Escalante, and invited as a panelist with other experts of newcomers and English Learners. Margaret remains committed to enhancing education for students, especially newcomers.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Nov 14, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  NAELPA Q4 Webinar: Promising Practices for Supporting Newcomers and their Families, including SLIFE

Kimberly Mitchell

Instructional Officer for Secondary ESL

Katy ISD

Kimberly Mitchell completed her undergraduate work at the University of Houston Clear Lake and then spent a year abroad in Costa Rica as an Affiliate Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity. That experience led to the work she has done in English language education since 2004. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Literature and a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on literacy from the University of Texas at Arlington. Kimberly began her career in Alvin, Texas teaching English as a Second Language at the high school and junior high levels. Since then she has worked in the Office of Other Languages for Katy ISD in Texas. Currently, she is the Instructional Officer for Secondary ESL. She is passionate about supporting campus staff in effectively providing ESL program services for secondary emergent bilingual students.

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Nov 14, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  NAELPA Q4 Webinar: Promising Practices for Supporting Newcomers and their Families, including SLIFE

Adriana Cernucan

7-12 ESOL Specialist

Manassas City Public Schools

ADRIANA CERNUCAN is an international educator, ESL/ESOL teacher, and leader. She completed an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University and an M.Ed. in Literacy at George Mason University. Currently, she serves as the 7-12 ESOL Specialist with Manassas City Public Schools, Virginia. In her role, Adriana supports ESL/ESOL and general education teachers working with English learners. She is passionate about multicultural/multilingual education and helps to create inclusive learning environments where “All students are our students.”

• 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Nov 14, 2023 Virtual - Zoom

  NAELPA Q4 Webinar: Promising Practices for Supporting Newcomers and their Families, including SLIFE