News

Heather Brooke Robertson has worked with ELLs ranging from 4K-8th grade in both California and Wisconsin. She has also started the company Books Del Sur which imports rich, bilingual texts from Latin America. This fall, Heather will begin co-teaching at Lincoln Elementary School in Madison, Wisc.

"I appreciate how the standards make me focus on the specialized language skills required in different content areas. I have to ask myself questions like, “What kind of language does a student need to be successful in science, or math?” ... The standards hold me accountable to make sure I am addressing the needs of my students in every subject area."

– Jessica LeCrone, ESL teacher, North Carolina

Gwendolyn Quadri is an ESL specialist at West Lee Middle School in Sanford, North Carolina. Gwendolyn is in her ninth year of teaching and fifth year at West Lee.

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.