LAD24 Breakout Rooms: What If? The Future of Multilingualism
Imagine a World Where Federal Legislation Supports Local Language Programs
In these conversations, you will have the opportunity to take a closer look at how the programs you're advocating for - if passed and implemented - can have a positive impact on language education and study abroad programs in your community.
How to Use Title Funding | Session 1
Related Legislation - Appropriations
Jamie Patterson, World Languages Coordinator for Fulton Country Schools
Ms. Jamie Patterson is the World Languages Coordinator for Fulton County Schools in
Atlanta, Georgia, providing guidance to teachers of seven different languages. She has
presented at the state, regional and national level for over twenty years with a primary focus of supporting proficiency-based instruction. Ms. Patterson is a passionate advocate for world languages. Her education includes a bachelor’s degree in French and Secondary Education from James Madison University and a master’s degree in French Literature from the University of Georgia.
A World with "World LEAP" | Session 1
Related Legislation - World LEAP Act (HR 5603)
Kathryn Wolfkiel, Department Chair for World Language and Multilingual Learners, Barrington High School
Kathryn Wolfkiel is the Department Chair for World Language and Multilingual Learners at Barrington High School in Barrington, Illinois, a position she has held since 2014 and which also allows her to continue her favorite part of the day - teaching! She represents CSCTFL on the NADSFL board and is currently serving as 1st Vice- President of the Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ICTFL). She has presented at a variety of conferences and is committed to providing the professional development that teachers need to allow their students to experience another language and culture. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages (French and German) from Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois and both a MA and PhD from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She has been teaching French since 1985 in a variety of contexts, including university and Kindergarten.
Starting and Sustaining WLARA Programs | Session 1
Related Legislation - The World Language Advancement and Readiness Grants Program
Shayna Katz, World Language Coordinator for the Kailua-Kalāheo Complex DoDEA WLARP grant project
Shayna Katz is a world language coordinator for the Kailua-Kalāheo Complex DoDEA WLARP grant project. She received her MA in Spanish and Latin American Culture and Literature, and a Graduate Certificate in Second Language Studies in Spanish Applied Linguistics at UH Mānoa, where she is currently a doctoral student in Learning Design and Technology (LTEC). Her research interests include the relationship between social, cognitive and teacher presence in online and hybrid language courses, project and task-based language learning, (multi/inter)cultural competencies, and student self-determination.
April Wawryk, Project Director for North Hanover School District DoDEA WLARP Grant Project
April Wawryk is an esteemed educator with over 18 years of experience, currently serving as Principal at an Upper Elementary School within the North Hanover School District. With a passion for fostering academic excellence and holistic growth, she has dedicated her career to creating enriching learning environments for students. Notably, April co-authored a 2021 WLRA grant titled Hello (Horizon's Expanding Through Language Learning Opportunities), showcasing her commitment to promoting language acquisition and cultural diversity in education. As the project director, she spearheads initiatives aimed at enhancing language learning opportunities for students. April's leadership and dedication to educational innovation have earned her recognition as a driving force in advancing student achievement and educational equity within her school community
Equitable Access to Study Abroad | Session 2
Related Legislation - The Paul Simon Study Abroad Act (HR 4588/S 2261) and Title VI of HEA
Dr. Brian Gibson, Vice President for Language Programs for American Councils
Dr. Brian Gibson became part of American Councils in January 2024, taking on the role of overseeing a diverse range of programs including the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program, the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program, and American Councils Study Abroad programs.
Dr. Gibson served as the Chief Global Officer at the University of Utah since 2021, where he oversaw the Office for Global Engagement, managing all aspects of study abroad programming, providing support for international students and scholars, and overseeing overseas campuses. Before his tenure at the University of Utah, Dr. Gibson dedicated almost 15 years to working in international operations at institutions such as George Mason University, Northeastern University, and Columbia University Law School. His professional background also includes serving as a program officer in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, teaching on the law faculty of the City University of Hong Kong and contributing to the Institute of International Education (IIE) in various capacities, including oversight of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. government-funded programs.
Dr. Gibson holds a bachelor’s degree in International Economics and a J.D. in Comparative and International Law from Georgetown University. He furthered his education with a master’s degree in international conflict resolution and peacebuilding from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam, specializing in legal pluralism and international development.
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Implementing the Seal of Biliteracy Nationwide | Session 2
Related Legislation - The Biliteracy Education and Teaching Seal (BEST) Act (HR 7007/S3595)
Lisa McFadden, Vestavia Hills High School World Languages Department Chair
Lisa McFadden is a dynamic and passionate educator with over 20 years of experience teaching Spanish from elementary school to college-level courses. The last 14 years she has been teaching at Vestavia Hills High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Lisa has served as an advocate for World Languages in Alabama by promoting both the local and Global Seal of Biliteracy programs. She has worked collaboratively to develop and pilot the original Seal program in Alabama, leading Vestavia Hills City Schools Seal of Biliteracy program for the last seven years. Lisa is committed to continuing to mentor and support teachers at schools across the state who are beginning to implement the newly adopted Alabama Seal of Biliteracy.
How We Count, Counts: The Need for Data | Session 2
Related Legislation - Language Attainment Research Provision in the Advancing Research in Education Act (AREA) (S.3392)
Dr. Francis Troyan, Associate Professor of World Language Education at The Ohio State University
Francis John Troyan is Associate Professor of World Language Education, Director of the Online Graduate Certificate Program in Core Practices in World Language Education, faculty advisor for the B.S.Ed. and M.Ed. Programs in World Language Education, and faculty lead for the OSU-Fulbright Germany Seminar on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Education. My interest in language use, language learning, and learning teaching grew out of my Sundays learning Polish with my grandparents. Based on these experiences, my passion for language, language use, and language ideologies developed.
In my work, I examine why, how, for what purposes, and in which situations students learn and teacher teach in world language classroom and other multilingual contexts. My research has evolved from being framed within a traditional foreign language education perspective to one that views language use as dynamic, emergent, and responsive to a particular sociocultural situation.
My current research in language immersion classrooms in the United States and multilingual education in France is informed by translanguaging, a theory of dynamic bilingualism (e.g., García, 2009), and Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) (e.g., Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014), a theory of language that describes how written and spoken language functions in social contexts and for particular purposes. Using these theoretical perspectives, I investigate how teachers use language and students learn to use language in meaningful communicative contexts in immersion classrooms and traditional world language classrooms.
Elise Franchino, Program Manager for the Learning Sciences Exchange Program, New America
Franchino joined New America in January 2019 to support research, blogging, and policy paper writing for the Early & Elementary Education and English Learner teams.
Prior to working at New America, Franchino was a pre-K and kindergarten teacher in child care centers, public elementary schools, and language immersion schools in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Passionate about improving children’s access to early education and dual language opportunities, she pivoted to education research and policy.
Franchino interned with Save the Children International and was a fellow with Learn Together, Live Together, providing research on school integration and diversity.
Franchino holds a certificate in education finance from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in TESOL literacy from Wilmington University, and a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
