Leading Multilingual Learning

A New Generation of Service Models with Molly Hegwood

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.

Advancing Language through Content with Dr. Tim Boals

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 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.

Building Multilingual Foundations with Kathy Escamilla

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.