Leading Multilingual Learning

Today's guest is a monumental figure in the world of multilingual standards and assessment. Dr. Margo Gottlieb is an inaugural inductee in the Multilingual Education Hall of Fame, a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Chile and holds a PhD in Public Policy Analysis. Dr. Gottlieb has over 125 publications and has authored or co-authored 25 books, including seven bestsellers. Perhaps most impactfully, she co-founded WIDA and was instrumental in developing the first published edition of their English language development standards.

Today's guest Molly Hegwood is the Executive Director of the Office of English Learners at Metro Nashville Public Schools. A former classroom teacher in Knox County and Nashville, she now oversees services for 24,000 multilingual learners speaking 135 languages across her district, and has led the shift from traditional professional development to embedded coaching models. Under her leadership, Metro Nashville Public Schools has expanded service models to meet the needs of one of the fastest-growing English Learner populations in the American Southeast. Her pragmatic approach and steadfast commitment to forging partnerships within her diverse community have garnered impressive results, and have made her a leader among multilingual learning advocates nationwide.

Dr. Tim Boals is one of the most important voices in multilingual education. He is the founder of WIDA, a preeminent educational organization supporting K-12 multilingual learners through research-based language development standards and professional resources. Dr. Boals holds a PhD in Curriculum from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with an emphasis in the education of multilingual learners. At WIDA, Tim currently serves as senior principal investigator, helping multilingual education professionals and learners alike better understand the most crucial areas of focus.

Kathy Escamilla is one of America's foundational voices in multilingual education. A professor emerita at the University of Colorado Boulder, she helped define the concept of the Bilingual Continuum, reshaping how educators understand language development in multilingual learners. She is best known for her work across the field of biliteracy development. In her decades-long career she has deeply influenced how schools nationwide approach both instruction and assessment, and has pushed the field into asset-based practices that build on students' full linguistic repertoires.