Implementing Biliteracy Seals to Strengthen Bilingual Education and Support Cultural Awareness

Time: 3:00-4:30 p.m. Central Time

Location: Virtual

Description: Join REL Southwest for a free webinar to explore how states and districts are using seals of biliteracy to reinforce bilingual education, with a focus on New Mexico's State Seal of Bilingualism-Biliteracy. Samuel Aguirre of WIDA Espanol will provide an overview of bilingual education, biliteracy seals, and national trends. Brenda Arellano, PhD, will discuss REL Southwest's work on biliteracy seals in New Mexico. Kadriye El-Atwani, PhD, of New Mexico Public Education Department will describe New Mexico's State Seal of Bilingualism-Biliteracy. In addition, a panel of bilingual education leaders will discuss how they are empowering students to engage with their communities and heritage through New Mexico's State Seal of Bilingualism-Biliteracy and its benefits, including how educators involved local stakeholders.

Audience: This webinar is designed for a broad national audience of state education agency staff, district administrators, principals and researchers. District staff, instructional coaches, and teachers also may be interested in this topic.

Speakers:

• Samuel Aguirre, Director of WIDA Espanol and Assistant Director of Consortium Relations, WIDA
• Brenda Arellano, PhD, Senior Researcher, REL Southwest
• Kadriye El-Atwani, PhD, Multicultural Education Specialist, New Mexico Public Education Department
• Tracey Cordero, Director, Indigenous Montessori Institute, Keres Children's Learning Center
• Jessica Villalobos, Senior Director, Department of Language and Cultural Equity, Albuquerque Public Schools
• Santi Gutierrez, Bilingual Multicultural Education Coordinator, Clovis Municipal Schools