Strengthening the Teacher Workforce to Support Multilingual Learners

Friday February 21, 2025
12:15 - 1:15 PM
Ballroom G

This workshop will walk attendees through the Strengthening the Teacher Workforce to Support Multilingual Learners tool, which supports SEA and LEA leaders to develop pathways for and retention of teachers of English learners (ELs), including bilingual, ESL, and general educators. The workshop will highlight the tool’s relevance in making policy decisions for recruitment, hiring and retention. The tool provides a way to collect and examine student, teacher and program data to better understand the types of educators needed for EL student success. The tool then examines recruitment, certification, and retention practices. Reflection questions prompt thinking about potential policy changes, resulting in an action plan to expand, diversify and strengthen the EL educator workforce. The workshop will allow attendees to learn about the tool and potential policy-related outcomes around recruitment, retention and ongoing professional learning of teachers who work with ELs.

Presenters
Brian Eyer

Dr. Eyer has been working to provide technical assistance through the Regional Comprehensive Center grant for the last 5 years in region 4. He was a teacher, assistant principal, principal, principal supervisor and state department leadership development officer. He was part of the team that developed the delivery tools for the ML tool and participated in the pilots for this work.
Caroline Parker

SRI Multilingual Learner Program Director Caroline (Carrie) Parker, Ed.D., brings over 20 years’ experience supporting state and district leaders to improve systems and practices for multilingual learners. She leads research and technical assistance to improve learning for culturally and linguistically diverse students, with a particular interest in how language learning intersects with disabilities. She co-designs her research and technical assistance through an equity lens, recognizing the important opportunity for research to both reveal or hide inequities and opportunities for change. Parker has led multiple initiatives through the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands and the Regional Comprehensive Centers (R2CC, R4CC and the National Comprehensive Center) over the last 15 years. She has collaborated closely with state and district leaders to respond to the specific needs of students and teachers in the region. Parker received a BA in English literature from Williams College, an MEd from Framingham State College, and EdM and EdD degrees in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Previous to her career as an education researcher, Parker worked in Nicaragua as an educator, journalist and translator.
Anne Partika

Anne Partika is an education researcher at SRI, focusing on early childhood education and multilingual learners. She co-authored Strengthening the Teacher Workforce to Support Multilingual Learners tool with Carrie Parker and other colleagues. Annie brings expertise in conducting research to improve public educational systems to better support multilingual learners, as well as experience as an ESOL instructor for adult learners.
type:
Hybrid Workshop
theme:
Leadership
audience:
Building Leaders
tags:
English Learners, Cultural Diversity