Summer Institute Information

The KyCEL 2022 Summer Institute will be ONLINE and will consist of three 2-hour sessions each day, with two presentations offered during each session. The presentations will be categorized along two strands - (1) Teaching and (2) Leadership & Equity.

It is possible to receive professional development (PD) credit for attending the KyCEL Summer Institute. Following each 2 hour session, we will provide all attendees with a Certificate of Attendance for that session. The certificate can then be used to document participation in the full 2 hour session. It is possible to document 6 hours of participation each day - 12 hours in total for the full institute.  PD credit is awarded by districts; KyCEL cannot offer PD credit. If you plan to accrue PD credit by attending KyCEL Summer Institute, it is very important to check with your school or district PD Coordinator. They can determine if our Certificates of Attendance are allowable for district PD credit.

We anticipate being able to award certificates for EILA credit for each session.

The cost for the KyCEL Summer Institute is $75.00. This fee allows participation in the full Summer Institute and a one year membership in the Kentucky Coalition for English Learners (KyCEL). Check or Purchase Order must be received in advance to gain access to sessions. For districts paying with a PO, the PO Number is a required item on the Registration Form.  

Registration Instructions to Districts: We prefer each attendee complete a Registration Form (link below) so that we have individual contact details. If multiple staff will be on the same Purchase Order, there is a place on the Registration Form for the individuals to list the names of others attending using the same PO. This will help ensure all are accounted for.  

For districts paying by PO, we encourage having an individual from Central Office register all attendees (i.e., one form per attendee) for the district.  

We are honored to have several nationally known speakers presenting at the 2022 KyCEL Summer Institute!  

Aída Walqui  

Aída Walqui directs the National Research and Development Center for Improving the Education of English Learners in Secondary Schools at WestEd, where she started one of the agency’s signature programs, the Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) initiative. QTEL has been funded by federal and private institutions to develop and research professional development tools and processes that support the academic success of students who are designated as English Learners. Walqui taught in the Division of Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and at the School of Education, Stanford University. A native Peruvian, she received an MS in Sociolinguistics from Georgetown University, and her PhD from Stanford University. She is the author of many books and articles and co-edited the recent book, Reconceptualizing the Role of Critical Dialogue in American Classrooms: Promoting Equity Through Dialogic Education.   

Valentina Gonzalez  

Valentina Gonzalez’s passion and love for education is widely known and shines through in her presentations and her writing. Her personal experience as an immigrant from Yugoslavia and language learner fuels her desire to advocate for English learners and support teachers with the best research-based teaching methods. In her 21 years with public education, Valentina served as a classroom teacher, an ESL coteacher and pull-out teacher, a district ESL facilitator, and a district professional development specialist for teachers of English learners. Through these roles she supported students and educators and coached teachers on sheltered instruction and ESL strategies. Valentina earned her Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Houston and her Master’s in Leadership and Administration from Lamar University.  Twenty attendees of Valentina's session will be chosen at random to receive a copy of her book, Reading & Writing with English Learners: A Framework for K - 5.    

Emily Francis   

Astrid Emily Francis is a nationally recognized English as a Second Language teacher at Concord High School in Concord, North Carolina. She serves students in 9th-12th grade with various English proficiency levels. Emily is a native Spanish-speaker who is originally from Guatemala, and came to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor. Her experience as an English Language Learner inspired her to become an ESL teacher and affords her a deep understanding of the challenges her students must overcome to find success. Emily earned a BA in Spanish and a MAT in ESL from UNC-Charlotte. She serves as a professional development facilitator, motivational speaker, and Keynote. Emily forms part of the Executive Board of The Carolinas TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). Emily is a contributing author for Community College Teacher Preparation for Diverse Geographies: Implications for Access and Equity for Preparing a Diverse Teacher Workforce. Emily served as teacher liaison to the Cabarrus County Board of Education as Teacher of the Year 2016. As a leader, Emily’s focus is to inspire students to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more.