English Learner Leadership Conference

This popular one-day conference provides a venue for administrators and teacher-leaders to gather tools that enhance instructional programs for English learners. The conference is held annually in February. It is sponsored by the Sonoma County Office of Education, Sonoma County Association of School Administrators, and Migrant Education.

2015 Conference

• The 2015 Conference on February 3 featured keynote speakers Dr. Patricia Gándara, co-director of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, and Dr. Harold Asturias, director of the Center for Mathematics Excellence and Equity at Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley. Additional speakers were featured in breakout sessions covering a range of topics.

Archive: 2014 Conference

• Susana Dutro and Elizabeth Macias, from E.L. Achieve, opened the conference with a keynote presentation entitled What’s Language Got to Do with It? and discussed strategies for supporting English Learners in the era of new standards.
• Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, executive director of Californians Together provided the afternoon keynote, English Learners and the Local Control Funding Formula: An Opportunity to Make a Difference.

Archive: 2013 Conference

• Robert Linquanti is project director and senior researcher at WestEd, specializing in assessment, evaluation, and accountability policies, practices, and systems for English Learners. He spoke on the state’s new standards for English Language Development.
• George Bunch is an associate professor of education at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research focuses on the language and literacy challenges and opportunities for language minority students, and on policies and practices designed to serve those students. His presentation was on the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and how they are applied in the classroom.

Archive: 2012 Conference

• Eli Johnson is a national speaker, consultant, and author of Academic Language! Academic Literacy! A Guide for K-12 Educators. Throughout his career, he has worked with teachers and school leaders regarding the achievement gap, adolescent literacy, and other issues affecting student achievement. His keynote addressed the 21st century English and literacy skills needed by students and how educators can best support student acquisition of those skills.
• Veronica Aguilar is associate director of California Mini-Corps and president of Aguila & Associates LLC. As a former CDE administrator, she oversaw the development of Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches and authored the publication’s introduction. Her career includes 25 years in the California public school system and she is a nationally known speaker. Her passion for addressing the needs of English learners comes from her personal experience as an immigrant and English learner.

Archive: 2011 Conference

• Laurie Olsen, Ph.D., Director, Sobrato Early Academic Literacy Program
  Reparable Harm: Fulfilling the Unkept Promise of Educational Opportunity for California's Long Term English Learners
• Kate Kinsella, Ed.D., Author & Teacher Educator, San Francisco State University ELD: Issues and Implementation for Long Term English Learners