Multilingual Illinois 2024 Statewide Conference in Conjunction with ESSA – December 10th-13th, 2024

The 2024 Statewide Multilingual Illinois Conference, in Conjunction with ESSA, will take place December 10th-13th, 2024, in Tinley Park, Illinois. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months.

Tuesday, December 10th, 2024 — Dr. Monica Burns

Dr. Monica Burns is a Curriculum and EdTech Consultant, Apple Distinguished Educator and Founder of ClassTechTips.com. As a classroom teacher in New York City, Monica used digital tools to create an engaging, differentiated learning experience to meet the unique needs of her students. Monica started her blog ClassTechTips.com in 2012 to help make EdTech easier for fellow educators, and launched the Easy EdTech Podcast and her membership site the Easy EdTech Club to support educators who want to simplify and streamline technology integration.

Since starting ClassTechTips.com, Monica has led workshops and webinars, and provided keynote presentations to teachers, instructional coaches, administrators and tech-enthusiasts. She has presented at numerous national and international conferences, including SXSWedu, ISTE, FETC and EduTECH. Monica is the author of EdTech Essentials: The Top 10 Technology Strategies for All Learning Environments (ASCD, 2021), Tasks Before Apps: Designing Rigorous Learning in a Tech-Rich Classroom (ASCD, 2017) four quick reference guides for ASCD including, “Using AI Chatbots to Enhance Planning and Instruction” and “Classroom Technology Tips.” 


Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 — Dr. Carla España

Carla España, Ph.D. is a middle-grade language arts teacher, literacy consultant, researcher, author, and co-founder of the En Comunidad Collective. Her love of stories and teaching comes from her roots in Chile and has been nurtured by hundreds of teachers and students across schools in New York City and beyond.

She has a BS in communication studies from New York University, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, an MA in childhood education with a bilingual extension from Hunter College (City University of New York), and a Ph.D. in urban education from the Graduate Center (City University of New York). Dr. España’s teaching journey began in Harlem, New York with bilingual sixth graders and continues in her role as a middle grade language arts teacher and dean.

Her teaching, research, coaching, and writing live at the intersection of critical literacies, children’s literature, and bilingual education. Dr. España is co-author of En Comunidad: Lessons for Centering the Voices and Experiences of Bilingual Latinx Students with Dr. Luz Yadira Herrera. Find her on Twitter @ProfesoraEspana.


Thursday, December 12th, 2024 — Dr. Sara Vogel

Dr. Sara Vogel (she/her) is a born-and-raised Brooklynite, a (teacher) educator, and an education researcher focusing on computing-integrated learning environments that value bi/multilingual learners, their literacies, and communities. She is currently the Research Director at the City University of New York’s Computing Integrated Teacher Education initiative. She has been a researcher on the National Science Foundation-funded projects, Participating in Literacies and Computer Science (PiLa-CS) — where she worked to center bi/multilingual students in Computer Science for All initiatives — and CT to CS, which guided elementary teachers to incorporate computational thinking and CS into their subject areas. A former faculty member in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) residency program at Bank Street College, and a lecturer in Hunter College’s bilingual education programs, she also worked as a middle school bilingual teacher and practitioner of innovative digital “out-of-school-time” programs for youth. She has a PhD in Urban Education from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.


Thursday, December 12th, 2024 — Dr. Jill Siler

Dr. Jill Siler served as the Superintendent of Gunter ISD for nearly ten years and now serves as the Deputy Executive Director for Professional Learning for the
Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA). Jill grew up in Rochester & Buffalo, NY and completed her undergraduate work at the University of Pittsburgh where she was a collegiate swimmer. She was a teacher and coach in Pflugerville ISD and began her administrative career in Marble Falls ISD.

In 2004, Jill went to Lake Travis ISD where she served as a campus and district leader for 8 years. During that time, she completed her doctorate at the University of Texas. In her first months as a superintendent, Jill faced financial crisis along with many other challenges that leadership brings. In 2015, her school board was named a TASA Honor Board as one of the top 5 school boards in the state and one of her campuses was named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School. Jill served as the Chair of the Future-Ready Superintendent Leadership Network (FRSLN) Design Team where innovative leaders across Texas gather to learn, share and grow together.

Jill has a passion for helping others reach their goals and is the leader of Texas’ Aspiring Superintendent Academy and leads Texas’ First Time Superintendents Academy. Jill speaks at leadership and teacher conferences across the country. Her first book, Thrive Through the Five was published in 2020 and talks about how to thrive in the most challenging times.


Friday, December 13th, 2024 — Dr. Cheryl D. Watkins

Dr. Cheryl D. Watkins is an educator by profession who fell in love with teaching as a child. On rainy days, you could find her playing school on the back porch of her apartment building with her sisters and neighborhood friends. She started her professional career within the Chicago Public Schools as a special education teacher. During her 33-year tenure, she rose through the ranks serving in many positions including special education teacher, assistant principal, principal, deputy chief of schools, and prior to retiring, chief of schools.

The list of awards and recognitions that she earned throughout her career, at the local, regional and national levels, are numerous and include the Golden Apple Award (for excellence in teaching), the Kizzy Award, the Kathy Osterman Award for Superior Pubic Service, the Michael Jordan Education Club Teacher Achiever Award, the Dare to Be Great Award from the Illinois Women in Educational Leadership group and the Margaret T. Burroughs Legacy Award from the DuSable Museum of African History. As a principal, she was one of two recipients within the state of Illinois to receive national recognition as a recipient of the prestigious Milken Award for excellence in education. 
 
She earned her undergraduate degree from Chicago State University where she now serves as a member of the Board of Trustees. She holds a Masters’ degree and a Ph.D. in special education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Currently, Dr. Watkins is studying chaplaincy and ministry care at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Dr. Watkins is a speaker, an adjunct professor, an entrepreneur and an author. She is the author of Releasing Her: Wrestling Peace from the Jaws of Alzheimer’s, a book that details how she and her sisters cared for their mother who battled the disease. She is the founder and lead consultant of Monarch Education Consultants. Through professional development and coaching, she is able to walk alongside schools and districts as they address issues of race and equity in education, improve their emotional intelligence and increase the leadership development of administrators.
Two mantras anchor her work: her personal mantra, which is to stand up, speak up and show up for the oppressed and these words spoken by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “the time to do right is always the right time.” Additional information about Dr. Watkins’ contributions to the field of education, and beyond, can be found at https://linktr.ee/CherylDWatkins.