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M O D E R A T O R

Paola Uccelli

Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education

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SCHEDULE

Closing Remarks

6:25pm

Panel Discussion and
Q&A Session

EL TEDTalks Presentations

Welcome and Announcements

5:00pm

5:10pm

5:45pm

6:30pm

Dessert Reception

Visit with our Partners

By 2025, 1 in 4 students in the U.S. will be an English Learner. Despite recent legislative and pedagogical reforms, this group continues to underperform on standardized measures. EL educators--the very staff with expertise to make strategic decisions to support these students--are often underresourced and understaffed. Due to the language barrier and cultural differences, EL families are often left without a voice in advocating for change. Now, more than ever, we need to empower all educators to advocate for this group.

EL Summit: Leading for English Learners will spur a conversation around what it truly takes to lead for this group of students. Join us for Ted-talks style presentations from EL leaders, a follow-up panel discussion, and a FREE dessert reception with community partners. As we believe advocacy for ELs should happen from multiple angles, our panelists and partners represent diverse perspectives, from policy to practice. We hope that it is both an informative and thought-provoking evening. 

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 ABOUT

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PARTNERS

Advocating for English Learners takes a network of committed individuals and organizations. At the EL Summit, we are looking forward to recognizing the incredible work being done to support English Learners in our community. If your organization or company is interested in hosting a table or supporting our event, reach out to Jaclyn Eichenberger at jaclyn_eichenberger@gse.harvard.edu.

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GETTING HERE

ABOUT
SPEAKERS
SCHEDULE
PARTNERS
RSVP
MEET THE TEAM

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 SPEAKERS

Dr. Martina Wagner has a background in serving English Language learners that has spanned over twenty years in grades pre-K thru adult education. Her professional passions and expertise include best practice and programming for ELs, Sheltered Instruction (SIOP), Co-teaching, Special Education Identification of ELs, WIDA and English Language Learning assessments and data.
In addition, Dr. Wagner has worked extensively both nationally and internationally to increase awareness of educational best practice and systems restructure.

Sarah Ottow, founder and lead coach of Confianza, has dedicated her career to empowering teachers and promoting equity for culturally and linguistically diverse students. She has served as a classroom teacher, an ELL specialist, a district coordinator and a bilingual literacy coach/reading specialist in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Puerto Rico schools. Sarah has earned a Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction focused on social justice in urban education. As Confianza's Lead Coach, Sarah and her team of coaches partner with educators across the country and internationally to support their multilingual learners and their families. 

M E E T  T H E  T E A M 

Amy Ng

Amy has just graduated from her undergraduate law degree with a minor in Chinese Studies back in Hong Kong. Born and raised in the international city, she is exposed to a multicultural environment and enjoys learning different languages and cultures. She has been a writer and teacher in Chinese, but noticed how a lot of students struggle with English despite being in bilingual educational settings. Aspiring to start her own education center, she hopes to bring experiences from the US to support language learning back home.

 

Amy is currently an Ed.M. Candidate in the Language and Literacy Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She looks forward to be engaging in conversations about pedagogies and programs that enhance children’s literacies in both Chinese and English.

 

Striving to foster a multicultural learning environment, Amy sees the first HGSE EL Summit as the best platform to connect educational organisations in EL education to start conversations and collaborations, bettering the learning experiences for bilingual learners.

Jaclyn Eichenberger

Born and raised in Minnesota, Jaclyn's home state has one of the largest achievement gaps in the nation. In this context, Jaclyn has spent her years as an English Learner teacher advocating for equitable educational opportunities for EL students. While teaching, she helped start LessonPick, a collaboration tool for EL educators. Since then, she helped start and continues to work at Camp Hokulea, a camp which provides fun and creative 21st century English learning opportunities for Asian and Asian American youth.

 

Jaclyn is currently an Ed.M. Candidate in the Language and Literacy Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Immersed in the field of EL, Jaclyn's dream is that the conversation EL education would exist in all areas of education, from policy, to leadership, to pedagogy.

 

Through the first ever HGSE EL Summit, Jaclyn looks forward to broadening the conversation around EL education with the HGSE community and beyond.

Lena Jeong

Lena was born in Seoul, South Korea. Having spent her childhood in both California and Seoul, she is passionate about providing EL students support throughout their journeys of language and identity development. Lena’s long-term goals are to create an educational support system for returnees – returning students from abroad – in Korea, specifically dealing with creating a bilingual educational setting.  

 

Currently, Lena is pursuing an Ed.M in Language and Literacy at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Having recently graduated from Ewha Womans University with a double major in International Studies and English Literature, she hopes to integrate literacy practices with works of literature to create a more engaging learning opportunity for EL students. In the past, Lena has worked as a program coordinator for English library camps in Korea and a coordinator/judge for the World Individual Speaking Championships while also broadening her knowledge of the English education system in Korea. She also has diverse experience in teaching Korean returnees and has helped develop curriculum for bilingual students. 

 

Lena is more than excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the first EL Summit and to learn, create, and engage in meaningful conversations about EL education!

When
Feb 28, 2018, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Where
Askwith Hall,
13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Abigail Williamson is entering her 18th year educating multilingual learners and their teachers. During her journey from classroom teacher to teacher trainer, she has worked with countless excellent English teachers looking for ways to improve their instruction. Abigail believes that language is power, and she created másOmenos.org to fill the gaps she saw between English Language education policy and the actual needs of multilingual students and their teachers.

Christine Leider is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Language Education and Program Director of Bilingual Education and TESOL-Licensure at Boston University. Dr. Leider’s teaching focuses on critical perspectives and anti-racist pedagogy for teaching bilingual students in PK-12 classrooms. Her research focuses on language/literacy development of bilingual students and equity issues in ESL and SEI education. Dr. Leider is also an elected member of the MATSOL Board of Directors.

Rebecca Westlake, Director of English Language Learning for Salem Public Schools, is a leader in multilingual education and language learning.  Having served ELs as ESL teacher, instructional coach, and school leader, Rebecca focuses her current work on dismantling institutional barriers to equity and access and empowering teachers as change agents.  She has a Masters of School Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education and has taught and led in public, charter, and alternative schools.

When
Feb 28, 2018, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Where
Askwith Hall,
13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
GETTNG HERE

We highly recommend using one of the ride sharing services or taking the MBTA.

If you take the T, get off the the Harvard Square station and walk along Brattle Street. Turn right on Appian Way and you will find the Longfellow Building, where you will find the Askwith Hall.

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