Zoila Morell, PhD., is currently an Associate Professor in Educational Leadership at Mercy College. She has served in an administrative capacity in a variety of programs serving young language learners and their families. She received statewide recognition for her work as a school Principal where she administered programs for over 1000 children and families, mostly from immigrant homes. Dr. Morell currently serves on an advisory board to the New York State Education Department on the identification and instruction of young language learners in the growing PreK programs across the state.

Dr. Tamara Alsace, NYSABE Past President, is a retired educator from the Buffalo, NY Public Schools, has held many positions in the fields of bilingual education and bilingual special education. As Director, she oversaw Bilingual, ESOL, and World Languages programs, leading many initiatives benefitting ELL/bilingual learners and all students, including the expansion of dual language programs and piloting the NYS Seal of Biliteracy. An active community member, Tamara has served on several non-profit boards and is a member of various civic and professional organizations, including two recent terms as president of NYSABE. She represents NYSABE on NYSED’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Think Tank. Dr. Alsace currently works as a private consultant, providing support to local, state, and national educational enterprises through school and district quality reviews, technical assistance and professional development.

Please join Dr. Fabrice Jaumont and a panel of parents present their discussion on empowering families.
Fabrice Jaumont has more than 25 years of experience in international education and the development of multilingual programs in the United States. In spearheading what he calls the “Bilingual Revolution,” Jaumont has put his expertise at the service of multiple linguistic communities by helping them develop quality dual language programs in their local public schools. He is himself the father of two bilingual and bicultural girls who attend a public dual language school in Brooklyn. He is the author of The Bilingual Revolution: The Future of Education is in Two Languages (TBR Books, 2017) which is a collection of inspirational vignettes and practical advice that tells the story of the parents and educators who founded dual language programs in New York.

Deborah Palmer is Professor of Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder. She was a two-way dual language teacher in Redwood City, California in the 1990’s. Her research interests include equity and discourse in dual language bilingual education; bilingual education policy and politics; teacher preparation for linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms; and bilingual teacher leadership. Her research has appeared in a wide range of journals including most recently: Language Arts, Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, Review of Research in Education, and Journal of Language, Identity, and Education.

Kleidon Ndreu is a senior at Cliffside Park High School, NJ where he is the student council president. He is the eldest of three children, and the son of Albanian immigrants. After high school, Mr. Ndreu plans to be involved in politics or government.

Yennifer Pinales is a senior at Cliffside Park High School, NJ. She immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic when she was 9 years old. In the future, Ms. Pinales would like to attend college to become a social worker, and she is also interested in law.

María Cioè-Peña is a doctoral candidate in Urban Education, an Advance Research Collaborative fellow and a Presidential MAGNET Fellow at The Graduate Center – City University of New York. She is a former elementary school teacher whose passion for children and social justice in education pushes her to fight for equity and full inclusion for children of diverse backgrounds and abilities. With a B.A. in English and a M.S.Ed. in teaching urban students with disabilities, María’s research focuses on bilingual children with dis/abilities, their families and their ability to access multilingual learning spaces within schools.