What are some benefits we have seen from the rise of virtual professional development opportunities since the pandemic? How can educators drive self-directed professional learning that can lead to deeper knowledge and sustained results? How can school leaders best support high-quality PD opportunities?
This week we bring back two familiar contributors to Highest Aspirations - Dr. Carol Salva and Tan Huynh along with one guest who somehow is making her first appearance, Katie Toppel. These three incredible people provide our community with a wealth of resources to ensure we are well-equipped to maximize the potential of multilingual learners. In this interview, we focus on how educators can engage in self-directed professional learning - specifically for multilingual learners. They’ve recently released a book on the topic, appropriately titled DIY PD: A Guide to Self-Directed Learning for Educators of Multilingual Learners.
Dr. Carol Salva is an author and Seidlitz Education consultant. She works with schools, state leaders, and local education agencies to support multilingual learners at all language levels. She is the co-author of both Boosting Achievement, Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education, and also DIYPD: A Guide to Self-Directed Learning for Teachers of Multilingual Learners. Dr. Salva has taught Elementary, Middle, and High school. She is a Certified Gomez & Gomez Dual Language Trainer, and a Certified Abydos Writing Trainer.
Tan Huynh (@TanKHuynh) is a career teacher, consultant, and author specializing in language acquisition and literacy development. Tan has taught students from 5th to 10th grade in public, private, charter, and international schools.  He has served as a language specialist and is currently a secondary social studies teacher.  Tan shares teaching strategies on his blog and podcast with the hopes of celebrating teachers who answer the call to serve multilingual learners.
Dr. Katie Toppel is an English Language Development Specialist at the elementary
level, serving multilingual learners through collaboration, co-teaching, and small-group
instruction. Dr. Toppel is the newest member of the SIOP author team and co-author of the book DIY PD: A Guide to Self-Directed Learning for Educators of Multilingual Learners. She is also the co-founder of
#MLLChat_BkClub on Twitter, which is a virtual book club aimed at improving instructional
practices for multilingual learners.
Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk
For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community.
Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.
Download the episode transcript here.

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S10/E2: How educators can self-direct their professional learning with Carol Salva, Tan Huynh, and Katie Toppel

What are some common misconceptions about EL/SLIFE students and ESL instruction? How can professional development be leveraged to help educators support multilingual learners?
What are some particularly effective instructional strategies for multilingual learners in mainstream classrooms? We discuss these questions and more in an impassioned discussion with Nebraska’s 2022 Teacher of the Year Lee Perez. Perez is the first ESL teacher to win Teacher of the Year award in Nebraska, the recipient of the 2021 Award for Teaching Excellence through the Nebraska State Education Association, was named a Cox Communications Education Hero for the Omaha area, and is currently a 2023 Horseman Awards for Teaching Excellence finalist. He is a fifth- through eighth-grade English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska.
He has traveled around the state speaking to current and aspiring educators to share best practices in EL education and advocate for better teacher preparation to serve ESL students. We sat down with him to hear some of the most important messages he wants educators to know about working with this student population and to share what strategies and approaches he has found success with in his ESL education career.
Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk
For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community.
Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.
Download the episode transcript here.

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S10/E1: Nebraska’s 2022 Teacher of the Year is an EL Teacher - We discuss what is working in EL education

How has family engagement evolved post-pandemic remote learning? Why has online professional learning had staying-power after schools reopened? What are some predictions for trends and changes in store for education in 2023?
We’re concluding Season 9 of Highest Aspirations by reflecting on what has been a year full of learning how to best serve our students. We’ll also get into some predictions for 2023.
Sandra Medrano Arroyo, my colleague at Ellevation, joins us today to discuss some of our learnings from 2022 as well as some predictions and hopes for 2023. Sandra is in a unique position to provide this information given her background and current work. She works with me here at Ellevation Education as our Dual Language Instructional Content Specialist, where she has spearheaded the creation of two new instructional practices specific to the needs of Dual Language programs. She has also brought her knowledge and expertise to various conferences over the course of the year, with impactful presentations at NABE and La Cosecha among others. In over 23 years in education, she has served the needs of emergent bilinguals and various sub-groups in a number of roles: teacher, academic coordinator, school director, recruiter, instructional specialist, and program planner. Prior to Ellevation, Sandra served as the Manager of Multicultural Education for the 11th largest school district in the US, overseeing the ESOL program for over 34,000 students, including a two-way dual language program that served over 9,000 students. Since 2016, she has also served as a PD Consultant for the National Association for Bilingual Education.
Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk
For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community.
Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.
Download the episode transcript here.

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S9/E10: 2022 Learnings and 2023 Predictions with Sandra Medrano-Arroyo

This interview is episode 9 from Season 9 of Highest Aspirations, a podcast from Ellevation where we engage in important conversations about the most rapidly growing student demographic in the United States - English Language Learners.
What impacts have we seen on recent policy changes to reclassification or exiting of ELs with disabilities? How can schools prioritize collaboration and improve their current processes for determining reclassification for SPED ELs? What strategies can we use to ensure that these students are integrated into general education classrooms without compromising on learning in a supportive, language rich environment?
We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Sara Kangas, who returns to HA after joining us back in 2018 to discuss how schools are accommodating English Learners with disabilities and the impacts that EL and disability status have on reclassification or exiting.
We sat down to catch up with Dr. Kangas and learn about the latest challenges facing students and how schools can employ a collaborative approach in addressing inequities. Dr. Sara Kangas is an associate professor in the College of Education at Lehigh University.  She is an applied linguist whose research focuses on the school-age population of multilingual learners (MLs) with disabilities.  Using ethnography and interpretive policy analysis, Dr. Kangas investigates opportunity to learn for MLs with disabilities, with particular attention to the ways in which education policies, school structures, and ideologies affect their everyday learning experiences.  Grounded in interpretivist and critical frameworks, her research seeks to promote social justice through advocating and expanding the learning opportunities and educational rights of MLs with disabilities.
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Dr. Kangas has published in top-tier journals such as the American Educational Research Journal, Teaching and Teacher Education, and TESOL Quarterly, among others.  Her scholarship has received the James E. Alatis Prize (2018), TESOL Award for Distinguished Research (2015), and the Wilga Rivers Memorial Graduate Student Award (2015).  Dr. Kangas earned her Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in applied linguistics at Temple University.
Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk
For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community.
Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

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S9/E9: Collaborative Support for Multilingual Learners with Disabilities with Dr. Sara Kangas

What are the essential elements of success for learning communities to support immigrant students? How can incorporating storytelling into the classroom be used to build empathy and understanding for both students and educators? What are examples of innovative programs or collaborative approaches that are successfully improving outcomes for newcomers and immigrant students?
We discuss these questions and much more with Jessica Lander. Jessica Lander is an award-winning teacher, writer and author. She teaches history and civics to recent immigrant students in a Massachusetts public high school and has won numerous awards for her teaching, including being named a Top 50 Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize in 2021, presented by the Varkey Foundation and being named a MA Teacher of the Year Finalist in 2022, presented by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Jessica writes frequently about education policy and teaching. She is the author of Making Americans: Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas, and Inspiration in Immigrant Education, a coauthor of Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success and the author of Driving Backwards.
Download the episode transcript here.
Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk
For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community.

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S9/E8: How to Cultivate a Sense of Belonging for Immigrant-origin Students with Jessica Lander

What challenges are teachers facing with the curriculum often provided by their district regarding multilingual learner instruction? What role do stakeholders such as content creators, educational leaders, and community advocates play in improving curriculum? Where are we already seeing positive changes in inclusive curriculum and how can we replicate them in other states and districts?
We discuss these questions and much more with Renae Skarin,
Renae Skarin is senior director, content, at the English Learners Success Forum, a collaboration of researchers, teachers, district leaders, and funders working to improve the quality and accessibility of instructional materials for English learners. She works with leading educational experts to design and implement a process for reviewing and providing feedback to curriculum developers on the strength of supports for ELs. Prior to joining the ELSF, she worked at Understanding Language, Stanford University, where she was a researcher, professional developer, curriculum developer, and project manager for projects specializing in issues of equity and accessibility for diverse learners and has a strong background in second language teaching and teacher education both in the U.S. and abroad.
Download the episode transcript here.
Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk
For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community.
Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

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S9/E7: Giving Teachers What They Need to Support Multilingual Learners with Renae Skarin

What are some flawed perceptions of immigrant and refugee students and how can these impact the education they receive? What policies or district practices have been barriers to newcomer or immigrant students receiving the full extent of education promised to them by law? How is “moving students through” the education system without adequate support or learning such a major missed opportunity for both them and their communities?
We discuss these questions and more with the author of “The School I Deserve” Jo Napolitano, who spent nearly two decades reporting for The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Newsday before winning a Spencer Education Fellowship to Columbia University in 2016 in support of her reporting on immigrant youth. Her first book, The School I Deserve: Six Young Refugees and Their Fight for Equality in America, will be published by Beacon Press in Spring 2021.
Napolitano has reported on many topics throughout her award-winning career, including crime and science. But education remains her primary focus, and for good reason: It was the only means  through which she would escape poverty.
Born in Bogota, Colombia, Napolitano was abandoned at a bus stop by her birthmother when she was just a day old. Placed in an orphanage, she nearly died of starvation before she was adopted by a blue-collar family from New York. She was raised by a single parent and is a first-generation college graduate having earned her bachelors from Medill at Northwestern University.  She  believes no child’s life should be left to chance.
Download the episode transcript here.
Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk
For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community.
Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

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S9/E6: Ensuring Refugees and Newcomers Receive the Education They Deserve with Jo Napolitano

What parameters do districts have for spending ARP ESSER funds, specifically relating to multilingual learners? How are some districts already using these funds to offer high impact supports for their language learners? What guidance can we offer educators who want to advocate for their district to include and even prioritize this population of students in their ESSER fund spending plans?
We discuss these questions and more with Director of Policy and Advocacy Rosario Quiroz Villareal and Policy Analyst Cici Matheny of TNTP.  As you’ll here in our conversation, rosario and Cici have spent a lot of time learning about best practices for using ESSER funds and they have a lot of valuable information to share.
Rosario Quiroz Villarreal is director of policy and advocacy focused on multilingual learners and immigrant students at TNTP,  an organization with the mission of ending the injustice of educational inequality by providing excellent teachers to the students who need them most and by advancing policies and practices that ensure effective teaching in every classroom. Rosario got her start in policy through Next100, a startup think tank created for—and by—the next generation of policy leaders. Her orientation to education started with multilingual learners, as a bilingual educator in Texas and New York, and as a multilingual learner herself.
Cici Matheny is a policy analyst at TNTP and holds a master’s of public administration from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College, City University of New York. She worked with middle, high school and college students for eight years at a sports-based afterschool program in New York City before pivoting to education policy. At TNTP, she researches policy issues across the country impacting the teacher workforce and student outcomes in the wake of the pandemic.
Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk
For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community.
Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

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S9/E5: Using ESSER Funds to Support Multilingual Learners with Rosario Quiroz Villareal and Cici Matheny

What does research show about the importance of literacy skills when solving math and specifically word problems? How can educators prioritize and build in academic conversations into their classroom routines? What can teachers do to marry math and language so that multilingual learners can engage with the content more deeply?
We discuss these questions and much more with Diane Kue, an educational author, speaker, and consultant with eighteen years of teaching and instructional leadership experience. Her new book, Solved: A Teacher’s Guide to Making Word Problems Comprehensible applies practical, research-supported, strategic instructional approaches to equipping learners with life-long skills applicable beyond the classroom. She has presented locally to school campuses and districts, regionally for ESC and TexTESOL, and nationally for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
To download the full episode transcript, click here.
Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.


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S9/E4: Unpacking the Relationship Between Literacy and Math with Diane Kue

What are some positive outcomes from the uptick in Virtual PD that came out of the pandemic? How can administrators roll out professional development in a way that is both sustainable and sustained? In what ways can educators take an asset-based approach in how they speak about their students, specifically multilingual learners?

We discuss these questions and much more with Leticia Trower. Leticia has been passionate about language her entire life. She began her career in education as an elementary ESL teacher, and the majority of her work over the last twenty years has focused on language learners, professional learning for educators, and/or equity. She is currently Director of Professional Learning at Margarita Calderón & Associates, and a doctoral candidate in the Diversity and Equity in Education program at the University of Illinois. Her research interests include the impact of professional development in K-12 schools and the relationship between teachers’ language, beliefs, and practices.

Find the episode transcript here. For all of our community blog posts, podcasts, and additional resources visit our EL Community page.

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S9/E3: Implementing Sustainable Professional Development with Leticia Trower

This interview is a bonus episode from Season 9 of Highest Aspirations, a podcast from Ellevation where we engage in important conversations about the most rapidly growing student demographic in the United States - English Language Learners.
We got a chance to speak with Bryan Fernandez and Yerahm Hong, two recipients of the 2022 Ellevation Scholarship. Both of these students were enrolled in an EL program at some point during their K-12 education, and are currently freshmen at USC and UPenn, respectively. On this episode, we will highlight some experiences they had throughout their educational journeys to get to this point, and what advice they would give educators of multilingual learners.
Subscribe to the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0W4CYdurgYRIwFGif3H6Qk
For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community.
Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

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S9/Bonus Episode: Meet Yerahm and Bryan, Two Recipients of the 2022 Ellevation Scholarship

How can educators shift their practice from tearing down students for translanguaging or using “Spanglish” to building this up? How can tactics like co-teaching and professional learning opportunities be leveraged to support multilingual students and create more equitable classrooms? What can educators do to incorporate their students’ entire linguistic repertoire and validate their experiences in the classroom to build confidence?
Spanglish has historically been discouraged in both English and Spanish classrooms across the US. However, by discrediting this blended language we are not allowing students to use their entire linguistic repertoire. Not only is Spanglish, which is the blending of word parts from both Spanish and English, a significant part of many heritage Spanish speaking students’ identities, it is a valuable form of translanguaging.
To explore this topic in depth, we spoke with Alexandra Medrano, a teacher in Colorado who shares her journey from discouraging to celebrating Spanglish in her classroom. She also highlights other strategies she uses to create a more supportive and welcoming learning environment.
Alexandra (Alex) Medrano was a founding team member of DSST: Conservatory Green High School, a public charter school in North East Denver. The school is now in its fifth year, and her role has changed from founding Spanish teacher to Senior Academy Dean of Culture and instructional coach. For the last three years, she was the campus Multilinigual Education program coordinator, ensuring that emerging bilinguals receive effective instruction in their content courses by monitoring English proficiency data, analyzing gaps between emerging bilingual and monolingual students, and leading professional development to staff about the best practices to support emerging bilinguals.
Additionally, she co-taught English language development integrated history courses, with explicit language instruction. Alexandra is a 2013 Colorado Springs Teach for America alumni and has earned a master's in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity from CU Boulder. This is her tenth year in education.
For additional episodes, blog posts and free resources relating to multilingual education, visit our community page: https://ellevationeducation.com/ell-community
Find the full episode transcript here. Visit our EL Community page for episode resources, related content and more.

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S9/E2: Embracing Spanglish as Translanguaging in the Classroom with Alexandra Medrano

What are culture learning targets and why are they critical for creating non-oppressive learning environments? How can individual teachers lesson plan in a way that can disrupt the status quo of a monolingual centric approach to learning? How can educators support their multilingual learners in making cross-linguistic connections and fostering a practice of metalinguistic awareness?
Welcome back to Season 9 of the Highest Aspirations podcast, a show where we explore how we can help make an impact on our nation’s highest growing student demographic multilingual learners. Our first guest of the season is Dr. José Medina.
Dr. Medina is the founder and Chief Educational Advocate for Dr. José Medina: Educational Solutions. Prior to establishing the boutique consulting firm, Dr. Medina served as Research Scientist and Director of Dual Language and Bilingual Education at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, DC. José provides dual language technical assistance, professional development, and job-embedded support to dual language programs across the United States and globally.
He is a former dual language school principal and district leader who has also served as an administrator, educator, and advocate at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Dr. Medina is a co-author of the third edition and widely-used Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education and creator of the C6 Biliteracy Instructional framework, which we discuss during this interview. Dr. Medina is also a member of Ellevation's Instructional Advisory Board.
To download the full episode transcript click here.
For episode recap and resources, additional multimedia content and exclusive community webinars and toolkits, visit www.ellevationeducation.com/el-community

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S9/E1: Crafting Content, Language, and Culture Learning Targets with Dr. José Medina

Why is it necessary to explicitly teach and foster listening skills, specifically for language learners? What tools and activities can be used to practice listening in a culturally responsive and engaging way for all students? What do authentic conversations and listening comprehension activities sound like, and how can educators more effectively encourage these in their students?
Those topics and much more with Theresa Blanchard and Paul Hernandez from Sanger Unified School District in California - two educators who have designed and implemented successful strategies to help their students succeed in a variety of ways.
Find the full episode transcript here. Visit our EL Community page for show notes, additional resources, multimedia content and much more.
As always, thanks for listening to Highest Aspirations. The conversation continues when Season 9 begins in August, but every episode from Season 1-8 is available for you anywhere you get your podcasts. Enjoy the summer!

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S8/E13: Creating Intentional Opportunities to Improve Listening Comprehension with Paul Hernandez and Theresa Blanchard

What are some of the biggest obstacles for multilingual learners in many widely used intelligence tests? How can assessments be altered to more accurately test thinking rather than language skills or content knowledge? As more students are identified as gifted and talented with more accurate testing, how can teachers begin to better support these students?
We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Jack Naglieri. Dr. Naglieri is widely known for his efforts to increase participation of traditionally under-represented students in gifted education. He is currently a Senior Research Scientist at the Devereux Center for Resilient Children and Emeritus Professor of Psychology at George Mason University.
You’ll find multimedia resources - including a transcript of this episode, accompanying blog posts, videos, collaboration opportunities, and more - on our learning community. For episode resources and additional content visit our EL Community page.
Find the full episode transcript here.

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S8/E12: Providing Equitable Assessments to Identify Gifted English Learners with Dr. Jack Naglieri

What vital roles do social and cultural capital play in determining the opportunities available to new arrivals? How can peers be leveraged to help newcomers cross the we/them divide while growing academically? What does it mean for new arrivals to “cross the finish line” and what are a few key steps educators can take to help them get there?
We discuss these questions and much more with Pamela Broussard. Pamela Broussard is a passionate keynote speaker, presenter, and high school New Arrival Center teacher from Houston, Texas. She has more than  30 years of teaching experience ranging from elementary to master's degree prep courses. She has taught Regular Ed., Special Ed.,  ESL/EL/ML, SLIFE, and New Arrivals.  She has taught in the USA and abroad.  In addition to teaching, she is Rotary International Peace Fellow. She has traveled to more than 35 countries including working in Afghanistan for seven years. She has spent time in: refugee camps, war zones, orphanages, trash heaps, and human trafficking zones.  These experiences and trainings have given her a wealth of experience with Social Emotional Learning, Cultural Responsive Teaching, and Trauma-Informed Teaching. When she's not teaching, you can find her with hands covered in paint, glue stuck to her fingers, and collage supplies across her desk doing art.
You’ll find multimedia resources - including a transcript of this episode, accompanying blog posts, videos, collaboration opportunities, and more - on our learning community. For episode resources and additional content visit our EL Community page.
Find the full episode transcript here.

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S8/E11: Helping Newcomers Cross the Finish Line: Graduation and Beyond with Pamela Broussard

How can concepts like “teacher identity” and “learning leader” transform how educators show up in the classroom? What is the difference between directive and generative scaffolding, and how can one be significantly more constructive for ELs? What roles can deep culture, identity, and instructional power play in crafting more equitable teaching styles?
We discuss these questions and much more with Tanji Reed Marshall, who was highly recommended by our friend Jeff Zwiers form Stanford Graduate School of Education. Tanji Reed Marshall, Ph.D., is the director of p-12 practice, leading Ed Trust’s Equity in Motion assignment analysis work. Prior to joining Ed Trust, Tanji worked in the Office of Academic Programs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to prepare the school of education’s accreditation with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Before that, she supported prospective secondary English teachers who were working to obtain licensure through the school of education.
You’ll find multimedia resources - including a transcript of this episode, accompanying blog posts, videos, collaboration opportunities, and more - on our learning community. For episode resources and additional content visit our EL Community page.
Download the full episode transcript here.

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S8/E10: The Role of Teacher Identity in Culturally Responsive Instruction with Tanji Reed Marshall

How does the teaching outlined in his book 7 Steps to a Language Rich classroom help bridge the gap between research and practice? What outcomes or impact has John and his team seen on student performance in classrooms where the 7 steps methodology has been implemented? What would John say to educators who may be interested in trying the 7 Steps but may have lingering questions about the potential loss of agency or the level of fidelity needed to effectively implement?
On this episode, we bring back our friend John Seidlitz to catch up on the work he has been doing for the newest version of his well known 7 Steps to a Language Rich Classroom book. It is always great to connect with John but the interview you’re about to hear is just one part of our exploration of this topic. You’ll find multimedia resources - including a transcript of this episode, accompanying blog posts, videos, collaboration opportunities, and more - on our learning community. For episode resources and additional content visit our EL Community page. 
Find the full episode transcript here.
John Seidlitz is an independent educational consultant and the author of Sheltered Instruction Plus: A Guide for Texas Teachers of English Learners; Navigating the ELPS: Using the New Standards to Improve Instruction for English Learners; and a contributing author for The SIOP® Model for Teaching History-Social Studies for English Learners. He is the co-author of numerous publications including the 7 Steps to Developing a Language-Rich Interactive Classroom®. Mr. Seidlitz has been a member of the SIOP® National faculty and guest lecturer for many regional and national language development conferences. He taught social studies and ESL, served as a secondary ESL program coordinator, and held the position of education specialist at ESC Region 20 in San Antonio, Texas. In 2005, Mr. Seidlitz founded Seidlitz Education which is dedicated to the mission of Giving Kids the Gift of Academic Language™.

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S8/E9: An Inside Look into the 7 Steps to a Language Rich Classroom with Author John Seidlitz

How can relationship building and interpersonal connection play a vital role in English learners developing a love of reading? What can educators do to encourage students to move outside of their comfort zone at school, especially when it comes to reading academic content? How can providing students with leadership opportunities enhance learning and inspire students to think in new ways?
We discuss these questions and more with Shreya Rohatgi, a first-year college student at the University of Oklahoma who earned one of Ellevation’s scholarships last year. Shreya is a biochemistry major with a minor in psychology. She is also intentionally taking classes that invoke her creative side, which she feels is an important part of a well-rounded education. She is also a member of the Presidents Leaders Club, where she has been lucky to be part of what she calls patchwork of people whose individual talents and experiences come together to create something powerful.
We caught up with Shreya in the middle of our application period for Ellevation’s 2022 scholarship. We hope our conversation with her inspires you to encourage your students to apply. We’ll accept applications through May 12th and you can find all the information you need on our Community page. You can also find multimedia resources - including a transcript of this episode, accompanying blog posts, videos, collaboration opportunities, and more - on our learning community. 
As always, thanks for listening to Highest Aspirations.

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Bonus Episode: Meet 2021 Ellevation Scholarship Recipient Shreya Rohatgi

What is the relationship between decoding and comprehension when reading, and why is it important for educators to prioritize both? Why are key literacy resources like school librarians or educational media specialists and classroom libraries growing scarce and what are the consequences? How can listeners begin to take steps on a micro and macro level to improve flawed education policies that are impacting multilingual learners?
We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Kathy Escamilla and Dr. Sue Hopewell.
For episode resources, additional content and much more visit our EL Community page. Find the episode transcript here. 
Dr. Kathy Escamilla is a Professor Emerita of Education in the Division of Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She held the Bob and Judy Charles endowed chair in this division. Dr. Escamilla’s research focuses on issues related to the development of bilingualism and biliteracy for Spanish-speaking emerging bilingual children in US schools. Her research has also examined assessment practices for emerging bilingual learners.
Sue Hopewell is the Director and Co-Founder of Literacy Squared® and an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the division Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy in the School of Education. Her research focuses on issues of language, culture, equity, and identity especially as they impact, or are affected by, bilingualism and the related literacy practices at the elementary school level

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