News

Hanna Gneiting serves as a Youth Programs Manager for the Outdoor Outreach Organization based in San Diego where she helps to empower students through outdoor activities.

The WIDA Web Team is pleased to announce that, based on significant user feedback, we have made several upgrades to search functionality on the public WIDA website.

WIDA, in collaboration with the International Consortium for Multilingual Excellence in Education (ICMEE), announces a call for nominations for the first class of WIDA Fellows. In establishing these fellowships, WIDA and ICMEE formally acknowledge the invaluable role of exemplary teachers of bilingual and multilingual learners in advancing the field in collaboration with professional development and research partners.

Shannon Rodriguez uses the combined experiences she has had personally and professionally to support multilingual learners in Virginia.

“Most people think ‘WIDA’ refers to only a test and haven't been exposed to the full use for planning, goal setting, conferencing with parents and academic instruction for ELLs. That’s where we have seen the true value: using WIDA as a system to support teaching and learning.”

– EAL Program Coordinator

Barbara Smith is an ESL teacher at Waynesville R-VI East Elementary School in Waynesville, Missouri. Barbara has been at East Elementary for eight years and teaching for 19.

Leah Juelke has taken on various unique literacy projects with her language learners in Fargo, North Dakota in efforts to share the stories of refugee and immigrant students.

This month’s featured educator, Sheila Hickman, is a high school ESL teacher in New Jersey. She was recommended by her district’s Social Studies Department Chair who describes Sheila as a highly effective, innovative advocate for English Language Learners.

Robb Freeman embraces values dear to WIDA as he works to empower his students, celebrate their backgrounds, and build bridges from the classroom to the community.

This month's featured educator, Carly Spina, serves as an EL/Bilingual Instructional Coach for eight schools in the linguistically rich community of Glenview, IL. She was chosen, in part, due to her passion for her students and for social justice.