More than 100 educators from across Southwest Washington gathered on April 16 for a day of collaboration and professional growth at the Multilingual Learning Network’s Regional Professional Learning Community event, hosted by ESD 112 and SAVVAS Learning Company, in partnership with Flashlight Learning and Evergreen Public Schools.
Held at ESD 112’s Conference Center, the event featured 15 rotating workshops covering a range of high-impact topics, including language access, WIDA standards, the SIOP model, co-teaching and co-planning, artificial intelligence, social-emotional learning, and multi-tiered systems of support. Each session addressed real-world challenges and encouraged participants to engage in thoughtful conversations around strategies that support multilingual learners.
“I loved the co-teaching and co-planning presentation,” shared one participant. “I was able to take away some ideas that I could use with teachers in my building.”
Workshops were presented through a multilingual lens, centering the diverse language backgrounds of students and promoting inclusive, culturally responsive instruction.
Educators meet with vendors between sessions to explore new resources
Between sessions, participants connected in the Clark Cafe, an inviting space for networking, reflection, and vendor engagement. There, they exchanged ideas with peers and explored educational tools and resources provided by sponsors, such as SAVVAS Learning Company and ESD-U.
“This was a great resource,” said another participant. “I loved getting to network and meet other multilingual teachers in the area.”
With presenters from local school districts, OSPI, ESD 112, and SAVVAS, the event highlighted the importance of building community among educators and the region’s commitment to advancing equity in education and the success of multilingual learners.
The ESD 112 Multilingual Learning Network supports schools and districts in serving multilingual learners across Southwest Washington by providing resources, professional development, and guidance. To learn more, contact Effie Triol at effie.triol@esd112.org.
