Highest Aspirations Podcast
1) Sustaining EL success through teacher leaders with Dr. Michelle Benegas
In this episode of Highest Aspirations, Sandra Medrano-Arroyo speaks with Dr. Michelle Benegas about building sustainable, schoolwide support for ELs. Michelle shares insights on empowering teacher le...Show More
2) Effective coaching for teachers of English learners with Paula Polk
In this episode of Highest Aspirations, Sandra Medrano-Arroyo speaks with Paula Polk about her journey from classroom teacher to language coach and district leader. Paula shares insights on coaching w...Show More
3) Student agency through academic languaging with Dr. Margo Gottleib and Dr. Gisela Ernst-Slavit
In this episode of Highest Aspirations, we speak with Dr. Margo Gottlieb and Dr. Gisela Ernst-Slavit about the powerful concept at the heart of their new book, Academic Languaging. They challenge the ...Show More
4) Organizing a summer newcomer program with Sarah Whitfield
In this episode of Highest Aspirations, we speak with Sarah Whitfield, an ML Instructional Specialist, about the summer Newcomer Academy she directs. Sarah shares the intentional structure of the prog...Show More
5) Creating authentic learning experiences for ELs with Dr. Carol Salva
Season 15 of Highest Aspirations begins with Dr. Carol Salva, author of Boosting Achievement. In this episode, Dr. Salva shares updated strategies from the new edition of her book designed to support ...Show More
6) Igniting real change for English learners with Carly Spina
This episode of Highest Aspirations features Carly Spina, an author and passionate advocate for English learners, as she shares her inspiring journey and groundbreaking work.Join us to hear how Carly'...Show More
7) Celebrating the teaching profession with Alaina Peterson, Sarah Nandi, and Tommy Hekma
This episode of Highest Aspirations features Sarah Nandi, Alaina Peterson, and Thomas Hekma—former educators who now work at Ellevation—sharing how their classroom experiences shape the way they suppo...Show More
8) Colorado's investment in bilingualism with Alice Collins and Dr. Ester de Jong
This episode of Highest Aspirations welcomes Alice Collins from the Colorado Department of Education and Dr. Esther De Jong from the University of Colorado Denver to explore the dynamic landscape of b...Show More
9) Connecting with students from hard places with Elise White Diaz
Elise White Diaz, a passionate advocate for trauma-informed multilingual education, joins Highest Aspirations to discuss practical strategies for connecting with and supporting students who have exper...Show More
10) Content instruction that welcomes multilingual learners with Valentina Gonzalez
Valentina Gonzalez, a passionate advocate for multilingual learners, joins Highest Aspirations to discuss her collaborative work on Welcome to Teaching Multilingual Learners and her solo project, Equi...Show More