Case Studies

New Jersey Department of Education Seal of Biliteracy Project (in progress)

Instructional Coaching & Professional Learning in Partnership with Rutgers University

Context

The New Jersey Department of Education’s Seal of Biliteracy Grant, in partnership with Rutgers University, supports districts in strengthening bilingual and biliteracy instruction while expanding equitable access for multilingual learners across urban, suburban, and rural school contexts.

Role & Instructional Approach

As an instructional coach and consultant, I provided sustained, individualized coaching to educators participating in the Seal of Biliteracy Grant.

Support included:

• Structured pre-observation planning conversations

• In-class observation cycles across K–12 settings

• Reflective post-observation coaching

• Ongoing collaboration with district teams and Rutgers project leaders

Coaching was grounded in asset-based, culturally sustaining, and language-responsive instructional practices, with a focus on biliteracy development, instructional clarity, and equitable program implementation.

Feedback was customized to each educator’s instructional context and designed to support practical, manageable shifts.

Scope & Impact

• Coaching provided across multiple New Jersey public schools

• Sustained individualized coaching for bilingual and ESL educators

• Strengthened instructional alignment with biliteracy program goals

• Increased teacher reflection and intentionality

• Enhanced collaboration between classroom educators, grant fellows, and university partners

Outcome

This multi-school partnership strengthened instructional capacity aligned with state-level biliteracy goals and contributed to sustainable, equity-centered program implementation across diverse district contexts.

Touro University & KIPP Charter Schools

Professional Learning Initiative: Proactive Social-Emotional Strategies for Multilingual Learners

Context

Touro University partnered with KIPP Charter Schools to support K–8 educators in strengthening proactive social-emotional learning (SEL) practices, with particular attention to multilingual learners in diverse classroom settings.

Role & Instructional Approach

I designed and facilitated two five-hour professional development sessions for approximately 70 educators.

The workshops were grounded in culturally sustaining, trauma-informed, and language-responsive practices and structured to balance research grounding with practical implementation.

Each session included:

• Original instructional frameworks

• Collaborative problem-solving

• Guided educator reflection

• Ready-to-use classroom tools and handouts

The goal was not simply knowledge transfer, but sustainable instructional application.

Scope & Impact

• ~70 educators served across two full-day sessions

• Participant satisfaction ratings between 4.6 and 4.8 out of 5

• Increased teacher confidence in proactive SEL implementation

• Immediate classroom application supported by adaptable resources

• Strengthened inclusive classroom environments for multilingual learners

Selected Participant Reflections

“I learned SO much. This was an AMAZING five hours…”

“Great professional development. This was the best one I’ve had so far this year.”

Outcome

This collaboration strengthened educators’ capacity to implement proactive, culturally responsive SEL strategies while supporting multilingual learners’ academic and social-emotional development across diverse K–8 settings.