Organized by Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Education Maria Coady, the Multilingual Perspectives Speaker Series aims to examine and extend topics related to the education of multilingual learners in schools.

2026 Event Details

2026 Speaker Miguel Cardona on Elevating Our Students’ Superpower

 Former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona delivered a speech entitled “Elevating Our Students’ Superpowers” during the 2026 Multilingual Perspectives Speaker Series, organized by NC State College of Education Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Education Maria Coady. He encouraged an audience of educators to see assets, not deficits, in their students, particularly those who are multilingual like himself. 

October 2024 Speaker Ofelia García on Translanguaging as Practice and Pedagogy

While the terms bilingualism and multilingualism have existed in education for quite a while, shifting focus to engage in translanguaging pedagogies can be of greater benefit for students who speak more than one language, said Ofelia García, Professor Emerita in Urban Education and Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures at the City University of New York (CUNY), during the Fall 2024 Linguistic Diversity Speaker Series. During a talk entitled “Translanguaging as Practice and Pedagogy,” García shared the importance of using translanguaging pedagogies to provide educational spaces that allow students to represent their full selves and use their entire language repertoire.

November 2023 Speaker Tatyana Kleyn on the Four Pillars of Bilingual Education

A professor of bilingual education and TESOL at The City College of New York, Dr. Kleyn is Principal Investigator for the City University of New York – Initiative on Immigration and Education (CUNY—IIE, pronounced ‘eye’) and has served as the president of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education (NYSABE) and was a Fulbright Scholar in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her latest book is titled Living, Learning and Languaging Across Borders: Students Between the US and Mexico. She received an Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University in International Educational Development with a focus in Bilingual/Bicultural Education. She was also an elementary school teacher in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and Atlanta, Georgia. 

March 2023 Speaker Kathy Escamilla on “The Science of Reading for Multilingual Learners”

A professor emerita of equity, bilingualism and biliteracy at the University of Colorado, Kathy Escamilla is an internationally recognized expert on biliteracy development for multilingual learners. Her research centers on educational issues related to Spanish speaking emerging bilingual students in U.S. schools. She is specifically interested in issues related to the development of bilingualism and biliteracy in early elementary grades. She received her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Multilingual Perspectives Speaker Series is organized by Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Education Maria Coady.

About maria coady

Maria Coady Named Inaugural Goodnight Distinguished Professor

Maria Coady joined the NC State College of Education as the inaugural Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Education in August 2022. Her research focuses on English language and multilingual learners in rural settings. 

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There has been a nearly 200% growth in multilingual students across the state of North Carolina within the last decade. We have a lot of work to do, and I think we can make a tremendous, significant difference.

Maria Coady

Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Education

supporting Multilingual Learners in education

Perspective in EdNC | Building Linguistic Strengths in North Carolina’s Schools

In this piece for EdNC, Goodnight Distinguished Professor Maria Coady shares four things she has learned from educators of rural multilingual (ML) students and offers three action items that can build into the linguistic strengths and resources of North Carolina in ways the lead to innovative and equitable education for ML students and families.  

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How Can Educators Help Multilingual Learners?

Goodnight Distinguished Professor Maria Coady offers steps educators can take when a student who speaks a language other than English join their classroom that both help the child feel welcome address their language and learning needs.

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